Bunraku is a form of traditional Japanese puppet theatre founded in Osaka at the start of the 17th century and still performed today. Each performance combines three kinds of performers: puppeteers who manipulate the dolls, chanters called tayu who narrate and voice every character, and shamisen musicians. The chanting paired with shamisen playing is called joruri. Occasionally taiko drums are added. The puppets are large and fully articulated, and their operators are visible on stage rather than hidden.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.