Noh Theater

"Noh," derived from the Japanese word for "skill" or "talent," is one of the oldest existing forms of theater. It's a musical drama that has been performed since the 14th century.  Many characters are masked, and men generally play both male and female roles.

The traditional stage consists of a pavilion whose architectural style is derived from that of Shinto shrines, normally composed almost entirely of cypress wood. The floor is polished to enable the actors to move in a gliding fashion. The only stage decoration is the painting of a pine tree at the back of the stage. There is also a narrow bridge to the right of the stage that actors use to enter the stage. It's very simple, and stunning.

Noh theater is accompanied by a chorus. It's a chanted drama, using lengthy and repetitive phrases.  The ensemble also consists of 4 musicians, my two favorites are in the photo above.

The costumes (robes/kimonos) worn by actors are typically adorned in symbolic meanings for the type of role they are playing. In addition to their elaborate costume, they also wear masks. The noh masks are carnved from blocks of Japanese cypress, and then painted. Usually only the main actor wears a mask. The only prop used during the entire performance is usually a fan. You can see it closed in her right hand.

The show was actually quite long. The pre-performance show lasted about 30-45 minutes, and then the actual show took about 2 hours (or maybe even longer, as I'll admit that we left about half way through). I read that shows sometimes last all day. Although a bit boring, we enjoyed the overall Japanese experience of seeing a traditional theater performance.