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{{Short description|Classical Japanese dance-drama theater}}
{{About|the classical Japanese dance theatre|other uses|Noh (disambiguation)}}
{{redirect|Nō|similarly named topics|No (disambiguation)}}
{{good article}}
{{Infobox performing art
| name       = Noh
| image      = Noh Performance (235951661).jpeg
| caption    = ''Noh'' performance on [[Sado Island]], Japan
| medium     = Dance-drama
| types      = 
| culture    = [[Culture of Japan|Japan]]
| era        = 
}}
{{Infobox intangible heritage
| ICH = Nôgaku theatre
| State Party = Japan
| ID = 00012
| Region = APA
| Year = 2008
| Session = 3rd
| List = Representative
}}
{{nihongo|'''Noh'''|[[wikt:能|能]]|Nō|{{IPA|ja|no(ꜜ)ː}},<ref>{{cite book|script-title=ja:NHK日本語発音アクセント新辞典|publisher=NHK Publishing|editor=NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute|date=24 May 2016|lang=ja}}</ref><ref name=daijirin>{{cite book|script-title=ja:[[Daijirin|大辞林]]|publisher=[[Sanseidō]]|editor-last=Matsumura|editor-first=Akira|edition=4th|date=5 September 2019|lang=ja}}</ref>{{efn|The unaccented pronunciation is only optionally used for the performing art. For the more general "ability" sense, only the accented pronunciation is found.}} [[Sino-Japanese vocabulary|Sino-Japanese]] for "ability"{{efn|Short for {{nihongo||芸能|geinō|{{ipa|ja|ɡei.noː, ɡeː-|}}, {{xlat|artistic ability; [[performing arts]]}}}}.<ref name=daijirin/>}}}} is a major form of classical Japanese dance-[[drama]] that has been performed since the 14th century. It is Japan's oldest major theater art that is still regularly performed today.<ref name=Bowers /> Noh is often based on tales from traditional literature featuring a supernatural being transformed into a human hero who narrates the story. Noh integrates masks, costumes and various props in a dance-based performance, requiring highly trained actors and musicians. Emotions are primarily conveyed by stylized conventional gestures while the iconic masks represent specific roles such as ghosts, women, deities, and demons. Having a strong emphasis on tradition rather than innovation, Noh is highly codified and regulated by the ''[[iemoto]]'' system.

Although the terms Noh and ''[[nōgaku]]'' are sometimes used interchangeably, ''nōgaku'' encompasses both Noh and ''[[kyōgen]]''. Traditionally, a full ''nōgaku'' program included several Noh plays with comedic ''kyōgen'' plays in between; an abbreviated program of two Noh plays with one ''kyōgen'' piece has become common today.

== History ==
[[File:Noh stage Miyajima Sep2008.jpg|thumb|right|World's oldest Noh stage at [[Itsukushima|Miyajima]]]]
[[File:Karaori Garment (Noh costume), Edo period, 18th century, bamboo and chrysanthemum design on red and white checkered ground - Tokyo National Museum - DSC06159.JPG|thumb|''Karaori'' garment, Edo period, 18th century, bamboo and chrysanthemum design on red and white checkered ground]]

===Origins===
The [[kanji]] for {{nihongo||能|Noh}} means "skill", "craft", or "talent", particularly in the field of performing arts in this context. The word Noh may be used alone or with ''gaku'' ({{lang|ja|[[Wikt:楽#Japanese|楽]]}}; entertainment, music) to form the word ''nōgaku''. Noh is a classical tradition that is highly valued by many today. When used alone, Noh refers to the historical genre of theatre that originated from ''[[sarugaku]]'' in the mid 14th century and continues to be performed today.<ref name="Ortolani" />

One of the oldest forerunners of Noh and ''kyōgen'' is ''{{ill|sangaku (performance)|ja|散楽|lt=sangaku}}'', which was introduced to Japan from China in the 8th century. At the time, the term ''sangaku'' referred to various types of performance featuring acrobats, song and dance as well as comic sketches. Its subsequent adaptation to Japanese society led to its assimilation of other traditional art forms."<ref name="UNESCO Nogaku">{{cite web |title=Nôgaku theatre |url=https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/nogaku-theatre-00012 |access-date=21 November 2019 |website=The Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity |publisher=UNESCO}}</ref> Various performing art elements in ''sangaku'' as well as elements of ''[[dengaku]]'' (rural celebrations performed in connection with rice planting), ''[[sarugaku]]'' (popular entertainment including acrobatics, juggling, and pantomime), ''[[shirabyōshi]] ''(traditional dances performed by female dancers in the Imperial Court in the 12th century), ''[[gagaku]]'' (music and dance performed in the Imperial Court beginning in the 7th century), and ''[[kagura]]'' (ancient ''[[Shinto]]'' dances in folk tales) evolved into Noh and ''kyōgen''.<ref name="Bowers">{{cite book |last1=Bowers |first1=Faubion |title=Japanese Theatre |url=https://archive.org/details/japanesetheatre0000bowe |url-access=registration |date=1974 |publisher=Charles E. Tuttle Co. |location=Rutland, Vermont|isbn=9780804811316 }}</ref>

Studies on the [[genealogy]] of the Noh actors in 14th century indicate they were members of families specializing in the performing arts. According to legend, the Konparu School, which is considered to be the oldest tradition of Noh, was founded by [[Hata no Kawakatsu]] in the 6th century. However, the founder of the Konparu school, which is widely accepted among historians, was Bishaō Gon no Kami (Komparu Gonnokami) during [[Nanboku-chō period]] in the 14th century. According to the genealogical chart of the Konparu school, Bishaō Gon no Kami is a descendant after 53 generations of Hata no Kawakatsu. The Konparu school was descended from the ''sarugaku'' troupe which had played active roles in [[Kasuga-taisha]] and [[Kofuku-ji]] in [[Yamato Province]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20150509030829/https://db2.the-noh.com/edic/2010/05/konparu_school.html Konparu school.] The Noh.com</ref><ref name="shite">[https://web.archive.org/web/20200919093628/https://www.the-noh.com/en/world/shite.html Shite-kata.] The Noh.com</ref><ref name="konparu">[https://web.archive.org/web/20200810023440/https://kotobank.jp/word/%E9%87%91%E6%98%A5%E6%B5%81-67528 Kotobank, Konparu school.] [[The Asahi Shimbun]]</ref>

Another theory, by Shinhachirō Matsumoto, suggests Noh originated from outcastes struggling to claim higher social status by catering to those in power, namely the new ruling ''[[samurai]]'' class of the time. The transfer of the [[Shōgun|shogunate]] from [[Kamakura]] to [[Kyoto]] at the beginning of [[Muromachi period]] marked the increasing power of the samurai class and strengthened the relationship between the shogunate and the court. As Noh became the ''shōgun''{{'}}s favorite art form, Noh was able to become a courtly art form through this newly formed relationship. In 14th century, with strong support and patronage from ''shōgun'' [[Ashikaga Yoshimitsu]], Zeami was able to establish Noh as the most prominent theatre art form of the time.<ref name="Ortolani" />

=== The establishment of Noh by Kan'ami and Zeami ===
{{main|Zeami Motokiyo|Kan'ami}}
In the 14th century, during the [[Muromachi period]] (1336 to 1573), [[Kan'ami Kiyotsugu]] and his son [[Zeami Motokiyo]] reinterpreted various traditional performing arts and completed Noh in a significantly different form from the traditional one, essentially bringing Noh to the present form.<ref name="Watanabe">{{cite book|last=Watanabe |first=Takeshi|title=Breaking Down Barriers: A History of Chanoyu |year=2009|publisher=Yale Art Gallery |isbn=978-0-300-14692-9|page=51}}</ref> Kan'ami was a renowned actor with great versatility playing roles from graceful women and 12-year-old boys to strong men. When Kan'ami first presented his work to the 17-year-old [[Ashikaga Yoshimitsu]], Zeami was a child actor in his play, around age 12. Yoshimitsu fell in love with Zeami and his position of favor at court caused Noh to be performed frequently for Yoshimitsu thereafter.<ref name="Ortolani" />

[[Konparu Zenchiku]], who was the great-grandson of Bishaō Gon no Kami, the founder of the Konparu school, and the husband of Zeami's daughter, incorporated elements of [[waka (poetry)]] into Zeami's Noh and further developed it.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20210702153414/https://kotobank.jp/word/%E9%87%91%E6%98%A5%E7%A6%85%E7%AB%B9-67524 Kotobank, Konparu Zenchiku.] The Asahi Shimbun</ref><ref name="konparu" />

