The Noh Plays of Japan Read Free

of a Sarugaku-boy from Yamato, sharing the same meat and eating from the same vessels. These Sarugaku people are mere mendicants, but he treats them as if they were Privy Counsellors.
    From this friendship sprang the art of Noh as it exists today. Of Seami we know far more than of his father Kwanami. For Seami left behind him a considerable number of treatises and autobiographical fragments. * These were not published till 1908 and have not yet been properly edited. They establish, among other things, the fact that Seami wrote both words and music for most of the plays in which he performed. It had before been supposed that the texts were supplied by the Zen † priests. For other information brought to light by the discovery of Seami's Works see Appendix II.
    Y Ū GEN
    It is obvious that Seami was deeply imbued with the teachings of Zen, in which cult his patron Yoshimitsu may have been his master. The difficult term y Å« gen which occurs constantly in the Works is derived from Zen literature. It means "what lies beneath the surface"; the subtle as opposed to the obvious; the hint, as opposed to the statement. It is applied to the natural grace of a boy's movements, to the restraint of a nobleman's speech and bearing. "When notes fall sweetly and flutter delicately to the ear," that is the y Å« gen of music. The symbol of y Å« gen is "a white bird with a flower in its beak." "To watch the sun sink behind a flower-clad hill, to wander on and on in a huge forest with no thought of return, to stand upon the shore and gaze after a boat that goes hid by far-off islands, to ponder on the journey of wild-geese seen and lost among the clouds"—such are the gates to y Å« gen.
    I will give a few specimens of Seami's advice to his pupils:
    PATRONS
    The actor should not stare straight into the faces of the audience, but look between them. When he looks in the direction of the Daimy ō s he must not let his eyes meet theirs, but must slightly avert his gaze.
    At Palace-performances or when acting at a banquet, he must not let his eyes meet those of the Sh ō gun or stare straight into the Honorable Face. When playing in a large enclosure he must take care to keep as close as possible to the side where the Nobles are sitting; if in a small enclosure, as far off as possible. But particularly in Palace-performances and the like he must take the greatest pains to keep as far away as he possibly can from the August Presence.
    Again, when the recitations are given at the Palace it is equally essential to begin at the right moment. It is bad to begin too soon and fatal to delay too long.
    It sometimes happens that the "noble gentlemen" do not arrive at the theatre until the play has already reached its Development and Climax. In such cases the play is at its climax, but the noble gentlemen's hearts are ripe only for Introduction. If they, ready only for Introduction, are forced to witness a Climax, they are not likely to get pleasure from it. Finally even the spectators who were there before, awed by the entry of the "exalted ones," become so quiet that you would not know they were there, so that the whole audience ends by returning to the Introductory mood. At such a moment the Noh cannot possibly be a success. In such circumstances it is best to take Development-Noh and give it a slightly "introductory" turn. Then, if it is played gently, it may win the August Attention.
    It also happens that one is suddenly sent for to perform at a Sh ō gunal feast or the like. The audience is already in a "climax-mood"; but "introductory" Noh must be played. This is a great difficulty. In such circumstances the best plan is to tinge the introduction with a nuance of "development." But this must be done without "stickiness," with the lightest possible touch, and the transition to the real Development and Climax must be made as quickly as possible.
    In old times there were masters who perfected themselves in Noh without study. But