Zeami Motokiyo

The beginning of Noh Theater dates back to 11th century Japan. At this time entertainment was taking a turn toward musical form and dramatic nature. Poetry had been flourishing in Japan for many years, and performance art began to develop by way of influences from China and Korea. Two of these types of entertainment, the sarugaku and the dengaku, merged, and Noh theater blossomed. Saragaku offered a choreographic element, and the dengaku brought an element of the dramatic. A very popular Noh playwright Zeami, brought the art form to popularity during the Muromachi Period (1300-1550).(Brazell) Noh is a unique art form structured around music and dance. The name is derived from nō, which means “talent” or “skill”. It is unlike the Western…

ruling samurai class of the time. The transferral of the shogunate from Kamakura to Kyoto at the beginning of Muromachi period marked the increasing power of the samurai class and strengthened the relationship between the shogunate and the court. As Noh became the shogun's favorite art form, Noh was able to become a courtly art form through this newly formed relationship. In 14th century, with strong support and patronage from shōgun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, Zeami was able to establish Noh as the…

Differences in religion have been the root cause of war throughout history. Conflicts arise even within a set religious group, such as the Catholic/Protestants or Shiite/Sunni Muslims. Westerners have often view Asian religions, like Buddhism, to be backwards or polar opposites of the traditional church. However, Zeami Motokiyo reflects the prevailing themes of forgiveness and sin, common in both Christian and Islamic beliefs, in the Japanese drama Atsumori. A central dogma of Christianity,…