In the Heian Period, there were groups of entertainers called Kugutsushi (puppeteers), who are considered to be the one of the origins of sarugaku and who wandered from place to place, gaining money by performing in cities though some groups later came under 'the patronage' of temples and shrines.
-平安時代にあった傀儡師といわれる芸能集団で、猿楽の源流一つとされ、旅回りや定住せず流浪して、町々で芸を披露しながら金子（きんす）を得ていたが、後に寺社の「お抱え」となる集団もあった。