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Japanese Nō Dramas
Japanese no theatre or the drama of perfected art' flourished in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries largely through the genius of the dramatist Zeami. An intricate fusion of music, dance, mask, costume and language, the dramas address many subjects, but the idea of form is more central than meaning and their structure is always ritualized.
Selected for their literary merit, the twenty-four plays in this volume dramatize such ideas as the relationship between men and the gods, brother and sister, parent and child, lover and beloved, and the power of greed and desire. Revered in Japan as a cultural treasure, the spiritual and sensuous beauty of these works has been a profound influence for English-speaking artists including W. B. Yeats, Ezra Pound and Benjamin Britten.
Selected for their literary merit, the twenty-four plays in this volume dramatize such ideas as the relationship between men and the gods, brother and sister, parent and child, lover and beloved, and the power of greed and desire. Revered in Japan as a cultural treasure, the spiritual and sensuous beauty of these works has been a profound influence for English-speaking artists including W. B. Yeats, Ezra Pound and Benjamin Britten.
384 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1970
34 people are currently reading
748 people want to read
About the author
Royall Tyler
28 books46 followersBorn in England in 1936, I was educated in the US and France. During my academic career I specialized in Japanese literature. My last teaching position, after stints in Canada, the US, and Norway, was at the Australian National University in Canberra. After that I retired with my wife to a farm in in New South Wales. We've bred alpacas here for over twenty years, although our herd is smaller than it used to be. And I've continued to publish books. In summer we see blue-tongue skinks--a big, slow lizard that really does have a blue tongue. So I named my own book imprint (Blue-Tongue Books) after one that scrabbled at my window, wanting to come in.
I'm descended from two other authors named Royall Tyler, both listed on Goodreads and Amazon. The first (1757-1826) was the American jurist and playwright best known as the author of The Contrast. The second (1884-1953) was my grandfather.
I'm descended from two other authors named Royall Tyler, both listed on Goodreads and Amazon. The first (1757-1826) was the American jurist and playwright best known as the author of The Contrast. The second (1884-1953) was my grandfather.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
March 1, 2017
DANCER:
ATTENDANT AND SERVANTS:
[to issei music, enter the Mountain Crone…[who will be wearing a frightening mask and huge bushy ghost hair, probably white, as well as a sumptuous costume]]
CRONE:
From the third part of the Noh play Yamamba
This passage exemplifies several of the tools and themes, or perhaps atmospheres, that repeat through these plays. One is paired opposite, without duality. Another is Buddhist frustration with being unable to let go of the emotions and senses that tie one to appearances. The audience should experience a feeling of yūgen, which Royall Tyler says could be translated as ‘graceful elegance’ or ‘subtle mystery’. And running throughout will be quotations or references to classic Japanese and Chinese poetry and other literature.
How could anyone sit through a performance, form frozen in time for the last several hundred years, where it could take two hours to get through ten pages of text? A mass comes to mind, and indeed Noh arose from ritual performances at shrines.
Before reading this book, I would have passed any invitation to listen to what sounded like a screeching flute and watch glacial action. But after going through these play texts and reading a book on Noh history and current performance practices, and watching some Youtube clips, I’m fascinated. I love opera too, and the combination of so many art forms in one is common to Noh and opera. The two books I read both said that Noh is not really able to be studied from the texts, that Noh only exists in performance with the dance, music, singing, costumes and stage united. Since most opera librettos are pretty pathetic as literature, the similarity is still there. Perhaps Noh is best described as a cross between opera and Greek theater. I am going to sketch a bit about what I learned, although it should be taken with a grain of salt, as one would have to study for years to attain even rudiments of understanding, and I will necessarily have to simplify even what I learned.
A Noh play typically consists of three parts, which start very slowly and gradually speed up. Very often there is a ghost who wandering a landscape specific to a folk tale or historical event, because its attachment to sensual life, or honor, or some other unfinished business, prevents it from attaining Buddhist enlightenment. In parts one and three there is one main character, a shite, who is masked and has studied for years to become part of this most elite acting category. There is an unmasked waki, who interacts with the shite, and they may each have subsidiary characters who attend them. The shite characters are different in the two parts, although these two shites may be different manifestations of the same person or god. There is also an ai character, generally a villager, who in an interlude between the two main acts serves to explicate some background and/or provide comic relief. One of the most unusual aspects of Noh to me was the sharing of the text among the characters. A ‘speech’ by anyone may be shared by the shite, the waki, their secondary characters, or the chorus, shifting from one to the next line by line or after several lines.
