Short answers, pulled from the story.
Osaka in the 1680s marked a turning point for Japanese puppet theatre when the Takemoto Gidayu established his theater there in 1684. Chikamatsu Monzaemon began collaborating with this chanter around the same time to produce works that elevated puppetry from street entertainment to high art.
The term Bunraku originally referred only to a specific theater founded in 1805 in Osaka. This institution was named after Ningyō Jōruri, an early 18th-century puppeteer from Awaji who revived flagging fortunes of traditional puppet theatre.
Training requires ten years on the feet then ten more on the left hand before advancing to head manipulation for secondary characters. Only after decades of practice can a performer move to controlling the head of a main character.
Heads contain mechanical sophistication allowing rapid transformation where eyes move up and down side to side or close completely. Noses mouths and eyebrows shift positions through hidden strings while one type splits a beautiful woman's mouth open to her ears and grows fangs instantly.
Since World War II ended the number of active troupes dropped to fewer than 40 because most perform only once or twice annually often tied to local festivals. Regional troupes continue performing actively despite overall decline but hundreds of professional semi-professional and amateur troupes performed traditional puppet drama across Japan by the late 1800s.