By this period, among the five major schools of Noh, four were established: the [[Kanze (Noh school)|Kanze school]], established by Kan'ami and Zeami; the [[Hōshō (Noh school)|Hōshō school]] established by Kan'ami's eldest brother; the Konparu school; and the Kongō school. All of these schools were descendants of the ''sarugaku'' troupe from Yamato Province. The [[Ashikaga Shogunate]] supported only the Kanze school among the four schools.<ref name="shite" /><ref name="school">[https://web.archive.org/web/20201204140241/https://wa-gokoro.jp/traditional-performing/Noh-Kyogen/497/ Noh schools.] Wagokoro.</ref>

===Tokugawa era===
During the [[Edo period]], Noh continued to be an aristocratic art form supported by the ''[[shōgun]]'', the feudal lords (''[[daimyō]]s''), as well as wealthy and sophisticated commoners. While ''[[kabuki]]'' and [[Jōruri (music)|''joruri'']] popular to the middle class focused on new and experimental entertainment, Noh strived to preserve its established high standards and historic authenticity and remained mostly unchanged throughout the era. To capture the essence of performances given by great masters, every detail in movements and positions was reproduced by others, generally resulting in an increasingly slow, ceremonial tempo over time.<ref name="Ortolani"/>

In this era, the [[Tokugawa shogunate]] appointed Kanze school as the head of the four schools. Kita Shichidayū (Shichidayū Chōnō), a Noh actor of the Konparu school who served [[Tokugawa Hidetada]], founded the Kita school, which was the last established of the five major schools.<ref name="shite" /><ref name="school" />

=== Modern Noh after Meiji era ===
[[File:Nogaku-In-the Noh-Theatre-by-Ogata-Gekko-1891.png|thumb|In the Noh Theatre, 1891 by [[Ogata Gekkō]]]]
The fall of the Tokugawa shogunate in 1868 and the formation of a new, modernized government resulted in the end of financial support by the state, and the entire field of Noh experienced major financial crisis. Shortly after the [[Meiji Restoration]] both the number of Noh performers and Noh stages greatly diminished. The support from the imperial government was eventually regained partly due to Noh's appeal to foreign diplomats. The companies that remained active throughout the [[Meiji era]] also significantly broadened Noh's reach by catering to the general public, performing at theatres in major cities such as Tokyo and [[Osaka]].<ref name=Ishii>{{cite book|last1=Ishii|first1=Rinko|title=能・狂言の基礎知識 [The Fundamentals of Noh and Kyogen]|date=2009|publisher=Kadokawa|location=Tokyo}}</ref>

In 1957 the Japanese Government designated ''nōgaku'' as an [[Intangible Cultural Properties of Japan|Important Intangible Cultural Property]], which affords a degree of legal protection to the tradition as well as its most accomplished practitioners. [[National Noh Theatre|The National Noh Theatre]] founded by the government in 1983 stages regular performances and organizes courses to train actors in the leading roles of ''nōgaku''. Noh was inscribed in 2008 on [[UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists|the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity]] by UNESCO as Nōgaku theatre.<ref name="UNESCO Nogaku" />

Although the terms ''nōgaku'' and Noh are sometimes used interchangeably, the Japanese government's definition of "''nōgaku''" theatre encompasses both Noh plays and ''kyōgen'' plays.<ref name="Noh Etymology">{{cite web|script-title=ja:能楽|title=Nôgaku|language=ja|url=http://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/303/102|website=National Cultural Heritage Database|publisher=The Agency for Cultural Affairs, Japan|access-date=21 November 2019}}</ref> ''Kyōgen'' is performed in between Noh plays in the same space. Compared to Noh, "''kyōgen'' relies less on the use of masks and is derived from the humorous plays of the [[sarugaku|''sangaku'']], as reflected in its comic dialogue."<ref name="UNESCO Nogaku" />

=== Women in Noh ===
During the [[Edo period]], the guild system gradually tightened, which largely excluded women from Noh, except for some women (such as [[courtesans]]) performing songs in marginal situations.<ref name="Whatley2018"/> Later, in the [[Meiji (era)|Meiji era]], Noh performers taught wealthy people and nobles, and this led to more opportunities for female performers because women insisted on female teachers.<ref name="Whatley2018"/> In the early 1900s, after women were allowed to join [[Tokyo University of the Arts|Tokyo Music School]], the rules forbidding women from joining various schools and associations in Noh were relaxed.<ref name="Whatley2018">{{Cite web|url=https://thetheatretimes.com/living-breathing-history-noh|title = Living and Breathing History, Through Noh|website=[[The Theatre Times]] |first=Katherine |last=Whatley |date = 24 March 2018 |access-date=25 January 2023}}</ref> In 1948, the first women joined the Nohgaku Performers' Association.<ref name="Whatley2018"/><ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=http://www.the-noh.com/|title=TRIVIA of Noh : Q25 : Can a woman become a Noh performer?|website=www.the-noh.com}}</ref> In 2004, the first women joined the Association for Japanese Noh Plays.<ref name="auto1"/> In 2007, the [[National Noh Theatre]] began to annually present regular programs by female performers.<ref name="auto1"/> In 2009, there were about 1200 male and 200 female professional Noh performers.<ref>{{Cite journal |url=https://www.academia.edu/4170226|title =Players, Performances and Existence of Women's Noh: Focusing on the Articles Run in the Japanese General Newspapers |last=Suzumura |first=Yusuke |date=Mar 8, 2013 |journal = Journal of International Japan-Studies |access-date=Nov 8, 2014}}</ref>

==''Jo-ha-kyū''==
{{main|Jo-ha-kyū}}
The concept of ''[[jo-ha-kyū]]'' dictates virtually every element of Noh including compiling of a program of plays, structuring of each play, songs and dances within plays, and the basic rhythms within each Noh performance. ''Jo'' means beginning, ''ha'' means breaking, and ''kyū'' means rapid or urgent. The term originated in ''[[gagaku]]'', ancient courtly music, to indicate gradually increasing tempo and was adopted in various Japanese traditions including Noh, tea ceremony, poetry, and flower arrangement.<ref name=Tsuchiya>{{cite book|last1=Tsuchiya|first1=Keiichirō|script-title=ja:能、世阿弥の「現在」|trans-title=The "Present" of Noh and Zeami|language=ja|date=2014|publisher=Kadokawa|location=Tokyo}}</ref>

''Jo-ha-kyū'' is incorporated in the traditional five-play program of Noh. The first play is ''jo'', the second, third, and fourth plays are ''ha'', and the fifth play is ''kyū''. In fact, the five categories discussed [[#Theme|below]] were created so that the program would represent ''jo-ha-kyū'' when one play from each category is selected and performed in order. Each play can be broken into three parts, the introduction, the development, and the conclusion. A play starts out in a slow tempo at ''jo'', gets slightly faster at ''ha'', then culminates in ''kyū''.<ref name=Komparu />

== Roles and training ==
[[File:KANZE Sakon Ataka.jpg|thumb|{{ill|Kanze Sakon|ja|観世左近}} (1895–1939), head (''[[sōke]]'') of [[Kanze (Noh school)|Kanze]] school]]

=== Roles ===
[[File:Noh-stage.png|thumb|250px|right|Noh stage. Center: ''shite''; front right: ''waki''; right: eight-member ''jiutai'' (chorus); rear center: four ''hayashi-kata'' (musicians); rear left: two ''kōken'' (stage hands)]]

There are four major categories of Noh performers: ''shite'', ''waki'', ''kyōgen'', and ''hayashi''.<ref name="shite" /><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20210127081745/https://www.the-noh.com/en/world/roles.html Other Roles.] The Noh.com</ref><ref name="performers">{{Cite web |title=Introduction to nō |url=https://www.nohgaku.or.jp/en/guide/introduction-to-n%C5%8D |access-date=2024-11-21 |website=The Nohgaku Performers' Association |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241121173312/https://www.nohgaku.or.jp/en/guide/introduction-to-n%C5%8D |archive-date=2024-11-21}}</ref>