Several of the plays are taken from the monagatari books of tales, that were published in the Japanese medieval period, in particular the Heike Monagatari about the wars between the Heike and Genji clans. Two in this book deal with battles between the Taira clan being driven from power by the incoming Minamoto forces, 1183-1185. Many plays are by Zeami, the son of the first major Noh author and actor. Zeami is the acknowledged greatest Noh playwright, and he wrote a lot of prose works on Noh and Noh practice. I definitely enjoyed his plays the most, including the Yamamba excerpted here, the Matzukaze or Pining Wind with its beautiful nature poetry, and Yashima.
There are about 240 Noh plays, although many are not part of the current repertory, just as perhaps 75-100 of hundreds of western operas are actually performed on a regular basis. They fall into five groups (such as plays about warriors, or plays about women). The introduction to this Penguin Classics translation (of 24 plays) gives a good overview of the development of Noh, as well as the poetic and prose components, the standard form, character types, costume, staging conventions, etc. But it quickly becomes obvious that you need a lot more help than the introduction and the notes can provide. I had picked up Noh: The Classical Theater by Yasuo Nakamura, introduction by Earle Ernst, at a library sale and checked there first. I am reviewing it separately. It would be good for someone who already knows a fair amount about Noh, because it assumes you already know the basics. So I am still looking for an introductory book to the art.
I also checked Youtube for performance videos, and watched one of the play Adachi-ga Hara, also known as Kurozuka. It provides an example of the mask and costume of a ghost or demon shite in part two, a comic ai interlude, the spare scenery and props, a woman shite character and mask inpart one, and the changing pace of the performance. The end also shows the Buddhist monks chasing away the demon by rasping their prayer beads together during their very active dancing. There are lots of Youtube other videos to choose from.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=I5j87fo...
You also need a map of medieval Japan. Each play is set in a specific real location, and usually makes reference to a journey through real places. I have several historical atlases, and find that most of them don’t worry too much about any part of the world until Europeans arrived. However, Barnes and Noble’s Atlas of World History edited by John Haywood has a good two page spread on this period. Or if you have The Viking Penguin Group edition of Royall Tyler’s The Tale of the Heike, there are maps in the back.
To continue the passage from Yamamba
[to music, the Mountain Crone performs a slow but vigorous tachimawari circuit of the stage]
DANCER:
CRONE:
DANCER:
CRONE:
DANCER:
CRONE:
DANCER:
CRONE
She whose strangeness so perplexed me,
I was unable to think her real
Surely now will keep her word,
ATTENDANT AND SERVANTS:
For wind through the pines joins flutes blowing limpid notes
All along the stream,
Where hands detain the drifting cups:
Moonlit music, pure, across deep ranges
Moonlit music, pure, across deep ranges
[to issei music, enter the Mountain Crone…[who will be wearing a frightening mask and huge bushy ghost hair, probably white, as well as a sumptuous costume]]
CRONE:
Awesome they are, the plunging chasms
Awesome they are, the plunging chasms
[chasms where the Buddhist demons are, in relation to Enlightened ones on the mountain top]
In charnel grounds demon phantoms
Scourge their own bones, weeping, weeping,
Raging at their past lives’ deeds;
In graveyards thankful angel beings
Offer flowers, suffused with gladness
At the bliss of truth attained.
No, good and evil are not two:
Why then feel anger, why rejoice?
All is if this world before our eyes:
Quick rivers stretch away,
Mighty scarps soar sheer.
From the third part of the Noh play Yamamba
This passage exemplifies several of the tools and themes, or perhaps atmospheres, that repeat through these plays. One is paired opposite, without duality. Another is Buddhist frustration with being unable to let go of the emotions and senses that tie one to appearances. The audience should experience a feeling of yūgen, which Royall Tyler says could be translated as ‘graceful elegance’ or ‘subtle mystery’. And running throughout will be quotations or references to classic Japanese and Chinese poetry and other literature.
How could anyone sit through a performance, form frozen in time for the last several hundred years, where it could take two hours to get through ten pages of text? A mass comes to mind, and indeed Noh arose from ritual performances at shrines.
