WHAT IS UNIMA / UNIMA JAPAN?
What is UNIMA?
UNIMA stands for Union Internationale de la Marionnette, and sometimes it is called International UNIMA.
After the First World War, it was established in Europe and it became the first international association in the field of theater. On May 25, 1929, participants from 11 countries gathered in Prague, Czechoslovakia, and there they had the founding meeting of the association whose headquarter was to be settle in the city. Although it was difficult to keep in touch during the Second World War, they had the 5th Congress in Prague in 1957 to restart the activities. UNIMA headquarter moved to Warsaw （Poland） in 1972, and then to Charleville-Mézières (France) in 1980 until today. It is UNESCO’s official partner (consultative status). Its official languages are English, French and Spanish. UNIMA celebrates March 21 as the World Puppetry Day since 2003.
Executive Committee members, Councilors and Commission members are especially active in UNIMA. UNIMA National Centers are in 100 countries, and there are more than 7,000 members in the world. The Congress is held in every four years in one of the member countries, and it is a custom to be accompanies by an international puppet festival. (In UNIMA JAPAN, “soukai” means the Congress, while “taikai” indicates the congress and the festival as a whole.)
UNIMA headquarter is located in the city of Charleville-Mézières together with IIM (Institut International de la Marionnette) and ESNAM (École Nationale Supérieure des Arts de la Marionnette).
What is UNIMA JAPAN?
UNIMA JAPAN (nihon unima) is the Japanese center of UNIMA (Union Internationale de la Marionnette). It changed its status to Non-Profit Organization registered to the local government in 2015; therefore, its official name in Japanese changed subsequently.
It was established in 1967 when the Second National Puppeteers Conference was held in Tokyo. Prior to its establishment, Puppet Theater PUK had joined UNIMA in 1958 at the 6th Congress (Budapest, Hungary) as a collective member. In 1979, in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of UNIMA, International Puppet Festival of Asian-Pacific Area was held in Tokyo that caused great excitements. In 1988, XV UNIMA Congress and World Puppetry Festival was carried out in Nagoya, Iida and Tokyo. It was the first UNIMA Congress in Asia.
UNIMA JAPAN holds annual General Assembly, publishes Yearbook, publishes its organ (3 issues a year）. There are some study tours and parties as well.
Communication with International UNIMA, active professional and amateur puppet groups in Japan, traditional and modern puppetry, puppets in education, videos and commercial medias with puppets, and more. Puppeteers and puppet lovers throughout the country gather in UNIMA JAPAN.