Noh Summary

Utai Utai (also called yokyoku) is the vocal music of the Japanese classical theater form called Noh. It is monophonic music influenced by Buddhist chant, especially of the shomyo tradition of the Te... Read more

In the following essay, Lamarque claims that the portrayal of characters in the stylized and austere theatrical form of Noh is possible because of the character's ability to identify himself to... Read more

In the following essay, Sekine traces the development of Noh drama, paying special attention to Zeami's interpretations of some of the aspects of the art form. The Noh theatre, now six hundr... Read more

In the following essay, Richie describes the Noh's use of images, its structure, pacing, music, masks, rituals, and actors, emphasizing the singularity of Noh as an art form that in many ways d... Read more

In the following essay, Teele argues against critics who have claimed that comic Noh plays have no literary or dramatic value. By examining an ideal program, studying Zeami's remarks, and compa... Read more

In the following essay, Sekine describes the five categories of Noh plays defined in the Edo period (1600-1867), comparing them to the classifications used by Zeami. Noh was less tightly categorise... Read more

In the essay below, Ueda surveys Zeami's theories on effective Nō theater. A certain Japanese poet, commenting on the difference between the artisan and the artist, once said that the... Read more

In the following essay, Ishii traces the evolution of Zeami's theories on the ideal Nō performance, noting that he believed performance should try to achieve “accord with the perf... Read more