# ''Shite'' (仕手, シテ). ''Shite'' is the main protagonist, or the leading role in plays. In plays where the ''shite'' appears first as a human and then as a ghost, the first role is known as the ''mae-shite'' and the later as the ''nochi-shite''.
#* ''Shitetsure'' (仕手連れ, シテヅレ). The ''shite's'' companion. Sometimes ''shitetsure'' is abbreviated to ''tsure'' (連れ, ツレ), although this term refers to both the ''shitetsure'' and the ''wakitsure''.
#* ''Kōken'' (後見) are stage hands, usually one to three people.
#* ''Jiutai'' (地謡) is the chorus, usually comprising six to eight people.
# ''Waki'' (脇, ワキ) performs the role that is the counterpart or foil of the ''shite''.
#* ''Wakitsure'' (脇連れ, ワキヅレ) or ''Waki-tsure'' is the companion of the ''waki''.
# ''[[Kyōgen]]'' (狂言) perform the ''aikyōgen'' (間狂言), which are interludes during plays. ''Kyōgen'' actors also perform in separate plays between individual Noh plays.
# ''Hayashi'' (囃子) or ''hayashi-kata'' (囃子方) are the instrumentalists who play the four instruments used in Noh theatre: the transverse {{nihongo|[[flute]]|笛|[[Fue (flute)|fue]]}}, {{nihongo|hip drum|大鼓|[[ōtsuzumi]]}} or {{nihongo||大皮|ōkawa}}, the {{nihongo|shoulder-drum|小鼓|[[kotsuzumi]]}}, and the {{nihongo|stick-drum|太鼓|[[taiko]]}}. The flute used for Noh is specifically called {{nihongo||能管|nōkan or nohkan}}.

A typical Noh play always involves the chorus, the orchestra, and at least one ''shite'' and one ''waki'' actor.{{sfn|Eckersley|2009|page=47}}

=== Training ===
Actors begin their training as young children, traditionally at the age of three.

Zeami identified nine levels or types of Noh acting. Lower levels emphasize movement. Higher levels are metaphorically compared with the opening of a flower and involve spiritual prowess.<ref>{{cite book|editor-last=Eckersley|editor-first=M.|year=2009 |title=Drama from the Rim | publisher=Drama Victoria |location=Melbourne |page=32}}</ref>

There are five extant schools training ''shite'' actors: [[Kanze (Noh school)|Kanze]] (観世), [[Hōshō (Noh school)|Hōshō]] (宝生), [[Komparu]] (金春), [[Kongō (Noh school)|Kongō]] (金剛), and [[Kita (Noh school)|Kita]] (喜多). Each school has its own ''iemoto'' family that carries the name of the school and is considered the most important. The ''iemoto'' holds the power to create new plays or modify lyrics and performance modes.<ref name="Hayashi">{{cite book |last1=Hayashi |first1=Kazutoshi |title=能・狂言を学ぶ人のために [For Those Learning Noh and Kyogen] |date=2012 |publisher=Sekai Shisou Sha |location=Tokyo}}</ref>

''Waki'' actors are trained in the schools Takayasu (高安), Fukuou (福王), and Hōshō (宝生).

Two schools train ''kyōgen'' actors: Ōkura (大蔵) and Izumi (和泉).

Eleven schools train instrumentalists, each school specializing in one to three instruments.<ref name="Nohgaku Performers' Association" />

The Nohgaku Performers' Association (''Nōgaku Kyōkai''), with which all professionals are registered, strictly protects the traditions passed down from performers' ancestors (see ''[[iemoto]]''). However, several secret documents of the Kanze school written by Zeami, as well as materials by [[Konparu Zenchiku]], have been diffused throughout the community of scholars of Japanese theatre.<ref name="Nohgaku Performers' Association">{{cite web |title=About the Nohgaku Performers' Association |url=http://www.nohgaku.or.jp/about/index.html |website=The Nohgaku Performers' Association |access-date=Nov 8, 2014}}</ref>

==Performance elements==
Noh performance combines a variety of elements into a stylistic whole, with each particular element the product of generations of refinement according to the central Buddhist, [[Shinto]], and minimalist aspects of Noh's aesthetic principles.

===Masks===
[[File:Maschere no, giovane donna (XVIII-XIX sec) e spirito ubriaco (himi muneda, XIX sec.).JPG|thumb|upright|''Nō'' masks. Right: Drunken spirit (''shōjō''). Made of red and black lacquered wood, with red silk tying cord, by Himi Munetada (氷見宗忠). Edo period, 19th century. Left: Nakizo, representing a female deity or woman of high rank, associated with Nō plays such as Hagoromo and Ohara Miyuki. Made of lacquered and painted wood by Norinari (憲成), designed by Zoami (増阿弥). 18th–19th century.]]
[[File:Three pictures of the same noh 'hawk mask' showing how the expression changes with a tilting of the head.jpg|thumb|left|Three pictures of the same female mask showing how the expression changes with a tilting of the head. This mask expresses different moods. In these pictures, the mask was affixed to a wall with constant lighting, and only the camera moved.]]

Noh [[mask]]s (能面 ''nō-men'' or 面 ''omote'') are carved from blocks of Japanese cypress (檜 "''[[hinoki]]''"), and painted with natural pigments on a neutral base of glue and crushed seashell. There are approximately 450 different masks mostly based on sixty types,{{r|"Rath"|page=14}} all of which have distinctive names. Some masks are representative and frequently used in many different plays, while some are very specific and may only be used in one or two plays. Noh masks signify the characters' gender, age, and social ranking, and by wearing masks the actors may portray youngsters, old men, female, or nonhuman ([[Divinity|divine]] or [[demon]]ic) characters.{{r|"Rath"|page=13}} Only the ''shite'', the main actor, wears a mask in most plays, although the ''tsure'' may also wear a mask in some plays.{{r|"Rath"|pages=13,260}}

Even though the mask covers an actor's facial expressions, the use of the mask in Noh is not an abandonment of facial expressions altogether. Rather, its intent is to stylize and codify the facial expressions through the use of the mask and to stimulate the imagination of the audience. By using masks, actors are able to convey emotions in a more controlled manner through movements and body language. Some masks use lighting effect to convey different emotions through slight tilting of the head. Facing slightly upward, or "brightening" the mask, will let the mask to capture more light, revealing more features that appear laughing or smiling. Facing downward, or "clouding" it, will cause the mask to appear sad or mad.<ref name=Komparu>{{cite book |last1=Komparu |first1=Kunio |title=The Noh Theater: Principles and Perspectives |date=1983 |publisher=John Weatherhill |location=New York / Tokyo |isbn=0-8348-1529-X}}</ref>

Noh masks are treasured by Noh families and institutions, and the powerful Noh schools hold the oldest and most valuable Noh masks in their private collections, rarely seen by the public. The most ancient mask is supposedly kept as a hidden treasure by the oldest school, the Konparu. According to the current head of the Konparu school, the mask was carved by the legendary regent [[Prince Shōtoku]] (572–622) over a thousand years ago. While the historical accuracy of the legend of Prince Shōtoku's mask may be contested, the legend itself is ancient as it is first recorded in Zeami's ''Style and the Flower'' written in the 14th century.<ref name=Rath>{{cite book|last1=Rath|first1=Eric C.|title=The Ethos of Noh – Actors and Their Art|date=2004|publisher=Harvard University Asia Center|location=Cambridge, Massachusetts|isbn=0-674-01397-2}} [https://archive.org/details/ethosofnohactors0000rath/page/11/mode/1up?q=%22Style+and+the+Flower%22 p11], [https://archive.org/details/ethosofnohactors0000rath/page/14/mode/2up?q=%22450+different+noh+masks%22 p14]</ref>{{rp|11}} Some of the [[Noh masks of the Konparu school|masks of the Konparu school]] belong to the [[Tokyo National Museum]], and are exhibited there frequently.<ref name="TNM17">{{cite web |url=http://www.tnm.jp/modules/r_free_page/index.php?id=1842&lang=en |title=Noh masks formerly owned by Konparu Sōke |author=<!--Not stated--> |publisher=Tokyo National Museum |access-date=2018-01-18 }}</ref>

