Noh TheatreAngela WangSteven Wang
Okina hōnō (dedication of Noh play A Venerable Old Man) on New Year's
day
HistoryNoh, is a major form of classical Japanese musical
drama that has been performed since the 14th
century. Many characters are masked, with men
playing male and female roles. The repertories
normally limited to a specific set of historical
plays. A Noh performance often lasts all day and
consists of five Noh plays interspersed with
shorter, humorous kyōgen pieces.
While the field of Noh performance is extremely
codified with an emphasis on tradition rather than
innovation, some performers do compose new plays
or revive historical ones that are not a part of the
standard repertoire. Works blending Noh with other
theatrical traditions have also been produced.
By tradition, Noh actors and musicians never
rehearse for performances together. Instead, each
actor, musician, and choral chanter practices his or her
fundamental movements, songs, and dances
independently or under the tutelage of a senior
member of the school.
Thus, the tempo of a given performance is not set by
any single performer but established by the interactions
of all the performers together. In this way, Noh
exemplifies the traditional Japanese aesthetic of
transience, called by Sen no Rikyu "ichi-go ichi-e".
ActorsThere are about 1500 professional Noh actors in Japan today, and the art
form continues to thrive. Actors begin their training as young children,
traditionally at the age of three. Historically, the performers were
exclusively male. In the modern day, a few women (many daughters
of established Noh actors) have begun to perform professionally.
Many people also study Noh on an amateur basis. While the field of Noh
performance is extremely codified with an emphasis on tradition rather than
innovation, some performers do compose new plays or revive historical ones
that are not a part of the standard repertoire. Works blending Noh with other
theatrical traditions have also been produced.
shite hayashi waki
MasksThe masks in Noh all have names. They are made out of
materials such as clay, dry lacquer, cloth, paper, and wood.
Usually only the shite, the main actor, wears a mask.
However, in some cases, the tsure may also wear a mask,
particularly for female roles. The Noh masks portray female or
nonhuman (divine, demonic, or animal) characters. There are
also Noh masks to represent youngsters or old men. On the
other hand, a Noh actor who wears no mask plays a role of an
adult man in his twenties, thirties, or forties. The side player,
the waki, wears no mask either.
Several types of masks, in particular those for female roles,
are designed so that slight adjustments in the position of the
head can express a number emotions such as fear or
sadness due to the variance in lighting and the angle shown
towards the audience. With some of the more extravagant
masks for deities and monsters, however, it is not always
possible to convey emotion. Usually, however, these
characters are not frequently called to change emotional
expression during the course of the scene, or show emotion
through larger body language.
Three pictures of the same female mask showing how
the expression changes with a tilting of the head.
Noh mask of an old woman
World's oldest Noh stage at Miyajima
StageThe traditional Noh stage consists of a pavilion whose architectural
style is derived from that of the traditional kagura (god-
entertainment)a stage of Shinto shrines, and is normally composed
almost entirely of hinoki (Japanese cypress) wood. The four pillars
are named for their orientation to the prominent actions during the
course of the play: the waki-bashira in the front, right corner near
the waki's standing point and sitting point; the shite-bashira in the
rear, left corner, next to which the shite normally performs; the fue-
bashira in the rear, right corner, closest to the flute player; and the
metsuke-bashira, or "looking-pillar", so called because the shite is
typically faced toward the vicinity of the pillar.
Noh stage. Center: shite; front right: waki; right: eight-
member jiutai (chorus); rear center: four hayashi-kata
(musicians); rear left: two kōken (stage hands).
waki-bashira
shite-bashira fue-
bashira
metsuke-bashira
Mood1.Mugen nō (夢幻能)
usually deals with spirits, ghosts, phantasms, and supernatural worlds.
Time is often depicted as passing in a non-linear fashion, and action
may switch between two or more timeframes from moment to
moment.
2.Genzai nō (現在能)
as mentioned above, depicts normal events of the everyday world.
However, when contrasted with mugen instead of with the other four
categories, the term encompasses a somewhat broader range of plays.
Style1.Geki nō (劇能 ) or drama plays are based
around the advancement of plot and the
narration of action.
2.Furyū nō (風流能 ) or dance plays focus
rather on the aesthetic qualities of the
dances and songs which are performed.
Every element of performance is strictly
controlled by conventions that have been
established for centuries. Rather than
encouraging innovation, Noh seeks to perfect
and preserve an art form.
Conclusion
Thanks!