Before reading this book, I would have passed any invitation to listen to what sounded like a screeching flute and watch glacial action. But after going through these play texts and reading a book on Noh history and current performance practices, and watching some Youtube clips, I’m fascinated. I love opera too, and the combination of so many art forms in one is common to Noh and opera. The two books I read both said that Noh is not really able to be studied from the texts, that Noh only exists in performance with the dance, music, singing, costumes and stage united. Since most opera librettos are pretty pathetic as literature, the similarity is still there. Perhaps Noh is best described as a cross between opera and Greek theater. I am going to sketch a bit about what I learned, although it should be taken with a grain of salt, as one would have to study for years to attain even rudiments of understanding, and I will necessarily have to simplify even what I learned.
A Noh play typically consists of three parts, which start very slowly and gradually speed up. Very often there is a ghost who wandering a landscape specific to a folk tale or historical event, because its attachment to sensual life, or honor, or some other unfinished business, prevents it from attaining Buddhist enlightenment. In parts one and three there is one main character, a shite, who is masked and has studied for years to become part of this most elite acting category. There is an unmasked waki, who interacts with the shite, and they may each have subsidiary characters who attend them. The shite characters are different in the two parts, although these two shites may be different manifestations of the same person or god. There is also an ai character, generally a villager, who in an interlude between the two main acts serves to explicate some background and/or provide comic relief. One of the most unusual aspects of Noh to me was the sharing of the text among the characters. A ‘speech’ by anyone may be shared by the shite, the waki, their secondary characters, or the chorus, shifting from one to the next line by line or after several lines.
Several of the plays are taken from the monagatari books of tales, that were published in the Japanese medieval period, in particular the Heike Monagatari about the wars between the Heike and Genji clans. Two in this book deal with battles between the Taira clan being driven from power by the incoming Minamoto forces, 1183-1185. Many plays are by Zeami, the son of the first major Noh author and actor. Zeami is the acknowledged greatest Noh playwright, and he wrote a lot of prose works on Noh and Noh practice. I definitely enjoyed his plays the most, including the Yamamba excerpted here, the Matzukaze or Pining Wind with its beautiful nature poetry, and Yashima.
There are about 240 Noh plays, although many are not part of the current repertory, just as perhaps 75-100 of hundreds of western operas are actually performed on a regular basis. They fall into five groups (such as plays about warriors, or plays about women). The introduction to this Penguin Classics translation (of 24 plays) gives a good overview of the development of Noh, as well as the poetic and prose components, the standard form, character types, costume, staging conventions, etc. But it quickly becomes obvious that you need a lot more help than the introduction and the notes can provide. I had picked up Noh: The Classical Theater by Yasuo Nakamura, introduction by Earle Ernst, at a library sale and checked there first. I am reviewing it separately. It would be good for someone who already knows a fair amount about Noh, because it assumes you already know the basics. So I am still looking for an introductory book to the art.
I also checked Youtube for performance videos, and watched one of the play Adachi-ga Hara, also known as Kurozuka. It provides an example of the mask and costume of a ghost or demon shite in part two, a comic ai interlude, the spare scenery and props, a woman shite character and mask inpart one, and the changing pace of the performance. The end also shows the Buddhist monks chasing away the demon by rasping their prayer beads together during their very active dancing. There are lots of Youtube other videos to choose from.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=I5j87fo...
You also need a map of medieval Japan. Each play is set in a specific real location, and usually makes reference to a journey through real places. I have several historical atlases, and find that most of them don’t worry too much about any part of the world until Europeans arrived. However, Barnes and Noble’s Atlas of World History edited by John Haywood has a good two page spread on this period. Or if you have The Viking Penguin Group edition of Royall Tyler’s The Tale of the Heike, there are maps in the back.
To continue the passage from Yamamba
[to music, the Mountain Crone performs a slow but vigorous tachimawari circuit of the stage]
DANCER:
O terror!
Moon-hidden deeps of mountain gloom
Now yield a shape alien to see!
Are you then the Mountain Crone?
CRONE:
Some time past my words leafed forth
To bear first fruit: a sketch of me
You doubtless recognize.
Do not be afraid!
DANCER:
Come then, though I tremble still,
Through the jet-black veil of darkness,
You, in human form,
CRONE:
Yet crowned with a snarl of snowy weeds:
DANCER:
Whose pupils shine like stars
CRONE:
Whose face in hue
DANCER:
Glows ruddy bright
CRONE
As any red-daubed demon tile
Glowering from the eaves.
June 28, 2016
Five stars for the plays.
Five stars for the information that is included; lengthy introduction before each play, stage directions (during) and copious amounts of footnotes.
