a form of puppet show in Japan with nearly life-size puppets, each operated by two or three on-stage puppeteers, while dialogue and narration are spoken by performers just offstage
See bunraku in American Heritage Dictionary 4
(bo͝on-räˈko͞o, bo͝onˈräˌ-)
noun
A traditional Japanese puppet theater featuring large puppets operated by onstage puppeteers with a narrative recited from offstage. The puppets have heads, hands, and feet of wood attached to a bodiless cloth costume.