A Spectator's Handbook of NOH The Most Cultural Souvenir of Japan

Tokyo, Japan: Wanya Shoten. Very Good+. 1960. Possible First Edition. Hardcover. B&W Illustrations; This is an oblong book with woven silk cloth covered boards done in a diamond patterns in several colors. There is a wrap-around band in green paper and the front and spine labels are a cream colored paper. The text pages are clean and bright. This copy is lacking its plastic slipcase. Laid-in are a group of performance booklets / handbills, most for the performances of 1966." Noh (No, derived from the Sino-Japanese word for "skill" or "talent") is a major form of classical Japanese dance-drama that has been performed since the 14th century. Developed by Kan'ami and his son Zeami, it is the oldest major theatre art that is still regularly performed today. Although the terms Noh and nogaku are sometimes used interchangeably, nogaku encompasses both Noh and kyogen. Traditionally, a full nogaku program included several Noh plays with comedic kyogen plays in between; an abbreviated program of two Noh plays with one kyogen piece has become common today. Optionally, the ritual performance Okina may be presented in the very beginning of nogaku presentation. Noh is often based on tales from traditional literature with a supernatural being transformed into human form as a hero narrating a story. Noh integrates masks, costumes and various props in a dance-based performance, requiring highly trained actors and musicians. Emotions are primarily conveyed by stylized conventional gestures while the iconic masks represent the roles such as ghosts, women, deities, and demons. Written in late middle Japanese, the text "vividly describes the ordinary people of the twelfth to sixteenth centuries". Having a strong emphasis on tradition rather than innovation, Noh is extremely codified and regulated by the iemoto system. " (from Wikipedia) .