----
General Introduction
List of Terms Used in the Stage Directions
Plan of the Noh Stage
-
Ama - The Diver
Atsumori
Aya no tsuzumi - The Damask Drum
Chikubu-shima
Eguchi
Funa Benkei - Benkei Aboard Ship
Hagoromo - The Feather Mantle
Hanjo - Lady Han
Izutsu - The Well Cradle
Kantan
Kasuga ryujin - The Kasuga Dragon God
Kinuta - The Fulling Block
Kureha
Matsukaze - Pining Wind
Nonomiya - The Wildwood Shrine
Saigyo-zakura - Saigyo's Cherry Tree
Seki-dera Komachi - Komachi at Seki-Dera
Semimaru
Sumida-gawa - The Sumida River
Tadanori
Takasago
Tatsuta
Yamamba - The Mountain Crone
Yashima
-
Bibliography and Comments
Footnotes
Five stars for the information that is included; lengthy introduction before each play, stage directions (during) and copious amounts of footnotes.
----
General Introduction
List of Terms Used in the Stage Directions
Plan of the Noh Stage
-
Ama - The Diver
Atsumori
Aya no tsuzumi - The Damask Drum
Chikubu-shima
Eguchi
Funa Benkei - Benkei Aboard Ship
Hagoromo - The Feather Mantle
Hanjo - Lady Han
Izutsu - The Well Cradle
Kantan
Kasuga ryujin - The Kasuga Dragon God
Kinuta - The Fulling Block
Kureha
Matsukaze - Pining Wind
Nonomiya - The Wildwood Shrine
Saigyo-zakura - Saigyo's Cherry Tree
Seki-dera Komachi - Komachi at Seki-Dera
Semimaru
Sumida-gawa - The Sumida River
Tadanori
Takasago
Tatsuta
Yamamba - The Mountain Crone
Yashima
-
Bibliography and Comments
Footnotes
January 3, 2023
A very challenging read, not only due to the fact that I know next to nothing about Buddhism or ancient Japan (and I admit I'm a terrible footnotes reader), but because more than most dramas I've read, I was constantly aware that reading this was a compromised experience -- if performed, 10 pages of text here would often translate to up to 2 hours of movement and song. Still, I loved this book, not only for the fascinating exposure to the motifs and ideals of classical Japanese art, but for the poetic strangeness of the stories themselves, often providing arresting imagery, lyricism, and paradox. My favorites were Ama, Aya no tsuzumi, Kinnuta, Saigyo-zakura, Semimaru, Sumida-gawa, and Yamamba. I plan to revisit them soon.
July 21, 2015
I thought I would be more into the plays then I was, I thought that by reading them I could consume way more then if I watched them individually (or tried to) on youtube, and I thought that since they were all continuations or add-ons to the literature I already read, it would make them far more interesting.
I was wrong... I have learned the visual presence is everything, it itself might be subtle to the point of madness, but it's not replaceable. And there is no 'add-on' all the plays I read just re-hashed a scene, re-rehashed it from the view point of a villager, then there was a reveal of the poorest variety, and a re-telling, sometimes with the monk-witness providing release to whatever spirit is in question.
These were good, I'm glad I got to experience some of these that I will never see in RL and probably wouldn't be able to watch either since many haven't been performed in a modern enough time. The plays are culturally and historically important, but I have cancelled any other books coming in from the NYPL on the subject. In this case, I came, I experienced, and I am done...
I was wrong... I have learned the visual presence is everything, it itself might be subtle to the point of madness, but it's not replaceable. And there is no 'add-on' all the plays I read just re-hashed a scene, re-rehashed it from the view point of a villager, then there was a reveal of the poorest variety, and a re-telling, sometimes with the monk-witness providing release to whatever spirit is in question.
These were good, I'm glad I got to experience some of these that I will never see in RL and probably wouldn't be able to watch either since many haven't been performed in a modern enough time. The plays are culturally and historically important, but I have cancelled any other books coming in from the NYPL on the subject. In this case, I came, I experienced, and I am done...
August 21, 2007
Matsukaze ("Pining Wind") is kind of amazing. Plus it bears the bizarre linguistic distinction of a pun that actually straddles the translative fence – "pine" carries the same double-meaning in the Japanese that it does in English. Whoa, is what I say to that.
November 19, 2020
Confusing, but deep and thoughtful. For us Westerners, get with the program.
