As one of the few benshi, or silent film narrators, still practicing the ancient Japanese art of silent film narration, Midori Sawato performed for an audience of more than 60 people at Boston University Thursday night – one of five stops she made in Boston this week.

Sawato dramatically narrated Orochi, an 80-minute silent chambara, or sword-fighting, film which was shown with English subtitles. The petite woman, who flew in from Tokyo two days ago, reenacted the entire movie in Japanese, her voice ranging from villainous to sweet.

Event organizer Sarah Frederick, a College of Arts and Sciences professor of modern foreign languages, said the film was chosen to create an authentic experience.

“This film is really hard to see and it’s more typical of popular film from the silent era than those by Ozu or Mizoguchi,” Frederick said. “It’s actually quite rare.”

Benshi narrators like Sawato accompanied early silent films in Japan.

“In the beginning, films were a foreign thing and in Japan – they had a particular love for narration,” Sawato said through a translator. “Especially when movies came from abroad, they required explanation to be accepted by the masses.”

Sometimes, people came to cinemas to see their favorite benshi rather than the actual film, she said.

“Some benshi were famous – what would make a film,” Sawato said. “But a not-so-good benshi could really hurt an audience’s opinion of it.”

Even though she is one of the few still practicing the ancient art, she remained humble during an audience question-and-answer session.

“I have only been doing this for 30-some years,” she said. “In Japan they say you have to do something for 40 years to be a true artist.”

Members of the audience said they attended the performance for various reasons.

“I came because it’s a class requirement,” said College of Arts and Sciences sophomore Adrian Aley. “But it was very nice. It’s not something I see every day.”

Renee Swan and Aya Rothwell, both CAS freshmen, said they enjoyed the unique experience.

Rothwell said she enjoyed the performance more than most American movies she has seen.

“It was really cool because it’s something you can’t do in English without having it sound corny,” Swan said.

The performance was arranged through a joint effort by Frederick and William Burton, a professor at Tufts University.

“[Burton] went to Japan last year and saw her perform, then looked into having her come here,” Frederick said. “Because it’s such a long trip, it makes sense to have it at as many schools as possible.”

No repeat performance is planned for next year, although Frederick said she hopes to have a similar event at some point in the future.

Sawato’s other Boston stops include performances at Tufts University on April 23 and at the Harvard University Film Archive on April 24.