What Is The Origin Of Noh Theatre

Dōjō-ji is one of the most popular plays performed in Noh theaters in Japan today. Noh is a popular form of theater that originated in the fourteenth century. It consists of many complex rituals as well as ornate costumes. Dōjō-ji is a popular show in this genre because of the challenges it poses to its main performer as well as its unique features not seen in other Noh productions. Noh theater is a very specific artform that originated in the latter half of the Kamakura period and early part of the Muromachi Period. It is said that Zeami popularized the Noh and made it into the style that is performed today. Zeami was born around 1363 to his father who was a part of the Sarugaku theater troupe. At the age of twelve, Zeami was noticed by
The first is Genzai Noh which involves stories centered around the present time. The other genre is Mugen Noh which is a fantastic style that involves dream states and visions. These productions are comprised of many different characters. The shite is the main performer in these plays. This character can be a god, warrior, living human, ghost, or any other being. In the first half of a Noh play, the main performer is the maeshite and in the second half is the nochishite. In Mugen Noh these could be different characters, but they are performed by the same person. The shite is often also the producer and director of the Noh production. The secondary role is called the waki. This person could also play a variety of roles but is always a living being in Mugen Noh. The shite tsur and waki tsur are the accompanying performers while the attendant to the shite in the play is called the tomo. Noh does not only consist of adult roles; however, kokata are roles always played by children. This tradition of theater is usually dominated by male performers. A full program of Noh would include one of each of the five types of Noh plays—god, man, woman, mad-woman, and demon. Noh themes and stories have roots in Buddhism as well as
The music is made up of utai or vocals and hayashi or the instrumentation. The unique thing about the utai is that there is no set pitch. The music is thought of as elastic. The pitch is set by the shite and everyone else follows. Noh dance or mai is made to “encapsulate the comprehensive nature of Noh.” There are different types of dance depending on the character that is performing—medium tempo, slow tempo, man, god, enjoyment, and god enjoyment. The unique part of Noh theater is the way in which the actors move. Kata is the movement patterns associated with the traditions in Noh. Hakobi is the basic form of movement throughout this stage. This is executed by the movement of sliding feet that never lift off of the ground. Shiori is a popular kata that involves a head that is slightly bent with one or two hands covering the face. This movement is meant to express sorrow. Although these specific qualities seem as if they could restrict the artfulness of the performance, it is the beauty in these traditions that makes Noh a popular artform in