May 18, 2020
The No repertoire is fantastic, and this is a substantial collection of plays. It serves as an excellent introduction to the genre - a genre that doesn't easily compare to anything in Western literature.
No is at the same time an expression of refined poetic sensibilities, psychological insight, and ritual engagement. It's a dramatic method of coming to terms with the numinous - gods, demons, ghosts, and other spirits are the centerpoint of each play. You could superficially think of No as Greek drama that centers entirely on the deus ex machina, but it's a deus ex machina that does not emphasize the power of the numinous so much as it is curious about the connection between it and the human realm. The human element of the play (represented in a type of role called the "witness") always has as much to offer the arriving spirit as the spirit has to offer them, even if that gift is simply being an ear or an audience. What binds all these elements together is the enduring power of human passion to effect and shape lives - No asserts that it extends beyond earth to heaven, hell, and all places in between.
Like Western Classical music, No requires a bit of practice and patience in order to appreciate, but it's worth the effort, if you can afford it. There is definitely enough material in this book to help get you there.
The translations are well done, if not outstanding. Tyler's numerous notes and introductory passages are interesting, but I feel like he does just a little bit too much interpretation for my taste. I appreciate historical context, but I feel he goes too far into explicating on the meaning of the plays. I like volumes that help establish one's independence as a reader. Also: way too many footnotes.
I also think some strange decisions were made in terms of what terms to gloss and which ones not to. Arbitrarily, we get a list of explanations for stage production terms that are never used in the individual translations of the plays, but we do not get a thorough translation of the various script elements that actually do appear in the texts over and over.
Most surprisingly, there is no glossary of mask types. Photos would have been totally doable and would have made this volume invaluable, but at least a glossary would have been helpful. No such luck. I honestly don't understand that decision. The masks are literally the most iconic aspect of this art. Eh - there's google.
These are relatively minor complaints - it's an excellent volume otherwise and well worth reading.
No is at the same time an expression of refined poetic sensibilities, psychological insight, and ritual engagement. It's a dramatic method of coming to terms with the numinous - gods, demons, ghosts, and other spirits are the centerpoint of each play. You could superficially think of No as Greek drama that centers entirely on the deus ex machina, but it's a deus ex machina that does not emphasize the power of the numinous so much as it is curious about the connection between it and the human realm. The human element of the play (represented in a type of role called the "witness") always has as much to offer the arriving spirit as the spirit has to offer them, even if that gift is simply being an ear or an audience. What binds all these elements together is the enduring power of human passion to effect and shape lives - No asserts that it extends beyond earth to heaven, hell, and all places in between.
Like Western Classical music, No requires a bit of practice and patience in order to appreciate, but it's worth the effort, if you can afford it. There is definitely enough material in this book to help get you there.
The translations are well done, if not outstanding. Tyler's numerous notes and introductory passages are interesting, but I feel like he does just a little bit too much interpretation for my taste. I appreciate historical context, but I feel he goes too far into explicating on the meaning of the plays. I like volumes that help establish one's independence as a reader. Also: way too many footnotes.
I also think some strange decisions were made in terms of what terms to gloss and which ones not to. Arbitrarily, we get a list of explanations for stage production terms that are never used in the individual translations of the plays, but we do not get a thorough translation of the various script elements that actually do appear in the texts over and over.
Most surprisingly, there is no glossary of mask types. Photos would have been totally doable and would have made this volume invaluable, but at least a glossary would have been helpful. No such luck. I honestly don't understand that decision. The masks are literally the most iconic aspect of this art. Eh - there's google.
These are relatively minor complaints - it's an excellent volume otherwise and well worth reading.
April 17, 2008
Pretty good read. Much better than seeing Noh drama live. Noh performances go on for ever - dancing and singing that is unfathomable but for those closest to the genre. The plays in this collection (24 in all) can be read in about 15 minutes. And, if you've read the likes of the Tale of Genji and the Tales of the Heike, much of the plays here are continuations of those stories. Ever wonder what happened to Atsumori after he was beheaded? Well, learn about his killer and his ghost in this fun collection of Japanese plays.
February 6, 2008
No (or Noh) theatre is one of the three traditional forms of Japanese theatre. No is easily recognized by the use of stunning masks. The footnotes are excellent as is the general introduction.
