Next Gen Masters: Kabuki, Pili Puppets, and Taiwan's Artistic Legacy

Kabuki actors Onoe Kikugoro VII and Onoe Kikunosuke VI succeeded the prestigious Otowa-ya family stage names in 2025 with a two-year nationwide succession performance that took place in Fukuoka Prefecture. The theme of “tradition and innovation” invited audiences to reflect on how to continue Kabuki traditions with innovative methods. Now, a journey to push the boundaries of traditional theatre brings them to Taiwan for a chance encounter with Taiwanese puppeteer, Chen Hsi-huang (陳錫煌). Together, they explore how Pili International Multimedia transformed traditional Bodehi puppetry into Taiwan’s global IP. Watch as father and son strive to pursue and refine their art in Taiwan. Get ready for an exclusive visit to Pili studios in Yunlin to see how CGI and special effects took these puppets out of the temples and into sold out fan meetups around the world. These puppet pioneers for the digital age regularly achieve viewership ratings over 97 percent. Let’s see what happens when two Kabuki masters step backstage to chat with a living national treasure… “Next-Gen Masters” is a full-length documentary from Fuji TV presented in partnership with TaiwanPlus. This international co-production explores the themes of tradition and innovation within enduring cultural artforms like Japanese Kabuki and Taiwanese Bodehi puppetry. We’re proud to share exclusive performances from both the Otowa-ya family in Japan and Pili puppets in Taiwan. Let us know what you think in the comments below. *** 中文字幕由 YouTube 自動翻譯 (Mandarin subtitles are auto-translated by YouTube) Chapters: 00:00:00 Next-Gen Masters 00:02:56 Dihua Street Food Tour 00:10:52 SanFormosan Coffee Tasting 00:14:59 Chicken Dinner at Chi Chia Chuang 00:20:19 Shilin Night Market 00:25:29 Taiwanese Breakfast 00:28:21 Pili Studios in Yunlin 00:31:12 “The Maiden at Doji Temple” Puppet Show 00:36:16 Pili Puppets Workshop 00:42:01 Pili Puppets Studio Tour 00:54:50 Taipei 101 Observatory 00:56:28 Neo Taiwanese Cuisine 01:07:57 Taiwanese Tea Ceremony 01:10:37 Puppet Master Chen Hsi-huang 01:22:22 Taiwanese Bodehi Puppet Show 01:29:57 Kabuki Performance at Hakataza Theater 01:44:51 Credits #Puppetry #Pili #Kabuki #TraditionalArt #PerformanceArt #FujiTV #TaiwanPlus #Japan #Taiwan #Vlog #Travel ▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁ 🔔 Turn on notifications to stay updated! Newsletter: https://bit.ly/40xmFd8 Website: https://www.taiwanplus.com/ 📱 Download our app: Android: https://bit.ly/3xg4mcz iOS: https://apple.co/3YKkgYh 🇹🇼 Curious about Taiwan’s culture? Planning a visit? Facebook: https://tw.plus/facebook Instagram: https://tw.plus/instagram 🌏 Want to stay up to date on the latest news from Taiwan and beyond? YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TaiwanPlusNews Facebook: https://bit.ly/3IgSInZ Twitter: https://tw.plus/twitter