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Noh Theatre

Type Object Region Japan Time c. 1370

Noh is a classical Japanese theatrical tradition formed from the medieval to early modern period, fusing dance, music, song, and masked narrative, wi…

Timeline

  1. c. 1370–1384Kyoto · Kyoto PrefectureKan'ami combined folk sarugaku with elements of courtly gagaku, performing under the patronage of shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, elevating the subject matter and stage conventions and initiating the formation of Noh.
  2. 1383–1443Kyoto · Kyoto PrefectureZeami composed classic plays such as Takasago and Izutsu, wrote treatises on Noh including Kagami and Sarugaku Dan, and proposed aesthetic concepts such as yugen and hana, laying the foundation for Noh performance conventions and transmission systems.
  3. 1441–1450Various places in Japan · JapanAfter Zeami's death, his sons Seigen, Shin'en, and others belonged to different lineages, and the prototypes of the five schools—Kanze, Hosho, Konbu, Kongo, and Kita—gradually took shape; shoguns and shugo daimyo continued to sponsor Noh performances at temples, shrines, and court.
  4. 1603Edo (Tokyo) · Tokyo MetropolisThe Tokugawa shogunate established Noh as an art of samurai ceremonial etiquette, fixing the five-school system and perfecting the repertoire and secret-transmission system; in modern times Noh has been designated an important intangible cultural heritage of Japan and has spread worldwide.

Sources