March 20, 2021
Some might see reading a collection of 15th century Japanese masked played as a form of literary sadism and they would be right - to an extent. It is very hard to connect to these plays on a pure narrative level, and to enjoy them as such. They are too disconnected geographically and chronologically to be relatable to the average English speaking reader. You require some background information, an impression at least, to gain something from these ancient forms of theatre. Thankfully, Tyler's collection is a very professional, intelligent and comprehensive guide book for the uninitiated and, therefore, it is possible to enter into the world of No theatre, to an extent, and come away with a worthwhile experience. It helps to be able to visualise the plays. After reading a few I looked up a few performances and that really made it more possible to imagine them. The collection has a lot of play scripts (around 20) and a lengthy and very interesting introduction. That said, despite being educated in the introduction on the various terms and roles in No theatre, it's difficult to understand without being prepared to study this book very carefully. It takes a lot of stamina and patience to read the whole collection.
Each play is prefaced by a detailed introduction again, giving us background information on the presumed authorship of the play, it's classical and folklorical influences, possible meanings and interpretations and the geographical position of the scenes presented. That enables you to dive into the plays without worrying too much about whether or not you understand what is going on. Grouped together, you get a fascinating overview of the various cannonical literary and traditional influences on Japanese storytelling, the historical and literary figures that appear, connections to religion and culture. Mostly the plays focus on singular events; a chance encounter, a significant duel, a romance, a reunion. They are not epic narratives with hundreds of characters. That enables Tyler to focus on his quite stunning translation. The mind boggles to imagine the incredible difficulty of translating 600 year old texts into a modern context. The language is beautiful at times, very often focussing on physical and natural beauty, landscapes and weather. One can hear the echoes of Japanese poetry and modern storytelling. I was often made to recall scenes from the stories of Akutagawa in the way they centre so simply on a few characters and one setting. The symbolism and detail in those singular settings are pivotal to the atmosphere of these plays, just as in Akutagawa's stories.
It's hard to retain many of the plays in your head as you're reading. I felt it difficult to group them together because they were presented in alphabetical order. Given that there are certain types of No play (God plays, warrior plays...) I would have preferred them presented in categories. Alternatively, it would have been interesting to read them in a rough chronological order or by author. Most of the plays are written by Zeami. Those that are not are written by the godfather of No are often written by relatives or in-laws. Still, a few of the plays, despite the contextual distance of this reader, remain lodged in my memory. There is a quite beautiful play about an old poet, a recluse, who is encountered by chance and convinced out of retirement. It's representative of the mimimalism of the plots, although of course without the masks and the dances on the page it's hard to have an impression of the length and the drama of the plays. Another famous No play tells of a woman searching for her lost son and happening upon a boatman who tells the tragic tale of a young boy. The story ends with a touch of magic, something that many of these plays contain. They are, in many respects, on the edge of the real. No theatre is deeply rooted in Japanese traditional storytelling, and in the folktales and legends that inform Japanese culture, history and literature. For that reason alone, this collection is worth reading for anyone interested in Japanese art and storytelling, and the detail and endeavor of Tyler's translation and background information enable the average reader to really access these distance pieces of ancient culture and enjoy them. 6
Each play is prefaced by a detailed introduction again, giving us background information on the presumed authorship of the play, it's classical and folklorical influences, possible meanings and interpretations and the geographical position of the scenes presented. That enables you to dive into the plays without worrying too much about whether or not you understand what is going on. Grouped together, you get a fascinating overview of the various cannonical literary and traditional influences on Japanese storytelling, the historical and literary figures that appear, connections to religion and culture. Mostly the plays focus on singular events; a chance encounter, a significant duel, a romance, a reunion. They are not epic narratives with hundreds of characters. That enables Tyler to focus on his quite stunning translation. The mind boggles to imagine the incredible difficulty of translating 600 year old texts into a modern context. The language is beautiful at times, very often focussing on physical and natural beauty, landscapes and weather. One can hear the echoes of Japanese poetry and modern storytelling. I was often made to recall scenes from the stories of Akutagawa in the way they centre so simply on a few characters and one setting. The symbolism and detail in those singular settings are pivotal to the atmosphere of these plays, just as in Akutagawa's stories.