<gallery widths="130" heights="140">
File:Noh Mask Hannya type.jpg|Noh mask of the ''[[hannya]]'' type. 17th or 18th century. Deemed [[Important Cultural Property (Japan)|Important Cultural Property]].
File:Akobujō (Noh mask), Tokyo National Museum C-1530.jpg|Noh mask of the ''akobujō'' type. 16th or 17th century. Deemed Important Cultural Property.
File:Ayakashi (Noh mask), Tokyo National Museum.jpg|Noh mask of the ''ayahashi'' type. 17th century. Deemed Important Cultural Property.
File:Chorei-beshimi (Noh mask), Tokyo National Museum C-1560.jpg|Noh mask of the ''chorei-beshimi'' type. 17th century. Deemed Important Cultural Property.
File:Hakushiki-jō (Noh mask), Tokyo National Museum C-1528.jpg|Noh mask of the {{transliteration|ja|hakushiki-jō}} type. 15th century. Deemed Important Cultural Property.
File:Shōjō (Noh mask), Tokyo National Museum C-1535.jpg|Noh mask of the ''shōjō'' type. 15th or 16th century. Deemed Important Cultural Property.
File:Shikami (Noh mask), Tokyo National Museum.jpg|Noh mask of the ''shikami'' type. 17th or 18th century.
File:Uba (Noh mask), Tokyo National Museum C-1559.jpg|Noh mask of the ''uba'' type. 16th century. Deemed Important Cultural Property.
File:Wakaotoko (Noh mask), Tokyo National Museum.jpg|Noh mask of the {{transliteration|ja|wakaotoko}} type. 16th or 17th century.
File:Inrō with Noh Masks.jpg|{{transliteration|ja|[[Inro]]}} with Noh masks. (front and back) early 19th century.
</gallery>

===Stage===
[[File:Noh-stage.jpg|alt=A modern Noh theatre with indoor roofed structure|thumb|left|A modern Noh theatre with indoor roofed structure]]
[[File:Noh-stage-diagram.png|thumb|1: hashigakari. 2: kyōgen spot. 3: stage attendants. 4: stick drum. 5: hip drum. 6: shoulder drum. 7: flute. 8: chorus. 9: ''waki'' seat. 10: ''waki'' spot. 11: ''shite'' spot. 12: ''shite-bashira''. 13: ''metsuke-bashira''. 14: ''waki-bashira''. 15: ''fue-bashira'']]

The traditional Noh [[Stage (theatre)|stage]] (''butai'') has complete openness that provides a shared experience between the performers and the audience throughout the performance. Without any proscenium or curtains to obstruct the view, the audience sees each actor even during the moments before they enter (and after they exit) the central "stage" (''honbutai'', "main stage"). The theatre itself is considered symbolic and treated with reverence both by the performers and the audience.<ref name=Komparu />

One of the most recognizable characteristics of the Noh stage is its independent roof that hangs over the stage even in indoor theatres. Supported by four columns, the roof symbolizes the sanctity of the stage, with its architectural design derived from the worship [[pavilion]] (''[[Haiden (Shinto)|haiden]]'') or sacred dance pavilion (''[[kagura-den]]'') of [[Shinto]] shrines. The roof also unifies the theatre space and defines the stage as an architectural entity.<ref name=Komparu />

The pillars supporting the roof are named ''shitebashira'' (principal character's pillar), ''metsukebashira'' (gazing pillar), ''wakibashira'' (secondary character's pillar), and ''fuebashira'' (flute pillar), clockwise from upstage right respectively. Each pillar is associated with the performers and their actions.<ref name=Brockett>{{cite book |last1=Brockett |first1=Oscar G. |last2=Hildy |first2=Franklin J. |title=History of the Theatre |date=2007 |publisher=Allyn and Bacon |location=Boston, MA |isbn=978-0-205-47360-1 |edition=Foundation}}</ref>

The stage is made entirely of unfinished ''[[hinoki]]'', Japanese cypress, with almost no decorative elements. The poet and novelist [[Tōson Shimazaki]] writes that "on the stage of the Noh theatre there are no sets that change with each piece. Neither is there a curtain. There is only a simple panel (''kagami-ita'') with a painting of a green [[pine]] tree. This creates the impression that anything that could provide any shading has been banished. To break such monotony and make something happen is no easy thing."<ref name=Komparu />

Another unique feature of the stage is the ''hashigakari'', a narrow bridge at upstage right used by actors to enter the stage. ''Hashigakari'' means "suspension bridge", signifying something aerial that connects two separate worlds on a same level. The bridge symbolizes the mythic nature of Noh plays in which otherworldly ghosts and spirits frequently appear. In contrast, ''[[hanamichi]]'' in [[Kabuki]] theatres is literally a path (''michi'') that connects two spaces in a single world, thus has a completely different significance.<ref name=Komparu />

===Costumes===
[[File:能衣装 狩衣 紺地石畳法螺貝模様, Noh Costume (Kariginu) with Checks and Conch Shells.jpg|thumb|Noh Costume (''[[Kariginu]]'') with Checks and Conch Shells. Edo period, 18th century, [[Tokyo National Museum]]]]
Noh actors wear silk costumes called ''shozoku'' (robes) along with wigs, hats, and props such as the fan. With striking colors, elaborate texture, and intricate weave and embroidery, Noh robes are truly works of art in their own right. Costumes for the ''shite'' in particular are extravagant, shimmering silk brocades, but are progressively less sumptuous for the ''tsure,'' the ''wakizure,'' and the ''aikyōgen''.<ref name=Komparu />

For centuries, in accordance with the vision of Zeami, Noh costumes emulated the clothing that the characters would genuinely wear, such as the formal robes for a courtier and the street clothing for a peasant or commoner. But in the late sixteenth century, the costumes became stylized with certain symbolic and stylistic conventions. During the Edo (Tokugawa) period, the elaborate robes given to actors by noblemen and ''samurai'' in the [[Muromachi period]] were developed as costumes.<ref>Morse, Anne Nishimura, et al. ''MFA Highlights: Arts of Japan''. Boston: Museum of Fine Arts Publications, 2008. p109.</ref>

The musicians and chorus typically wear formal ''montsuki'' ''[[kimono]]'' (black and adorned with five family crests) accompanied by either ''[[hakama]]'' (a skirt-like garment) or ''kami-shimo'', a combination of ''hakama'' and a waist-coat with exaggerated shoulders. Finally, the stage attendants are garbed in virtually unadorned black garments, much in the same way as stagehands in contemporary Western theatre.<ref name=Ishii />

===Props===
The use of props in Noh is minimalistic and stylized. The most commonly used prop in Noh is the [[Fan (implement)|fan]], as it is carried by all performers regardless of role. Chorus singers and musicians may carry their fan in hand when entering the stage, or carry it tucked into the ''[[Obi (sash)|obi]] ''(the sash). The fan is usually placed at the performer's side when he or she takes position, and is often not taken up again until leaving the stage. During dance sequences, the fan is typically used to represent any and all hand-held props, such as a sword, wine jug, flute, or writing brush. The fan may represent various objects over the course of a single play.<ref name=Komparu />

When hand props other than fans are used, they are usually introduced or retrieved by ''[[kuroko]]'' who fulfill a similar role to stage crew in contemporary theatre. Like their Western counterparts, stage attendants for Noh traditionally dress in black, but unlike in Western theatre they may appear on stage during a scene, or may remain on stage during an entire performance, in both cases in plain view of the audience. The all-black costume of ''kuroko'' implies they are not part of the action on stage and are effectively invisible.<ref name=Ishii />

Set pieces in Noh such as the boats, wells, altars, and bells, are typically carried onto the stage before the beginning of the act in which they are needed. These props normally are only outlines to suggest actual objects, although the great bell, a perennial exception to most Noh rules for props, is designed to conceal the actor and to allow a costume change during the ''kyōgen'' interlude.<ref name=Rath />{{page needed|date=January 2023}}

===Chant and music===
[[File:Noh-Hayashi.png|thumb|250px|right|''Hayashi-kata'' (noh musicians). Left to right: ''[[taiko]]'', ''[[ōtsuzumi]]'' (hip drum), ''[[kotsuzumi]]'' (shoulder drum), ''[[flute]]'']]

Noh theatre is accompanied by a chorus and a [[hayashi (music)|''hayashi'']] ensemble (''Noh-bayashi'' 能囃子). Noh is a chanted drama, and a few commentators have dubbed it "Japanese [[opera]]". However, the singing in Noh involves a limited tonal range, with lengthy, repetitive passages in a narrow dynamic range. Texts are poetic, relying heavily on the Japanese seven-five rhythm common to nearly all forms of [[Japanese poetry]], with an economy of expression, and an abundance of allusion. The singing parts of Noh are called "''Utai''" and the speaking parts "''Kataru''".<ref>{{cite book|last1=Pound|first1=Ezra|author-link=Ezra Pound|last2=Fenollosa|first2=Ernest|author2-link=Ernest Fenollosa|title=The Classic Noh Theatre of Japan|date=1959|publisher=New Directions Publishing|location=New York}}{{page needed|date=March 2015}}</ref> The music has many blank spaces (''ma'') in between the actual sounds, and these negative blank spaces are in fact considered the heart of the music. In addition to ''utai'', Noh ''hayashi'' ensemble consists of four musicians, also known as the "hayashi-kata", including three drummers, which play the ''[[shime-daiko]]'', ''[[ōtsuzumi]]'' (hip drum), and ''[[kotsuzumi]]'' (shoulder drum) respectively, and a ''[[nohkan]]'' flutist.<ref name=Komparu />

The chant is not always performed "in character"; that is, sometimes the actor will speak lines or describe events from the perspective of another character or even a disinterested narrator. Far from breaking the rhythm of the performance, this is actually in keeping with the otherworldly feel of many Noh plays, especially in those characterized as ''mugen''.

