Group 1 | ENG 2

Noh
Theater
A BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO JAPANESE LIT
Topic Outline
DISCUSSION POINTS

What is Noh Theater?

Brief History
Video Presentation
Activity: Paint Me A Picture
 QUESTION:
Do you know the oldest
form of Japanese Theater?
HINT: YOU DON'T. YET.
Correct, Noh.
A BRIEF BACKGROUND

Noh is one of Japan's most cherished traditional

art forms, a musical and poetic type of stage
drama that has been practiced continually
since the 14th century and is still prominent in
Japan today.
 It's elegant, intense, subtle,
and ephemeral all at once,
and has some remarkable
costumes as well. But how did
all this begin?
 Early Years
WHERE IT ALL BEGAN
Noh Theater first emerged in the early years of the Muromachi
Period (1333-1573). All because of a man named Kan'ami. He was
the first to turn these folk traditions into a serious, rich practice that
the upper classes could begin to appreciate as fine art. Noh
drama is serious and intense, so a brief and comical form of
theater is used in between acts as an intermission called kyogen.
 Early
Recognition
It was Kan'ami's son Zeami, however, who
ultimately carried on the tradition and really
started gaining government patronage and
recognition of Noh Theater. Zeami even
formed close personal friendships with the
shoguns, or military rulers, of the era, until
eventually one rose who didn't like the Noh
star and Zeami ended up banished from the
main island.
Early
Recognition

The Noh tradition, however, survived. It was

taken up by four Noh troupes of the time, who
found patronage in wealthy aristocrats and
especially among the temples and shrines. In
this way, Noh was maintained for centuries as a
popular art form among the upper class.
 LATER DEVELOPMENT

The biggest change came with the Tokugawa Period (1603-1867). By this
time, Noh was being recognized not just for its quality as an art form, but
for its role as a coveted tradition. The Tokugawa shoguns worked to codify
and standardize Noh, limiting some of the potential for new developments
but also enshrining it as a revered cultural artifact and official part of
Japanese national identity. The Tokugawa era also saw the development
of a fifth major Noh troupe, alongside the four that had existed since the
Muromachi Period. All five of these troupes are still active today.
Did you know?
MANY NOH PROTAGONISTS ARE
GHOSTS, DEMONS OR OBSESSED
HUMAN BEINGS WHOSE SOULS
CANNOT FIND REST BECAUSE IN
LIFE THEY WERE DEVOTED TO
WORLDLY GOALS THAT KEEP
DRAWING THEM BACK TO THE
PHYSICAL WORLD AND ITS
IMPERFECTIONS.
Characteristics
of Noh Theater
SO, WHAT EXACTLY MAKES NOH...NOH?
 ROLES
IN NOH THEATER
 Shite
THE LEADING
CHARACTER.

THE SHITE MAY ACT AS A HOLY

OLD MAN, A DEITY, A DEMON, A
SPIRIT OR A LIVING MAN.
 Waki
THE SUPPORTING
ACTOR.

THE WAKI PLAYS ROLES SUCH AS A

PRIEST, MONK OR SAMURAI. THE
WAKI ALWAYS PORTRAYS LIVING
PEOPLE.
Hayashi
THE MUSICIANS STICK DRUM HIP DRUM
SHOULDER FLUTE
DRUM (FUE)
(TAIKO) (OTSUZUMI)
(KOTSUZUMI)

FOUR MUSICIANS PROVIDE

ACCOMPANIMENT FOR THE
PERFORMANCE.
 Jiutai
THE CHORUS.

THE CHORUS SITS TO THE LEFT OF

THE STAGE AND ASSISTS THE SHITE
IN THE NARRATION OF THE STORY.
 Koken
STAGE ATTENDANTS

DRESSED IN BLACK, THE STAGE

ATTENDANTS ARE NOT PART OF
THE PLAY BUT ASSIST THE
PERFORMERS IN VARIOUS WAYS,
SUCH AS HANDING THEM PROPS.
 STAGE
IN NOH THEATER
HAS HI GAKARI

HON- BUT AI
THEMES
IN NOH THEATER
 THEMES
It combines music, dance, and
acting to communicate
Buddhist themes. Often the plot
of a Noh play recreates famous
scenes from well-known works of
Japanese literature such as The
Tale of Genji or The Tale of the
Heike. The typical Noh play is not
a dramatic reenactment of an
event but its retelling.
5 Types of Noh
Plays
THIS WILL BE FOR THE ACTIVITY
LATER...
 KAMI MONO
Feature the sacred story of the
Shinto Shrine.
 SHURA MONO
A fighting play that features
warriors like Atsumori.
KATSURA MONO
AKA "Wig Plays" that feature
women...played by men.
 GENDAI MONO
Feature naturalistic stories such
as natural phenomena.
 KYOJO MONO
AKA "Madwoman Plays" in
which a woman loses her
child or a lover who goes
insane
KICHIKU MONO
AKA "Demon Plays" feature
supernatural beings & have
the most intricate looking
masks
The Performance
AN EXAMPLE VID
 Activity
PAINT ME A PICTURE
Divide into 2 groups, choose
one type of Noh play then
paint us a picture of what it
should look like
GOOD LUCK!
References

https://study.com/academy/lesson/noh-theatre-definition-
characteristics-history.html
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2091.html
http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/special/japan_1000ce_noh.htm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1IyUPMXwS0
That's all,
folks!