It's hard to retain many of the plays in your head as you're reading. I felt it difficult to group them together because they were presented in alphabetical order. Given that there are certain types of No play (God plays, warrior plays...) I would have preferred them presented in categories. Alternatively, it would have been interesting to read them in a rough chronological order or by author. Most of the plays are written by Zeami. Those that are not are written by the godfather of No are often written by relatives or in-laws. Still, a few of the plays, despite the contextual distance of this reader, remain lodged in my memory. There is a quite beautiful play about an old poet, a recluse, who is encountered by chance and convinced out of retirement. It's representative of the mimimalism of the plots, although of course without the masks and the dances on the page it's hard to have an impression of the length and the drama of the plays. Another famous No play tells of a woman searching for her lost son and happening upon a boatman who tells the tragic tale of a young boy. The story ends with a touch of magic, something that many of these plays contain. They are, in many respects, on the edge of the real. No theatre is deeply rooted in Japanese traditional storytelling, and in the folktales and legends that inform Japanese culture, history and literature. For that reason alone, this collection is worth reading for anyone interested in Japanese art and storytelling, and the detail and endeavor of Tyler's translation and background information enable the average reader to really access these distance pieces of ancient culture and enjoy them. 6
November 11, 2024
This is an excellent collection of Noh plays, featuring some of the most widely admired and translated works, as well as some lesser-known plays. Each drama has a brief but informative preface explaining its background and theme. The general introduction provides a good overview of Noh, it’s history, style, playwrights, actors and themes.
As I’ve noted in other Noh translations I’ve read, the script is just one small part of this subtle yet highly stylized art. Understated to the point of obscurity, and full of allusions to ancient Japanese and Chinese poems, the language unwinds, like everything in Noh, very slowly and deliberately. But it has the quiet stillness of porcelain.
I highly recommend Royall Tyler’s translations. I can’t read the Japanese originals, but these translations seem to convey the form and language exceedingly well. Among the best are Atsumori, The Damask Drum, The Feather Mantle, Kantan, The Fulling Block, The Sumida River, and Pining Wind – all, I believe, considered No classics.
The author/publisher made the odd decision to put the plays in alphabetical order by their Romanized Japanese name, rather than theme, author, style, timeline, etc. A glossary with definitions of key terms would also have been very helpful. Throughout the plays, the author drops in Japanese stage directions that I don’t see translated or explained.
But these are minor quibbles. If you’re looking for an excellent set of Noh translations, I highly recommend this book. It’s a bit long for someone with just curiosity, so feel free to pick and choose to start. I suggest starting with the plays I listed above. You may find yourself going back to read the others.
As I’ve noted in other Noh translations I’ve read, the script is just one small part of this subtle yet highly stylized art. Understated to the point of obscurity, and full of allusions to ancient Japanese and Chinese poems, the language unwinds, like everything in Noh, very slowly and deliberately. But it has the quiet stillness of porcelain.
I highly recommend Royall Tyler’s translations. I can’t read the Japanese originals, but these translations seem to convey the form and language exceedingly well. Among the best are Atsumori, The Damask Drum, The Feather Mantle, Kantan, The Fulling Block, The Sumida River, and Pining Wind – all, I believe, considered No classics.
The author/publisher made the odd decision to put the plays in alphabetical order by their Romanized Japanese name, rather than theme, author, style, timeline, etc. A glossary with definitions of key terms would also have been very helpful. Throughout the plays, the author drops in Japanese stage directions that I don’t see translated or explained.
But these are minor quibbles. If you’re looking for an excellent set of Noh translations, I highly recommend this book. It’s a bit long for someone with just curiosity, so feel free to pick and choose to start. I suggest starting with the plays I listed above. You may find yourself going back to read the others.
June 11, 2019
Oops, I should've updated this as finished ages ago! A nice little collection of noh plays, easy to dip into & the introduction is really useful.
August 7, 2019
This is not only an excellent translation, but also a good selection, which above all contains very detailed and interesting introductions and notes with cultural background information to the 24 plays included. The plays have been arranged in alphabetical order. It still seems to be available as a back list item, so if you want to read only one book with translations of No plays, it should be this one.
The only negative point is that as usual with Penguin books, low-grade paper has been used so that my copy, published in 1992, now is deep brown in color.
The only negative point is that as usual with Penguin books, low-grade paper has been used so that my copy, published in 1992, now is deep brown in color.
August 14, 2021
These plays are colder than cold. I could only imagine seeing them live with all the slow movements and haunting vocals. The Damask Drum is one of the most beautiful things I’ve read.