==Plays==
There are 240 in the current repertoire performed by the five existing Noh schools.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Maruoka |first1=Daiji |title=Noh |date=1987 |publisher=Hoikusha |location=Osaka |page=118}}</ref> However, roughly 2,000 plays created for Noh are known today. The current repertoire is heavily influenced by the taste of aristocratic class in Tokugawa period and does not necessarily reflect popularity among the commoners.<ref name="Ortolani">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ge8cWl8OT3gC&q=mugen-no+Genzai-no+waki-no&pg=PA132 |page=132 |title=The Japanese theatre: from shamanistic ritual to contemporary pluralism |first=Benito |last=Ortolani| publisher=Princeton University Press|year=1995 |isbn=0-691-04333-7}}</ref> There are several ways to classify Noh plays.

=== Subject ===
All Noh [[Play (theatre)|play]]s can be classified into three broad categories.<ref name="Ishii" />
* ''Genzai'' Noh (現在能, "present Noh") features human characters and events unfold according to a linear timeline within the play.
* ''Mugen'' Noh (夢幻能, "supernatural Noh") involves supernatural worlds, featuring gods, spirits, ghosts, or phantasms in the ''shite'' role. Time is often depicted as passing in a [[non-linear]] fashion, and action may switch between two or more timeframes from moment to moment, including flashbacks.
* ''Ryōkake'' Noh (両掛能, "mixed Noh"), though somewhat uncommon, is a [[wikt:hybrid|hybrid]] of the above with the first act being ''Genzai'' Noh and the second act ''Mugen'' Noh.
While ''Genzai'' Noh utilizes internal and external conflicts to drive storylines and bring out emotions, ''Mugen'' Noh focuses on utilizing [[Flashback (narrative)|flashback]]s of the past and the deceased to invoke emotions.<ref name="Ishii" />

===Performance style===
Additionally, all Noh plays may be categorized by their style.
* ''Geki'' Noh (劇能) is a drama piece based around the advancement of plot and the narration of action.
* ''Furyū'' Noh (風流能) is little more than a dance piece characterized by elaborate stage action, often involving acrobatics, stage properties, and multiple characters.<ref name=Ortolani />

===Theme===
[[File:春日神社ー篠山ー翁奉納P1011774.jpg|thumbnail|''Okina hōnō'' (dedication of Noh play ''A Venerable Old Man'') on [[Japanese New Year|New Year's Day]] ]]
<!-- This section is linked from [[Jo-ha-kyū]] -->
All Noh plays are divided by their themes into the following five categories. This classification is considered the most practical, and is still used in formal programming choices today.<ref name=Ortolani/> Traditionally, a formal 5-play program is composed of a selection from each of the groups.<ref name=Ishii/>
# ''Kami mono'' (神物, god plays) or ''waki Noh'' (脇能) typically feature the ''shite'' in the role of a deity to tell the mythic story of a shrine or praise a particular god. Many of them structured in two acts, the deity takes a human form in disguise in the first act and reveals the real self in the second act. (e.g. ''Takasago'', ''Chikubushima'')<ref name=Ortolani/><ref name=Ishii/>
# ''Shura mono'' (修羅物, warrior plays) or ''ashura Noh'' (阿修羅能) takes its name from the [[Asura (Buddhism)|Buddhist underworld]]. The protagonist appearing as a ghost of a famous ''samurai'' pleads to a monk for salvation and the drama culminates in a glorious re-enactment of the scene of his death in a full war costume. (e.g. ''Tamura'', ''Atsumori'')<ref name=Ortolani/><ref name=Ishii/>
# ''Katsura mono'' (鬘物, wig plays) or ''onna mono'' (女物, woman plays) depict the ''shite'' in a female role and feature some of the most refined songs and dances in all of Noh, reflecting the smooth and flowing movements representing female characters. (e.g. ''Basho'', ''Matsukaze'')<ref name=Ortolani/><ref name=Ishii/>
# There are about 94 "miscellaneous" plays traditionally performed in the fourth place in a five-play program. These plays include subcategories ''kyōran mono'' (狂乱物, madness plays), ''onryō mono'' (怨霊物, [[vengeful ghost]] plays), ''genzai mono'' (現在物, present plays), as well as others. (e.g. ''Aya no tsuzumi'', ''Kinuta'')<ref name=Ortolani/><ref name=Ishii/>
# ''Kiri Noh'' (切り能, final plays) or ''oni mono'' (鬼物, demon plays) usually feature the ''shite'' in the role of monsters, goblins, or demons, and are often selected for their bright colors and fast-paced, tense finale movements. Kiri Noh is performed the last in a five-play program.<ref name=Ortolani/> There are roughly 30 plays in this category, most of which are shorter than the plays in the other categories.<ref name=Ishii/>

In addition to the above five, ''[[Okina (play)|Okina]]'' (翁) (or ''Kamiuta'') is frequently performed at the very beginning of the program, especially at New Year, holidays, and other special occasions.<ref name="the Japan Arts Council Play">{{cite web|title=Introduction to Noh and Kyogen – Plays and Characters|url=https://www2.ntj.jac.go.jp/unesco/noh/en/play/|website=the Japan Arts Council|access-date=21 November 2019}}</ref> Combining dance with [[Shinto]] ritual, it is considered the oldest type of Noh play.<ref name=Ishii/>

=== Famous plays ===
{{For|a more comprehensive list|List of Noh plays}}
{{Hatnote|Plays with individual articles are listed in [[:Category:Noh plays]].}}

The following categorization is that of the [[Kanze (Noh school)|Kanze]] school.<ref name=Hayashi />
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Kanji !! Meaning !! Category
|-
| ''[[Aoi no Ue (play)|Aoi no Ue]]'' || 葵上 || Lady Aoi || 4 (misc.)
|-
| ''[[Aya no Tsuzumi]]'' || 綾鼓 || The Damask Drum || 4 (misc.)
|-
| ''[[Dōjōji (Noh play)|Dōjōji]]'' || 道成寺 || Dōjō Temple || 4 (misc.)
|-
| ''[[Hagoromo (play)|Hagoromo]]'' || 羽衣 || The Feather Mantle || 3 (woman)
|-
| ''[[Izutsu]]'' || 井筒 || The Well Cradle || 3 (woman)
|-
| ''[[Matsukaze]]'' || 松風 || The Wind in the Pines || 3 (woman)
|-
| ''[[Sekidera Komachi]]'' || 関寺小町 ||Komachi at Seki Temple|| 3 (woman)
|-
| ''[[Shōjō]]'' || 猩々 || The Tippling Elf || 5 (demon)
|-
| ''[[Sotoba Komachi]]'' || 卒都婆小町 || Komachi at the Gravepost || 3 (woman)
|-
| ''[[Takasago (play)|Takasago]]'' || 高砂 || At Takasago || 1 (deity)
|-
| ''[[Yorimasa (play)|Yorimasa]]'' || 頼政 || Yorimasa || 2 (warrior)
|}

== Influence in the West ==
Many Western artists have been influenced by Noh.

