Hachioji Kuruma Ningyo (cart puppetry) was conceived at the end of the Edo period (1603–1867). It is characterized by the fact that a lone puppeteer sits on a wheeled cart and manipulates a single puppet. It became popular as a form of entertainment in the farming areas of Hachioji, which had developed through the silk and textile industries, and was enthusiastically supported by textile manufacturers and others.
It is also part in the Setsubun ceremony to drive out evil spirts of Takaosan Yakuoin Temple, helping to convey the appeal of the traditional performing arts of Mulberry City.
Meanwhile, the Sekkyo Joruri (Buddhist storytelling), which has been handed down since medieval times, was perfected as a shamisen performance art in the middle of the Edo period, and in Hachioji, it came to be performed alongside puppet shows and other forms of entertainment.