Noh Theater

Noh theater is a stylized, austere form of dramatic performance from medieval Japan representing an intricate balance of poetry, song, music, mime, and dance. Meaning literally "accomplishment" or "perfected art," Noh is generally believed to have developed out of two much earlier performance traditions in Japan: dengaku, or "field music," a rural folk theater incorporating elements of the harvest dance; and sarugaku, or "monkey music," originally a farce or acrobatic entertainment that by the early fourteenth century had evolved into a type of musical drama performed at shrines and temples to expel evil spirits. The architect of the classic form of Noh drama is Zeami Motomasu (1363-1443), son of the famous Noh actor and playwright Kanami and favorite of Emperor...