Noh TheatreAngela WangSteven Wang

Okina hōnō (dedication of Noh play A Venerable Old Man) on New Year's

day

HistoryNoh, is a major form of classical Japanese musical

drama that has been performed since the 14th

century. Many characters are masked, with men

playing male and female roles. The repertories

normally limited to a specific set of historical

plays. A Noh performance often lasts all day and

consists of five Noh plays interspersed with

shorter, humorous kyōgen pieces.

While the field of Noh performance is extremely

codified with an emphasis on tradition rather than

innovation, some performers do compose new plays

or revive historical ones that are not a part of the

standard repertoire. Works blending Noh with other

theatrical traditions have also been produced.

By tradition, Noh actors and musicians never

rehearse for performances together. Instead, each

actor, musician, and choral chanter practices his or her

fundamental movements, songs, and dances

independently or under the tutelage of a senior

member of the school.

Thus, the tempo of a given performance is not set by

any single performer but established by the interactions

of all the performers together. In this way, Noh

exemplifies the traditional Japanese aesthetic of

transience, called by Sen no Rikyu "ichi-go ichi-e".

ActorsThere are about 1500 professional Noh actors in Japan today, and the art

form continues to thrive. Actors begin their training as young children,

traditionally at the age of three. Historically, the performers were

exclusively male. In the modern day, a few women (many daughters

of established Noh actors) have begun to perform professionally.

Many people also study Noh on an amateur basis. While the field of Noh

performance is extremely codified with an emphasis on tradition rather than

innovation, some performers do compose new plays or revive historical ones

that are not a part of the standard repertoire. Works blending Noh with other

theatrical traditions have also been produced.

shite hayashi waki

MasksThe masks in Noh all have names. They are made out of

materials such as clay, dry lacquer, cloth, paper, and wood.

Usually only the shite, the main actor, wears a mask.

However, in some cases, the tsure may also wear a mask,

particularly for female roles. The Noh masks portray female or

nonhuman (divine, demonic, or animal) characters. There are

also Noh masks to represent youngsters or old men. On the

other hand, a Noh actor who wears no mask plays a role of an

adult man in his twenties, thirties, or forties. The side player,

the waki, wears no mask either.

Several types of masks, in particular those for female roles,

are designed so that slight adjustments in the position of the

head can express a number emotions such as fear or

sadness due to the variance in lighting and the angle shown

towards the audience. With some of the more extravagant

masks for deities and monsters, however, it is not always

possible to convey emotion. Usually, however, these

characters are not frequently called to change emotional

expression during the course of the scene, or show emotion

through larger body language.

Three pictures of the same female mask showing how

the expression changes with a tilting of the head.

Noh mask of an old woman

World's oldest Noh stage at Miyajima

StageThe traditional Noh stage consists of a pavilion whose architectural

style is derived from that of the traditional kagura (god-

entertainment)a stage of Shinto shrines, and is normally composed

almost entirely of hinoki (Japanese cypress) wood. The four pillars

are named for their orientation to the prominent actions during the

course of the play: the waki-bashira in the front, right corner near

the waki's standing point and sitting point; the shite-bashira in the

rear, left corner, next to which the shite normally performs; the fue-

bashira in the rear, right corner, closest to the flute player; and the

metsuke-bashira, or "looking-pillar", so called because the shite is

typically faced toward the vicinity of the pillar.

Noh stage. Center: shite; front right: waki; right: eight-

member jiutai (chorus); rear center: four hayashi-kata

(musicians); rear left: two kōken (stage hands).

waki-bashira

shite-bashira fue-

bashira

metsuke-bashira

Mood1.Mugen nō (夢幻能)

usually deals with spirits, ghosts, phantasms, and supernatural worlds.

Time is often depicted as passing in a non-linear fashion, and action

may switch between two or more timeframes from moment to

moment.

2.Genzai nō (現在能)

as mentioned above, depicts normal events of the everyday world.

However, when contrasted with mugen instead of with the other four

categories, the term encompasses a somewhat broader range of plays.

Style1.Geki nō (劇能 ) or drama plays are based

around the advancement of plot and the

narration of action.

2.Furyū nō (風流能 ) or dance plays focus

rather on the aesthetic qualities of the

dances and songs which are performed.

Every element of performance is strictly

controlled by conventions that have been

established for centuries. Rather than

encouraging innovation, Noh seeks to perfect

and preserve an art form.

Conclusion

Thanks!