===Theatre practitioners===
* [[Eugenio Barba]]&nbsp;– Between 1966 and 1972, Japanese Noh Masters [[Hideo Kanze]] and [[Hisao Kanze]] gave seminars on Noh at Barba's [[Theater Laboratory of Holstebro]]. Barba primarily studied the physical aspects of Noh.<ref name=Sky>{{cite book|last1=Dr. Sky|title=Therapeutic Noh Theater: Sohkido Pathway VII of the Seven Pathways of Transpersonal Creativity|date=2014|publisher=Two Harbors Press|isbn=978-1626528222}}</ref>
* [[Samuel Beckett]]<ref name=Sky />&nbsp;– Yoshihiko Ikegami considers Beckett's ''Waiting for Godot'' a parody of Noh, particularly ''Kami'' Noh, in which a god or a spirit appears before a secondary character as the protagonist. Ikegami argues that "the dramatic conflict which was much in evidence in Yeats is so completely discarded that Beckett's theatre (where 'nothing happens') comes to look even closer to Noh than Yeats's did."<ref name=Takahashi>{{cite journal|last1=Takahashi|first1=Yasunari|last2=Ikegami|first2=Yoshihiko|title=The Ghost Trio: Beckett, Yeats, and Noh|journal=The Empire of Signs: Semiotic Essays on Japanese Culture|series=Foundations of Semiotics|date=1991|volume=8|pages=257–267|doi=10.1075/fos.8.12tak|isbn=978-90-272-3278-6}}</ref>
* [[Bertolt Brecht]]&nbsp;– According to Maria P. Alter, Brecht began reading Japanese plays during the middle twenties and have read at least 20 Noh plays translated into German by 1929. Brecht's ''Der Jasager'' is an adaptation of a Noh play ''Taniko''. Brecht himself identified ''Die Massnahme'' as an adaptation of Noh play.<ref name=Alter>{{cite journal|last=Alter|first=Maria P.|title=Bertolt Brecht and the Noh Drama|journal=[[Modern Drama (journal)|Modern Drama]]|date=Summer 1968|volume=11|issue=2|pages=122–131|doi=10.3138/md.11.2.122|s2cid=194031745 }}</ref>
* [[Peter Brook]]&nbsp;– Yoshi Oida, a Japanese actor with training in Noh, began working with Brook in their production of ''[[The Tempest]]'' in 1968. Oida later joined Brook's company.<ref>{{cite web|title=Drama – Advanced Higher – Twentieth-Century Theatre – Peter Brook – Annotated Bibliography|url=http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/Images/peter_brook_tcm4-121234.pdf|website=Education Scotland|publisher=UK government|access-date=10 December 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150724124830/http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/Images/peter_brook_tcm4-121234.pdf|archive-date=24 July 2015}}</ref>
* [[Paul Claudel]]<ref name=Sky />&nbsp;– According to [[John Willett]], Paul Claudel learned about Noh during the time he served as French Ambassador to Japan. Claudel's opera ''[[Christophe Colomb]]'' shows an unmistakable influence of the Noh.<ref>{{cite book|last=Willett|first=John|author-link=John Willett|title=The Theater of Bertolt Brecht: A Study from Eight Aspects|date=1959|publisher=Methuen & Co.|location=London|pages=116–117}}</ref>
* [[Jacques Copeau]]&nbsp;– In 1923, Copeau worked on a Noh play, ''Kantan,'' along with [[Suzanne Bing]] at [[Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier]], without ever having seen a Noh play. Thomas Leabhart states that "Jacques Copeau was drawn instinctively by taste and tendency to a restrained theatre which was based in spirituality." Copeau praised Noh theatre in writing when he finally saw a production in 1930.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Leabhart|first=Thomas|author-link=Thomas Leabhart|title=Jacques Copeau, Etienne Decroux, and the 'Flower of Noh'|journal=[[New Theatre Quarterly]]|date=2004|volume=20|issue=4|pages=315–330|doi=10.1017/S0266464X04000211|s2cid=193218129}}</ref>
* [[Guillaume Gallienne]] - ''Deguchinashi'' (Huis-Clos) by Jean-Paul Sartre, a Noh version of Sartre's play directed by Guillaume Gallienne at the Noh Tessenkai theatre, Tokyo in 2006.<ref>Collasse, R. ''Dictionnaire amoureux du Japon'', Paris, Plon 2021.</ref>
* [[Jacques Lecoq]]<ref name=Sky />&nbsp;– [[Physical theatre]] taught at [[L'École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq]] founded by Lecoq is influenced by Noh.
* [[Eugene O'Neill]]<ref name=Sky />&nbsp;– O'Neill's plays ''[[The Iceman Cometh]]'', ''[[Long Day's Journey into Night]]'', and ''[[Hughie]]'' have various similarities to Noh plays.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Hori|first1=Mariko|title=Aspects of Noh Theatre in Three Late O'Neill Plays|journal=Eugene O'Neill Review|date=1994|volume=18|issue=1/2|page=143}}</ref>
* [[Thornton Wilder]]<ref name=Sky /><ref>{{cite book|last=Londraville|first=Richard|editor1-last=Blank|editor1-first=Martin|editor2-last=Brunauer|editor2-first=Dalma Hunyadi|editor3-last=Izzo|editor3-first=David Garrett|title=Thornton Wilder: New Essays|date=1999|publisher=Locust Hill|location=West Cornwall, Connecticut|pages=365–378}}</ref>&nbsp;– Wilder himself expressed his interest in Noh in his "Preface” to ''Three Plays'' and his sister Isabel Wilder also confirmed his interests. Wilder's work ''Our Town'' incorporates various elements of Noh such as lack of plot, representative characters, and use of ghosts.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Ashida|first=Ruri|title=Elements of Japanese Noh in Thornton Wilder's ''Our Town''|journal=The Bulletin of the International Society for Harmony & Combination of Cultures|date=June 2009|volume=13|pages=18–31|url=http://atlantic.gssc.nihon-u.ac.jp/~ISHCC/bulletin/13/b018_Ashida.pdf|access-date=10 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304003410/http://atlantic.gssc.nihon-u.ac.jp/~ISHCC/bulletin/13/b018_Ashida.pdf|archive-date=2016-03-04|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Composers===
* [[William Henry Bell]]&nbsp;– An English composer Bell wrote music for modern presentation of several Noh plays, including ''Komachi'' (1925), ''Tsuneyo of the Three Trees'' (1926), ''Hatsuyuki'' (1934), ''The Pillow of Kantan'' (1935), and ''Kageyiko'' (1936).<ref>{{cite web|title=William Henry Bell 1873-1946: Music for Japanese no plays|url=http://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php?topic=4608.0|publisher=Unsung Composers|access-date=29 March 2015}}</ref>
* [[Benjamin Britten]]<ref name=Sky />&nbsp;– Britten visited Japan in 1956 and saw for the first time Japanese Noh plays, which he called "some of the most wonderful drama I have ever seen."<ref>{{cite book|last=Britten|first=Benjamin|author-link=Benjamin Britten|title=Letters from a Life: The Selected Letters of Benjamin Britten, Volume IV, 1952–1957|date=2008|publisher=The Boydell Press|location=London|isbn=9781843833826}}</ref> The influences were seen and heard in his ballet ''[[The Prince of the Pagodas]]'' (1957) and later in two of the three semi-operatic "Parables for Church Performance": ''[[Curlew River]]'' (1964) and ''[[The Prodigal Son (Britten)|The Prodigal Son]]'' (1968).<ref>{{cite book|last=Carpenter|first=Humphrey|author-link=Humphrey Carpenter|title=Benjamin Britten: A Biography|date=1992|publisher=Faber and Faber|location=London|isbn=0571143245}}</ref>
* [[David Byrne]]&nbsp;– Byrne encountered Noh when he was on tour in Japan with [[Talking Heads]] and he was inspired by the highly stylized practices of Noh, completely different from its Western counterparts that focus on [[naturalism (theatre)|naturalism]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Interview: David Byrne, musician, author|url=http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/interview-david-byrne-musician-author-1-2514846|website=[[The Scotsman]]|access-date=13 December 2014}}</ref> According to [[Josh Kun]], "Japanese Noh theatre inspired him to design the oversize business suit that became a visual staple of Talking Heads live shows."<ref>{{cite web|last=Kun|first=Josh|author-link=Josh Kun|title=CSI: David Byrne|url=http://prospect.org/article/csi-david-byrne|website=The American Prospect|date=October 2012|access-date=13 December 2014}}</ref>
* [[Alan Watts]]&nbsp;– 20th century philosopher, the liner notes from his third song off the 1962 album 'This is IT' state "Watts in a Japanese no-noh."
* [[Harry Partch]]&nbsp;– Partch called his work ''Delusion of the Fury'' "a ritualistic web". Kate Molleson wrote for '''[[The Guardian]]'' that "the narrative is a bleary mix of Japanese Noh theatre, Ethiopian folk mythology, Greek drama and his own wacky imagination".<ref>{{cite web|last=Molleson|first=Kate|title=Harry Partch – how Heiner Goebbels bought Delusion of the Fury to Edinburgh|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/aug/29/harry-partch-delusion-of-the-fury-heiner-goebbels-edinburgh|website=[[The Guardian]]|date=29 August 2014|access-date=13 December 2014}}</ref> Will Salmon cites Partch himself writing, "Noh has been for centuries a fine art, one of the most sophisticated the world has known." ''Delusion of the Fury'' incorporates two Noh plays, ''Atsumori'' by Zeami and ''Ikuta'' by Zenbō Motoyasu, into its story.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Salmon|first=Will|title=The Influence of Noh on Harry Partch's Delusion of the Fury|journal=[[Perspectives of New Music]]|date=1983|volume=22|issue=1/2|pages=233–245|doi=10.2307/832944|jstor=832944}}</ref>
* [[Karlheinz Stockhausen]]&nbsp;– The essentially plotless libretto of Stockhausen's grand operatic cycle ''[[Licht]]'' ("Light") is based on "a mythology drawing on multiple cultural traditions, from Japanese Noh theatre to German folklore".<ref>{{cite news|last=Robin|first=William|title=An Operatic Conundrum Untangled|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/08/arts/music/sonntag-by-karlheinz-stockhausen-in-cologne.html|access-date=14 December 2014|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=6 May 2011}}</ref>
* [[Iannis Xenakis]]&nbsp;– Xenakis "admired Noh, the venerable theatrical form known for its ritualistic formality and gestural complexity."<ref>{{cite news|last=Anderson|first=Jack|author-link=Jack Anderson (dance critic)|title=The Week Ahead Feb. 28 – March 6|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/28/arts/28weekahead_web.html|access-date=14 December 2014|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=26 February 2010}}</ref> Electronic Music Foundation presented ''Xenakis & Japan'' in March 2010, "a dance/music event highlighting Xenakis' lifelong interest in Japanese music and theatre". The event featured a female Noh performer, Ryoko Aoki.<ref>{{cite web|title=Xenakis & Japan|url=http://www.emf.org/emfproductions/pastevents0910/xenakis&japan.html|website=Electronic Music Foundation|access-date=14 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905234835/http://www.emf.org/emfproductions/pastevents0910/xenakis%26japan.html|archive-date=2015-09-05|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Classicists ===
* Scholar [[Akiko Kiso]] collaborated with [[Mae J. Smethurst]], writing and translating several works that compared the [[Greek tragedy]] form of theatre with noh.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Remembering Mae J. Smethurst {{!}} University of Pittsburgh Japan Studies |url=https://www.japanstudies.pitt.edu/remembering-mae-j-smethurst |access-date=2023-01-15 |website=www.japanstudies.pitt.edu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Smethurst |first=Mae J. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G5Lk24q7c1oC&dq=Akiko+Kiso&pg=PR9 |title=Dramatic Action in Greek Tragedy and Noh: Reading with and Beyond Aristotle |date=2013 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-0-7391-7242-1 |pages=ix |language=en}}</ref>

