The population indulged in the famous Kabuki plays(
historical dramas), Bunraku( puppet theater), and rakugo comical storytelling.
Still performed today at Osaka's National Bunraku Theatre, Bunraku is Japan's very sophisticated take
on the good old puppet show, in which lavishly dressed wooden puppets(ningyō) are used to tell tales(often love stories) from popular literature.
Japanese schools of performing arts(okeiko) continue to train young women and men in the skills of shamisen and chanting today,
and if you visit a Bunraku or kabuki theatre now you are probably
more likely to see female musicians than male ones.