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A diagram of the Noh stage. |
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Props in Noh are minimal. The one pictured here represents a boat. |
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Noh costumes are conceived as types rather than as individuals. This one is called "karaori" and is used for young to middle-aged women characters. |
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The "choken" costume for female characters worn during the dance sequence. |
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Costume for a warrior. |
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All actors in Noh are men. The principal character (the shite) and his secondary (the tsure) wear masks. Noh masks are beautifully carved in wood and finished to give an ethereal glow and haunting expression. This mask, called "wakaonna" represents a young woman. The partially opened eyes and mouth, and the intensity of her expression give the mask depth and unworldly of strength. |
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This mask, called "chujo" is worn for courtly male characters and noblemen. |
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The "jo" mask is worn for old men characters. |
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The "yase otoko" mask represents men in great distress, for example those suffering in hell for their transgressions. |
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This mask is called "han'nya." With its horns, fierce bulging eyes, and mouth stretched to its ears, this mask is a fearsome sight. It was originally not meant to represent a devil, but rather the horrific and destructive emotions of the human heart, such as jealousy. It is not an other-worldly spirit but the demonic passion that can lurk in any soul. |
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The "shikami" mask represents a devil. Devils in Noh represent the cruelty that exists outside human emotions. |
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The Noh stage resembles a temple or shrine. Its roof suggests its origins as outdoor performance. No matter what the play, the Noh stage is always basically the same with its bridge for the entry of characters, its pines alongside the bridge, and its painted pine on the back wall. The musicians sit at the back and the chorus to the right. The floor is made of wood and the space is designed to accomodate the principle element of the Noh performance, the dance. The floor is hollow to enhance stamping in the dance. |
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Entrance of the waki in the play "Sumidagawa." In most plays the waki is a travelling monk. |
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A secondary character or tsure to the waki in "Sumidagawa" This character is a traveller. |
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The shite or main character of "Sumidagawa," a woman who has gone insane at the death of her child. |
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click here for Prof. Tom Hare's (Stanford University) excellent website on Japanese drama
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