===Poets===
* [[W. B. Yeats]]<ref name=Sky /><ref name=Sekine>{{cite book|last1=Sekine|first1=Masaru|last2=Murray|first2=Christopher|title=Yeats and the Noh: A Comparative Study|date=1990|publisher=Rl Innactive Titles}}</ref>&nbsp;– Yeats wrote an essay on Noh titled "Certain Noble Plays of Japan" in 1916. As much as he tried to learn Noh, there were limited resources available in England at the time. The lack of complete understanding of Noh led him to create innovative works guided by his own imagination and what he fantasized Noh to be.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Albright|first=Daniel|author-link=Daniel Albright|title=Pound, Yeats, and the Noh Theater|journal=[[The Iowa Review]]|date=1985|volume=15|issue=2|pages=34–50|doi=10.17077/0021-065X.3210|doi-access=free}}</ref> Yeats wrote four plays heavily influenced by Noh, using ghosts or supernatural beings as the central ''[[dramatis personae]]'' for the first time. The plays are ''[[At the Hawk's Well]]'', ''The Dreaming of the Bones'', ''The Words upon the Window-Pane'', and ''Purgatory''.<ref name=Takahashi />

==Aesthetic terminology==
Zeami and Zenchiku describe a number of distinct qualities that are thought to be essential to the proper understanding of Noh as an art form.
* '''''Hana''''' (花, flower): In the ''Kadensho'' (Instructions on the Posture of the Flower), Zeami describes ''hana'' saying "after you master the secrets of all things and exhaust the possibilities of every device, the ''hana'' that never vanishes still remains."<ref name=Komparu /> The true Noh performer seeks to cultivate a rarefied relationship with his audience similar to the way that one cultivates flowers. What is notable about ''hana'' is that, like a flower, it is meant to be appreciated by any audience, no matter how lofty or how coarse his upbringing. ''Hana'' comes in two forms. Individual ''hana'' is the beauty of the flower of youth, which passes with time, while "true ''hana''" is the flower of creating and sharing perfect beauty through performance.
* '''''Yūgen''''' (幽玄, profound sublimity): ''Yūgen'' is a concept valued in various forms of art throughout Japanese culture. Originally used to mean elegance or grace representing the perfect beauty in ''[[waka (poetry)|waka]]'', ''yūgen'' is invisible beauty that is felt rather than seen in a work of art. The term is used specifically in relation to Noh to mean the profound beauty of the transcendental world, including mournful beauty involved in sadness and loss.<ref name=Komparu />
* '''''Rōjaku''''' (老弱): ''Rō'' means old, and ''jaku'' means tranquil and quiet. Rōjaku is the final stage of performance development of the Noh actor, in which he eliminates all unnecessary action or sound in the performance, leaving only the true essence of the scene or action being imitated.<ref name=Komparu />
* '''''Kokoro''''' or '''''shin''''' (both 心): Defined as "heart," "mind," or both. The kokoro of noh is that which Zeami speaks of in his teachings, and is more easily defined as "mind." To develop hana the actor must enter a state of no-mind, or [[mushin (mental state)|mushin]].
* '''''Myō''''' (妙): the "charm" of an actor who performs flawlessly and without any sense of imitation; he effectively becomes his role.
* '''''Monomane''''' (物真似, imitation or mimesis): the intent of a Noh actor to accurately depict the motions of his role, as opposed to purely aesthetic reasons for abstraction or embellishment. ''Monomane'' is sometimes contrasted with ''yūgen'', although the two represent endpoints of a continuum rather than being completely separate.
* '''''Kabu-isshin''''' (歌舞一心, "song-dance-one heart"): the theory that the song (including poetry) and dance are two halves of the same whole, and that the Noh actor strives to perform both with total unity of heart and mind.