Read
July 20, 2024Hagoromo; graphic Canon
Sotoba Komachi by Kan'ami c. 1370-1384
Ama THE DIVER
**Atsumori
Aya no tsuzumi THE DAMASK DRUM
Chikubu-shima
**Eguchi
Funa Benkei BENKEI ABOARD SHIP
Hagoromo THE FEATHER MANTLE
**Hanjo LADY HAN
**Izutsu THE WELL CRADLE 1420s-early 1430s
Kantan
Kasuga ryüjin THE KASUGA DRAGON GOD
**Kinuta THE FULLING BLOCK early 1430s
Kureha
**Matsukaze PINING WIND
Nonomiya THE WILDWOOD SHRINE
**Saigyö-zakura SAIGYÖ'S CHERRY TREE
**Seki-dera Komachi - KOMACHI AT SEKI-DERA
Semimaru
Sumida-gawa THE SUMIDA RIVER
**Tadanori
**Takasago
Tatsuta
**Yamamba THE MOUNTAIN CRONE
**Yashima
**=By zeami, Noh drama originally developed by Kan'ami and his son Zeami
Sotoba Komachi by Kan'ami c. 1370-1384
Ama THE DIVER
**Atsumori
Aya no tsuzumi THE DAMASK DRUM
Chikubu-shima
**Eguchi
Funa Benkei BENKEI ABOARD SHIP
Hagoromo THE FEATHER MANTLE
**Hanjo LADY HAN
**Izutsu THE WELL CRADLE 1420s-early 1430s
Kantan
Kasuga ryüjin THE KASUGA DRAGON GOD
**Kinuta THE FULLING BLOCK early 1430s
Kureha
**Matsukaze PINING WIND
Nonomiya THE WILDWOOD SHRINE
**Saigyö-zakura SAIGYÖ'S CHERRY TREE
**Seki-dera Komachi - KOMACHI AT SEKI-DERA
Semimaru
Sumida-gawa THE SUMIDA RIVER
**Tadanori
**Takasago
Tatsuta
**Yamamba THE MOUNTAIN CRONE
**Yashima
**=By zeami, Noh drama originally developed by Kan'ami and his son Zeami
May 15, 2021
Not a cover to cover piece. Not so useful if you aren't watching the plays at the same time. Very helpful if you are and you don't know the intricacies of traditional Japanese Nō plays and can be arsed with watching them.
So all in all, worth having for breaking down the 4 plays I've watched on YouTube, also nice to see the breakdown of the stage and the characters and their cultural significance detailed in the text. Potentially better than the 3 stars I've given it. Make your own mind up as it's very subjective. If you like watching the subject matter, you're gonna like the book. I did.
So all in all, worth having for breaking down the 4 plays I've watched on YouTube, also nice to see the breakdown of the stage and the characters and their cultural significance detailed in the text. Potentially better than the 3 stars I've given it. Make your own mind up as it's very subjective. If you like watching the subject matter, you're gonna like the book. I did.
February 1, 2016
The classic Japanese plays in this volume are all excellent, but the focus on Noh means that this book lacks the variety of A. L. Sadler's definitive collection of Japanese drama. Still, these are all gem, including some lesser-known offerings.
January 2, 2008
I read this for a Japanese Theater class, and this is a good collection (play choice and translation wise) of Noh plays.
July 5, 2013
It was good. Comes with foreword in every play to explain the background and symbolism. However does not have every Noh play ever done
December 12, 2014
Touching, Impressive & Intense!
October 5, 2025
The editor opines: "Japanese No is one of the great achievements of civilization", which would seem like overstatement if it weren't proved over and over again in this collection.
March 26, 2017
This is a very difficult read because a No drama is so different from the typical reader's understanding of what constitutes a "play". Not only is this attributable to a different culture and language, a unique stage, minimalist props and essential masks, but much of the theme relies upon dancing. So how can the author convey the work of the playwright? Unfortunately, not very well.
A few things are vital for the reader: a thorough grasp of Japanese history, instant recall of stage direction and blocking, a memory of classical Chinese and Japanese poetry, an understanding of Buddhism, and an appreciation for the veneration of nature by the Oriental mind.
The legend of Ono no Komachi is brilliantly portrayed in Seki-dera Komachi and I would recommend the book for it alone.
A few things are vital for the reader: a thorough grasp of Japanese history, instant recall of stage direction and blocking, a memory of classical Chinese and Japanese poetry, an understanding of Buddhism, and an appreciation for the veneration of nature by the Oriental mind.
The legend of Ono no Komachi is brilliantly portrayed in Seki-dera Komachi and I would recommend the book for it alone.
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