'Omozukai'

The omozukai, or main puppeteer, manipulates the head and features and the right arm while the two lower ranked puppeteers operate the left arm and the legs (with a 10-year long apprenticeship on each before becoming an omozukai). The omozukai is visible to the audience - he is the star of the show, after all - and often colorfully dressed while the other operators are 'invisible' - actually they're just cloaked in black robes and hoods. Puppets of female characters usually don't have legs as they are clad in full-length kimono.