The Ethos of Noh: Actors and Their Art

Harvard East Asian Monographs #232

by Eric C. Rath

Since the inception of the noh drama six centuries ago, actors have resisted the notion that noh rests on natural talent alone. Correct performance, they claim, demands adherence to traditions. Yet what constitutes noh's traditions and who can claim authority over them have been in dispute throughout its history. This book traces how definitions of noh, both as an art and as a profession, have changed over time. The author seeks to show that the definition of noh as an art is inseparable from its definition as a profession. The aim of this book is to describe how memories of the past become traditions, as well as the role of these traditions in the institutional development of the noh theater from its beginnings in the fourteenth century through the late twentieth century. It focuses on the development of the key traditions that constitute the "ethos of noh," the ideology that empowered certain groups of actors at the expense of others, and how this ethos fostered noh's professionalization--its growth from a loose occupation into a closed, regulated vocation. The author argues that the traditions that form the ethos of noh, such as those surrounding masks and manuscripts, are the key traits that define it as an art.

325 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[ML Character]

This is really good- def for a reader with an pre-existent basic understanding of Noh or other trad Jp arts, but really hit the spot I was looking to fill in terms of cutting through the PR, the modern mythos to talk through how that has been built and some of its stakes.

[Susan Spann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic research book on Japanese Noh drama, its history, and its development as an art form. Might be somewhat confusing for casual readers without a background in Japanese history and/or Noh, but fabulous for people seeking to deepen their understanding of this art and how it relates to the Japanese historical and cultural landscape.