==Existing Noh theatres==
Noh is still regularly performed today in public theatres as well as private theatres mostly located in major cities. There are more than 70 Noh theatres throughout Japan, presenting both professional and amateur productions.<ref>{{cite web|title=Noh Theater Search|url=http://www.nohgaku.or.jp/hall/index.html|website=The Nohgaku Performers Association|access-date=14 December 2014|archive-date=14 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200614165833/https://www.nohgaku.or.jp/hall/index.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Public theatres include [[National Noh Theatre]] (Tokyo), [[Nagoya Noh Theater]], Osaka Noh Theater, and [https://www.ohori-nougaku.jp/english Fukuoka Noh Theater]. Each Noh school has its own permanent theatre, such as Kanze Noh Theater (Tokyo), Hosho Noh Theater (Tokyo), Kita Noh Theatre (Tokyo), Kongo Noh Theater ([[Kyoto]]), Nara Komparu Noh Theater ([[Nara, Nara|Nara]]), and [https://www.takanokai.jp/en/ Taka no Kai] ([[Fukuoka]]). Additionally, there are various prefectural and municipal theatres located throughout Japan that present touring professional companies and local amateur companies. In some regions, unique regional Noh such as [[Ogisai Kurokawa Noh]] have developed to form schools independent from five traditional schools.<ref name=Komparu />

==Audience etiquette==
Audience etiquette is generally similar to formal Western theatre—the audience quietly watches. [[Surtitles]] are rarely used (e.g., at the National Noh Theatre in Tokyo), but some audience members follow along in the [[libretto]]. Because there are no curtains on the stage, the performance begins with the actors entering the stage and ends with their leaving the stage. The house lights are usually kept on during the performances, creating an intimate feel that provides a shared experience between the performers and the audience.<ref name=Ishii />

At the end of the play, the actors file out slowly (most important first, with gaps between actors), and while they are on the bridge (''hashigakari''), the audience claps restrainedly. Between actors, clapping ceases, then begins again as the next actor leaves. Unlike in Western theatre, there is no bowing, nor do the actors return to the stage after having left. A play may end with the ''shite'' character leaving the stage as part of the story (as in ''Kokaji,'' for instance)—rather than ending with all characters on stage—in which case one claps as the character exits.<ref name=Hayashi />

During the interval, [[tea]], [[coffee]], and ''[[wagashi]]'' (Japanese sweets) may be served in the lobby. In the Edo period, when Noh was a day-long affair, more substantial ''[[makunouchi]]' [[bentō]]'' (幕の内弁当, "between-acts lunchbox") were served. On special occasions, when the performance is over, お神酒 (''o-miki,'' ceremonial ''[[sake]]'') may be served in the lobby on the way out, as it happens in [[Shinto]] rituals.

The audience is seated in front of the stage, to the left side of the stage, and in the corner front-left of stage; these are in order of decreasing desirability. While the ''metsuke-bashira'' pillar obstructs the view of the stage, the actors are primarily at the corners, not the center, and thus the two aisles are located where the views of the two main actors would be obscured, ensuring a generally clear view regardless of seating.<ref name=Ishii />

== See also ==
* [[List of Noh plays]]
* [[Higashiyama culture]]
* [[Shuhari]]
* [[Theatre of Japan]]
* [[Glossary of Japanese theater]]
==Notes==
{{notelist}}
==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
* Brandon, James R. (ed.) (1997). ''Nō and kyōgen in the contemporary world.'' (Foreword by Ricardo D. Trimillos) Honolulu: University of Hawaiʻi Press.
* [[Karen Brazell|Brazell, Karen]] (1998). ''Traditional Japanese Theater: An Anthology of Plays.'' New York: Columbia University Press.
* Ortolani, Benito; Leiter, Samuel L. (eds) (1998). ''Zeami and the Nō Theatre in the World.'' New York: Center for Advanced Study in Theatre Arts, CUNY.
* [[Royall Tyler (academic)|Tyler, Royall]] (ed. & trans.) (1992). ''Japanese Nō Dramas.'' London: [[Penguin Books]]. {{ISBN|0-14-044539-0}}.
* [[Arthur Waley|Waley, Arthur]] (2009). ''Noh plays of Japan''. Tuttle Shokai Inc. {{ISBN|4-8053-1033-2}}, {{ISBN|978-4-8053-1033-5}}.
* {{cite book |last=Yasuda |first=Noboru |title=Noh as Living Art: Inside Japan's Oldest Theatrical Tradition |date=2021 |publisher=Japan Publishing Industry Foundation for Culture |location=Tokyo |isbn=978-4-86658-178-1 |edition=First English |url=https://www.jpicinternational.com/books/culture/157ae25a4502286cd2eab0b0af23dbfb769cee2f.html}}
* [[Zeami Motokiyo]]<!--family name is first--> (1984). ''On the Art of the Nō Drama: The Major Treatises of Zeami.'' Trans. [[J. Thomas Rimer]]. Ed. Masakazu Yamazaki. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
* P.G. O'Neil, ''A Guide to No'', Hinoki Shoten, 1954, ISBN 9784827909814.
* The Okina Project, ''The Book of Okina'', Hinoki Shoten, 2025, ISBN 9784827911190.
* Chifumi Shimazaki & Stephen Comee, ''Supernatural Beings from Japanese Noh Plays of the Fifth Group: Parallel Translations With Running Commentary (Cornell East Asia Series, 161)'', Cornell University, 2012, ISBN 9781933947310.
* Thomas D. Looser, ''Visioning Eternity: Aesthetics, Politics, and History in the Early Modern Noh Theater (Cornell East Asia Series)'', Cornell University, 2008, ISBN 978-1933947389.
* Chifumi Shimazaki, ''Troubled Souls from Japanese Noh Plays of the Fourth Group: Kanawa, Semimaru, Kogo, Eboshi-Ori, Jinen Koji and Kagekiyo (Cornell East Asia Series)'', Cornell University, 1998, ISBN 978-1885445957.
* Mae J. Smethurst & Christina Laffin, ''The Noh Ominameshi: A Flower Viewed from Many Directions (Cornell East Asia)'', Cornell University, 2003, ISBN 978-1885445186.
* Mae Smethurst, ''Dramatic Representations of Filial Piety: Five Noh in Translation (Cornell East Asia Series)'', Cornell University, 1998, ISBN 978-1885445971.
* Beng Choo Lim, ''Another Stage: Kanze Nobumitsu and the Late Muromachi Noh Theater (Cornell East Asia Series, 163)'', Cornell University, 2012, ISBN 978-1933947631.
* Chifumi Shimazaki, ''Restless Spirits: From Japanese Noh Plays of the Fourth Group (Cornell East Asia Series Volume 76)'', Cornell University, 1995, ISBN 978-0939657780.
* Chifumi Shimazaki, ''Warrior Ghost Plays from the Japanese Noh Theater: Parallel Translations With Running Commentary (Cornell East Asia Series)'', Cornell University, 1993, ISBN 978-0939657605.
* P.G. O'Neil, ''Early Noh Drama: Its Background, Character and Development 1300-1450'' (London: Lund Humphries, 1958).
* Daiji Maruoka & Tatsuo Yoshikoshi, translated by Don Kenny, ''Noh'' (Osaka: Hoikusha, 1987).
* Toru Nakanishi & Kiyonori Komma, ''Noh Masks'' (Osaka: Hoikusha, 1983).

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Nō}}
* [https://www.nohgaku.or.jp/en/ THE NOHGAKU PERFORMERS' ASSOCIATION] THE NOHGAKU PERFORMERS' ASSOCIATION
* {{cite web|title=Noh & Kyogen|publisher=Japan Arts Council|url= http://www2.ntj.jac.go.jp/unesco/noh/en/index.html}}
* [http://www.noh-kyogen.com/story/english.html Noh Stories in English] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181101030823/http://www.noh-kyogen.com/story/english.html |date=2018-11-01 }} Ohtsuki Noh Theatre Foundation
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070821074639/http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/japanese/noh/index.html Nō Plays -Translations of thirteen Noh plays-] Japanese Text Initiative, University of Virginia Library
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050907103210/http://www.theandros.com/nohplays.html Virtual Reality and Virtual Irreality On Noh-Plays and Icons]
* [http://www.kasrl.org/noh_mask.html Page on the variable expressions of Noh masks]
* [http://www.the-noh.com/ Noh plays Photo Story and Story Paper] the-Noh.com: Comprehensive Site on Noh
* [http://www.magiminiland.org/HachiNoKi.html "Hachi-No-Ki, A Perspective"]
* [http://nohmask.jp/ nohmask.jp] Photos of Noh-masks carved by Ichyuu Terai in Kyoto Japan.
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Cqc8ONv-Qo How to enjoy Noh]
* [http://libmma.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15324coll10/id/84980/rec/1 Momoyama, Japanese Art in the Age of Grandeur], an exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art (fully available online as PDF), which contains material on Noh
* [http://www.buddhismtoday.com/english/world/country/014-Buddhism%20in%20Noh.htm Buddhism in Noh] by [[Royall Tyler]]
* [https://archivesspace.amherst.edu/repositories/2/resources/322 Howard B. Hamilton Japanese Theater Papers] at the Amherst College Archives & Special Collections

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[[Category:Noh| ]]
[[Category:Dances of Japan]]
[[Category:History of theatre]]
[[Category:Japanese styles of music]]
[[Category:Japanese traditional music]]
[[Category:Theatre of Japan]]