"History Of Noh & Kyogen"

Noh and kyogen are two of Japan’s four forms of classical theater, the other two being kabuki and bunraku. Noh, which in its broadest sense includes the comic theater kyogen, developed as a distinctive theatrical form in the 14th century, making it the oldest extant professional theater in the world.

Although noh and kyogen developed together and are inseparable, they are in many ways exact opposites. Noh is fundamentally a symbolic theater with primary importance attached to ritual and suggestion in a rarefied aesthetic atmosphere. In kyogen, on the other hand, primary importance is attached to making people laugh.

History of the Noh Theater

In the early 14th century, acting troupes in a variety of centuries-old theatrical traditions were touring and performing at temples, shrines, and festivals, often with the patronage of the nobility. The performing genre called sarugaku was one of these traditions. The brilliant playwrights and actors Kan’ami (1333– 1384) and his son Zeami (1363–1443) transformed sarugaku into noh in basically the same form as it is still performed today. Kan’ami introduced the music and dance elements of the popular entertainment kuse-mai into sarugaku, and he attracted the attention and patronage of Muromachi shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu (1358–1408).

After Kan’ami’s death, Zeami became head of the Kanze troupe. The continued patronage of Yoshimitsu gave him the chance to further refine the noh aesthetic principles of monomane (the imitation of things) and yugen, a Zen-influenced aesthetic ideal emphasizing the suggestion of mystery and depth. In addition to writing some of the best-known plays in the noh repertoire, Zeami wrote a series of essays which defined the standards for noh performance in the centuries that followed.

After the fall of the Muromachi shogunate, noh received extensive patronage from military leader Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and in the 17th century noh became an “official property” of the Tokugawa shogunate. During these years, performances became even slower and more solemn than in Zeami’s time.

With the fall of the shogunate, noh in the Meiji period (1868–1912) was kept alive by the dedication of performers like Umewaka. Minoru I (1828–1909) and by the patronage of the nobility. Since the end of World War II, noh has had to depend entirely on the public for its survival. Noh today continues to be supported by a small but dedicated group of theatergoers, and by a considerable number of amateurs who pay for instruction in noh singing and dancing techniques. In recent years noh performed outdoors at night by firelight (called takiginoh) has become increasingly popular, and there are many such performances held in the summer at Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines, and parks.

History of Kyogen

Kyogen is thought to have its roots in entertainment brought to Japan from China in the 8th century or earlier. This entertainment evolved into sarugaku in the following centuries, and by the early 14th century there was a clear distinction among sarugaku troupes between the performers of serious noh plays and those of the humorous kyogen. As a component of noh, kyogen received the patronage of the military aristocracy up until the time of the Meiji Restoration (1868). Since then, kyogen has been kept alive by family groups, primarily from the Izumi and Okura schools. Today professional kyogen players perform both independently and as part of noh programs.