For People New to Nogaku
Fundamentals of Nogaku
Noh and Kyogen
Noh and Kyogen are collectively known as Nogaku.
They are treated as a pair: at Noh performances,
there will virtually always also be a Kyogen performance.
Photo Courtesy of the Kanazawa Noh Association
Photo Courtesy of the Kanazawa Noh Association
Noh and Kyogen are collectively known as Nogaku. They are treated as a pair: at Noh performances, there will virtually always also be a Kyogen performance.
(1) Noh
Noh is a performing art unique to Japan, said to be the world’s oldest form of drama still performed today. It was also Japan’s first traditional performing art to receive Intangible World Cultural Heritage recognition from UNESCO. The performers dance to musical accompaniment by a flute and percussion, as well as chanting by a chorus group known as jiutai, as the dramatic story unfolds.
(2) Kyogen
Kyogen plays are comparatively dialogue-oriented, and tend to be comedies based on the everyday lives of the common people.
The Noh Stage
Click a number for more information on that section of the stage.
Genres of Noh
There are about 200 different Noh plays. They are broadly divided into five main genres, based on the type of main character played by the shite.
God (Category One)
Takasago
Noh plays where the main character is a god. Many of these plays feature stories that celebrate peace throughout the world.
(These include Oimatsu, Takasago, Chikubushima, and Yoro.)
Man (Category Two)
Tamura
Noh plays where the main character is a man. Many of these plays feature the ghost of a warrior from the Genpei War as the main character.
(These include Atsumori, Kiyotsune, Tamura, and Yashima.)
Woman (Category Three)
Hagoromo
Noh plays where the main character is a woman. Many of these plays feature the ghost of a woman in anguish over love.
(These include Izutsu, Sekidera Komachi, Hagoromo, and Matsukaze.)
Crazed Person
(Category Four)
Kantan
A catch-all genre for plays whose main characters do not fit into other genres, often featuring a crazed person as the main character. Many of these plays are particularly dramatic.
(These include Ataka, Kantan, Sumidagawa, and Dojoji.)
Demon
(Category Five)
Momiji-Gari
Noh plays featuring supernatural beings, such as demons or tengu. Many of these plays are particularly showy.
(These include Shojo, Sesshoseki, Funa-Benkei, and Momiji-Gari.)