Theatre of Dreams, Theatre of Play ─ No and Kyogen in Japan

Dating from the 15th to early 20th century, 160 works from the rich material culture of Japanese no and kyogen theatre (nogaku)—including masks and costumes as well as paintings, musical instruments and libretti—have been selected from the collections of the National Noh Theatre, Tokyo and the Agency for Cultural Affairs of Japan.

A program of no theatre generally consists of one or two no plays with a kyogen interlude. Both theatre forms deal with the multitude of human emotions, but while no is a more dream-like pursuit of an ideal beauty to portray the essence of human nature, kyogen strives for realistic expression through humor. The beauty and elegance that pervades the world of no and the spirited, playful mood that characterise kyogen plays are echoed in the masks and costumes, which distinguish nogaku from other forms of traditional Japanese performing arts.

The objects in this book represent Japan’s unique aesthetic sensibility and the excellence of its traditional arts and crafts. The splendour of the masks, robes and paintings invites viewers to appreciate and better understand these complex and sumptuous worlds.

Khanh Trinh is curator of Asian art at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Monica Bethe is director of medieval Japanese studies at the Institute in Kyoto, Japan and has taught at the Kyoto Consortium for Japanese Studies at Columbia University. Eric C. Rath is professor of history at the University of Kansas and a specialist in premodern Japanese culture. J. Thomas Rimer is professor emeritus of Japanese literature and theatre at the University of Pittsbugh. Mikio Takemoto is professor of Japanese literature at Waseda University, Tokyo. He is the director of the Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum at Waseda University.