Origins:Umahiko was born in a village in the Northern part of
Japan, a child of the early Autumn. His father and younger
brother were all he had, as his mother had passed away a year after
his brother's birth... illness, and a tough Winter, made things quite
difficult for even the greatest of Healers, and, though Umahiko's
father was one of these, even his skills could not save her. No
one held this against him... including his sons... but, from that
point on, he devoted his life to completely mastering the healing
arts. These included both conventional medicine, and the
practice of Shiatsu pressure-point techniques.
Being the oldest child, Umahiko was the one who was to be taught
the family trade, and carry on the tradition. And so,
reluctantly, he did, not caring for medicine that much, especially
after his mother's death, but he was very loyal to his father.
However, at the age of 10, he saw his first performance of a
Bunraku...Chikamatsu's "Battles of Coxinga"... and found his heart
instantly lost. Of course, he told his father this, and,
naturally, he was not happy with his son's decision to ask if he could
apprentice to that very same troupe. A few days later, though...
and much to Umahiko's surprise... his father agreed that he could do
this if he wanted; times were tough, paying for two children was not
easy, and Umahiko's younger brother desperately wanted to become a
healer, like his father. With all of this put together, the
oldest son found his opportunity waiting for him... and he took it.
He spent five years simply watching, learning, and being sort of a
"gopher" for the actual members of the troupe. After that, the
narrator, sensing within him the proper skills needed... and hearing a
maturing voice that sounded almost unreal, it was so deep and pure...
took him in as an apprentice. And, until the age of 25, Umahiko
was a straight apprentice to the narrator, actually taking on a few of
the performances in his last year completely solo. Once his 25th
birthday had come and gone, his master decided... along with the other
apprentices... that Umahiko was ready to enter the world of Bunraku.
With their blessing, copies of all of their plays, and a few of the
spare puppets, these six young men stepped out into the world, and,
for the past five years, have been performing on their own.
Present:
Umahiko is now the Narrator for the Three River Mountain Bunraku
Troupe. His voice has fully matured, and sounds like the
Japanese version of James Earl Jones.
Desires:
He desires only one thing... to continue doing his trade until the
day he dies.
Fates:
Unknown... but, hopefully, it will be fun.
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