Most nō plays in the modern repertory were written and composed by performers. With their integrated understanding of the possibilities of the art and of the talents of key actors, including themselves, early performers, notably Kan’ami (1333-1384) and Zeami (1363-1443), gave nō a coherent form through the plays they composed, many of which remain in the standard repertory today. Later performers, like Nobumitsu (1435-1516) and Zenpō (1454-1532), expanded the content, form, and style while retaining the basic compositional units.
Nō playwriting requires a thorough knowledge of all the different elements involved in the staging of the play. Text and music consist of formalized smaller and larger modules that are arranged in conventional sequences. (See shōdan). This was an aid both to composition and memorization. Today, the large number of plays codified as anonymous, and the differences in script and staging of the same play performed by different schools indicate a tradition in which revision and improvisation, albeit within conventions, were accepted practices. All the plays attributed to Kan’ami today, for example, were preserved through Zeami, who specifically mentions rewriting portions. Other early noh may have been created by multiple authors. Over half the plays in the standard canon have no clear attribution.
Formative Period
Kan’ami Kiyotsugu 観阿弥清次 (1333-84)
The father of Zeami, Kan’ami was a member of the Yūzaki guild of Yamato sarugaku, based in the Nara area. He was famous as a superlative actor with an innovative approach, such as incorporating songs from the popular kusemai into his plays. Judging from the plays Kan’ami performed that are listed in records, his plays were often realistic, focusing on dialogue exchanges, interesting dramatic presentation, and the display of technical bravado, including performances featuring vigorous demons and ghosts.
Early Muromachi Period
Zeami Motokiyo 世阿弥元清 (1363-1443?)
The son of Kan’ami, Zeami was patronized by the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu (1358-1408) and nurtured among the cultural elite by powerful aristocrats and nobles like Nijō Yoshimoto (1320-1388). He composed and performed many excellent plays on themes from classical literature, incorporating song and dance into the performance. The first Japanese to write theoretical works on nō performance, Zeami trained his successors, establishing a performance art that continues to be passed down. He is thought to be the originator of mugen nō (dream nō).
Kanze Jurō Motomasa 観世十郎元雅 (1400?-1432)
Zeami’s eldest son Motomasa was considered an excellent actor by his father. He died in his 30s, while his father was still alive, but the few plays he composed indicate that he had developed his own distinctive style. Focusing on pieces set in real time (genzai nō) that extol the ethics of filial piety, his nō present the feelings of people facing tragic events and are quite different from plays that highlight song and dance.
Plays by Motomasa include: Morihisa, Sumidagawa, Utaura, and Yorobōshi.
Konparu Zenchiku 金春禅竹 (1405-1470?)
Head of the Konparu school of nō and son-in-law of Zeami, Zenchiku received nō performance notes from Zeami (Rokugi, Shūgyoku tokka). Based in the Nara area, Zenchiku formed friendships with Buddhist priests and flower masters, exchanging philosophical theories that were incorporated in his Rokurin Ichirō treatise. He developed his own theory of nō expounded in works likeKabu zuinōki and Meishukushū. His plays follow Zeami’s style, yet have a darker, more philosophical tone.
Plays by Zenchiku include: Bashō, Nonomiya, Oshio, Teika, Ugetsu, and Yōkihi.
Late Muromachi period
Kanze Kojirō Nobumitsu 観世小次郎信光 (1435-1516)
Nobumitsu was the seventh son of On’ami Motoshige, Zeami’s nephew and successor as head of the Kanze school. Nobumitsu (later known as Gonnokami) composed numerous plays both in a relatively classical style and in the more extravagant furyū style, where he experimented with new writing and staging techniques. His plays represent the new directions nō took after the devastation of the Ōnin War (1467-77). In addition, he wrote a couple of performance manuals.
Konparu Zenpō 金春禅鳳 (1454-1532)
The grandson of Konparu Zenchiku, Zenpō moved from the Nara area to the capital, where his Awataguchi kanjin nō (benefit nō) brought him particular notice. His plays feature experimental structure and exotic content, but tend to lack the depth of his predecessors. His writings describing technical aspects of nō practice include Mōtan shinshō, Hogōra-no-sho, Zenpō zōdan, and Zenpō Sarugaku dangi.
Plays by Zenpō include: Arashiyama, Tōbōsaku, Ikuta Atsumori, Hatsuyuki, and Ikkaku sennin.
Kanze Yajirō Nagatoshi 観世 長俊 (1488-1541)
The son of Nobumitsu, Nagatoshi specialized in waki roles, but also performed as shite. He is known for his theatrical, dynamic plays with numerous performers on stage and elaborate stage properties. He is also known for giving the kyōgen, tsure, and waki performers important roles within the dramaturgy of a play. According to his talks recorded in Nō hon sakusha chūmon, Nagatoshi wrote twenty-five nō plays.
Plays by Nagatoshi include: Rinzō, Ōyashiro, Shōzon, and Enoshima.
Miyamasu 宮増 (dates unknown)
The exact identity of Miyamasu is unclear, but he is attributed with writing several plays in a late-Muromachi fūryū style. He treats themes related to warriors, like Minamoto no Yoshitsune or the Soga Brothers. Most of his plays focus on themes of loyalty and revenge, while some feature mythological themes.
Plays by Miyamasu include ones based on events in the life of Minamoto Yoshitsune: Kurama Tengu, Eboshi-ori, and Settai; ones based on the narrative of the Soga Brothers: Chōbuku Soga, Youchi Soga, Kosode Soga, and possibly also Genpuku Soga; as well as Mochizuki, Hōka-zō, Sakahoko, and Himuro.
Contributor: Monica Bethe