Noh

Noh is the oldest existing type of theater, and has existed since the 14th century. It is a combination of Chinese arts and a traditional Japanese dance called dengaku, which makes sense to me, as proven in this video I watched on Youtube. Noh is based on tradition, which gives a reason for the fact of the dozens of Noh plays there are, including Takasago, which is actually in the video link I put. In a typical Noh performance, it can last up to 24 hours, with five different plays. In between each performance is a bit of comic relief called Kyogen, which can either explain the story a bit better, or just make you laugh. There are actually five types of Noh plays, which I will explain in a later paragraph, and in these plays are usually the following characters: gods, warriors, beautiful women, other random figures such as a modern figure, and demons. The toughest part about Noh though, is that you have to practice all by yourself. You might be able to have a senior tutor, but other than that, nobody else. The first genre of play is called "kami" or god play. which involves a sacred shrine of sorts. I can imagine for this that it involves an offering of some type, and then from then on could have a lot of imagination. The second genre is "shura mono" or fighting play, which is likely to have a warrior of some type. This would be good for war, or maybe betrayal of some type. The third type is "katsura mono" otherwise known as a wig play usually has a female protagonist. Something to mention though is the fact that men in Noh plays as any character in the performance, meaning that they also have to play the role of a woman. The fourth type is a "gendai mono" or present day play, which is not fictional, but rather has modern characters. The final, and perhaps, most terrifying play is the "kiri" or "kichiku play, which stands for final, or demon play. The kichiku involves fearsome beasts, demons, out of the ordinary creatures. The final performance is usually the best, which gives meaning to the phrase saving the best for last.
 * The Introduction**
 * The Different Types of Plays**

Of course, the whole thing would just be random stepping without the music. There are four instrument players, each playing their own instrument. The instruments used are the flute, the small hand drum, the large hand drum, and the large hand drum. Each instrument has its own unique sound that can really add to a performance. There is also a chorus of 8-10 singers, whom also help with weird sounds such as "hoooooooo!" Together, it can really add to a performance, Adding the fact that they all have to sit on the stage,but not actually be part of the performance, which allows you to hear them better. They are given assigned spots though, so that they know exactly where to sit for the performance. Their dress style should be similar, no unique characters, unless the performance calls for it.
 * The Musical Accompaniment **



The makers of Noh were Kanami Kiyotsugu and his pre-teen son Zeami Motokiyo. These two were also the first performers of Noh, which they did in Kasuge Temple for Ashikaga Yoshimitsu (bad-@$$ name) who was actually the shogun and ruler of all Japan during the 14th century. In fact, the only reason Noh is how it is now was because he liked it, and allowed it to evolve. The main person who wrote most of the performances that are performed today though, are made by Zeami (now an adult) and in fact, he actually wrote something on how to perform Noh itself, which is still studied today by aspiring Noh performers. Of course, the differences between now and then of Noh are entirely different, the first performance had no masks,and the use of fans were not used quite yet.
 * The Origins of Noh**

The fan and mask may be the most important thing about Noh. For starters, the mask is traditionally made from wood, which is then decorated to represent the character the person will be playing as. However, the there is a limitation to this. The shite (main character) must not wear a mask if he is to play an adult male. Also, kokota (boy actors) and waki (secondary characters) do not wear masks, as the waki set the main scene. The masks I believe are only required so that a person would look more supernatural or feminine (did I mention that the men play as the women?) The fan is basically whatever you can possible imagine. It is used as a walking stick, sword, pipe, bottle, or anything else that is shaped like a two-by-four rectangle (or something similar.) It is important for representing the object, as they might not have the right materials for a sword or pipe, so they act like the fan is the object that is required (ex. smoking a fan, or chopping off a head with a fan.)
 * The Fan and Mask**

The stage that Noh is performed on is different from the other basic stages that we know, and this stage is called, the "Noh Stage" (how original.) From a picture I have seen, it looks very similar to a temple (with a curving roof.) There are three open sides, with a wall at the back called a kagami ita, or mirror board. This mirror board should always have an ancient bonsai-looking pine tree on it, and around this board is where the musicians and assistants sit, which is upstage. There are four pillars holding up the roof, and one of these is called the metsuke-bashira, or sighting pillar, that helps the actors find their position in the performance. This is basically the Japanese version of upstage and downstage. There is also a sort of bridge that the actors enter and exit through, though this can be used as a major part of the performance also (lets say swordsman of the bridge to the sky.) After exiting the stage via the bridge, you enter the green room, or mirror room (kagami no ma) which is where the actors get into costume, and into character by staring at themselves into a mirror. There is no curtain to separate the audience from the stage, and the stage itself is given a very good polishing for sliding across the floor (like a ghost.)
 * The Stage of Noh (sounds fancy, does it not?)**


 * The** **Sources**

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"Japanese Culture - Entertainment - Noh Theater." Japan-Zone.com - Japan Travel Guide, Japanese Pop Culture, History, Japanese Girls, Japanese Guys. 24 Sep. 2009 .======

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Binnie, Paul. "Noh Theater - artelino." __artelino - Japanese Prints, Chinese Prints, Thangkas, Tibetan Rugs, Statues from Nepal, Japanese Art Prints, Ukiyo-e, China Prints__. 28 Sep. 2009 .======

"NOH & KYOGEN -An Introduction to the World of Noh & Kyogen-." __¶»fW^Cu[EWvy[W__. 28 Sep. 2009 .