Bunraku includes both historical plays (zidai mono) and contemporary plays (sewa mono). It also includes zidai sewa—plays that have elements of both zidai mono and sewa mono.
The historical plays are set in the times before the Edo period (1600–1867), and the major characters are mainly of the samurai class. In the contemporary plays, the major characters are common people of the Edo period; these plays realistically depict the emotional conflicts of everyday life. The first sewamono play written...