Glossary
ai: kyōgen actor who retells the story during the interlude of noh
benshi or katsuben: film narrator who stood or knelt to the left of the screen in full view of the audience and interpreted the film
bunraku: Japanese puppet theater
bushido: term for the austere samurai warrior code in Edo or Tokugawa Japan; also the title of a play produced by the Washington Square Players in 1916
butoh: modern form of Japanese dance that features extreme bodily tension
chigo: adolescent acolytes of Buddhist priests
Chigo monogatari (tales of acolytes): literary form that emphasized a monk’s spiritual and physical relationship with the chigo
doji: temple acolyte; the first apparition in the noh play Tamura
giri: ancient codes of honor followed by samurai warriors
hashigakari: bridgeway that extends roughly eight meters from stage right, used for the entrance of actors
hashira: the pillars in each of the four corners of the square noh stage
higashi: decorated confectionery
hiranori: common noh rhythmic structure in which the (usually) twelve syllables of poetry are distributed over an eight-beat pattern
hokubun: full-ranked performer of noh
hosonuno: a narrow cloth made of woven feathers that came to symbolize unrequited love
iemoto: family head of one of the five noh schools (ryū)
issei: ornate verse pattern (shōdan) typically sung by the entering shite
jidaigeki: films about samurai
jiutai: noh chorus of eight to ten performers who kneel stage left
Jiyū Gekijō: Free Theater founded in 1909 for the purpose of staging western dramas
kagura: sacred dance that, in Takasago, serves as a manifestation of the perfect sovereign
kakikurasu: tormented/darkened
kamae or kitachi posture: standard posture of the noh performer; knees slightly bent, pelvis tipped forward, arms held forward and away from the body
kana: Japanese written characters
kata: precise movement patterns or gestural sequences in noh
Kawanakajima: location of the legendary battle of the Takeda and Uesugi samurai clans in 1561
kenkin noh: plays performed to benefit the war effort
kensho: audience configuration with seating on three sides of the noh stage
kiri: closing section of a noh play
kitsune: legendary Japanese fox
koken: stage assistants who kneel at the back of the noh stage
kokorogake: the “mental attitude” associated with the instruction in samurai warrior arts (budō)
kotsuzumi: shoulder drum in the noh orchestra or hayashi
Kuannon: Sino-Japanese spirit of mercy
kurogo: “man-in-black;” stage assistant who is “invisible” by Japanese performance conventions
kyakurai: “the effect of doubling back;” term used by Zeami for the enlightened return to the yūgen of boyhood
kyōgen: Japanese comedic plays that are often presented as interludes between noh plays and parody their style
mie or kimaru: codified poses struck at emotional moments during a kabuki play
modanizumu: term derived from “modernism” that signaled a style of artistic expression, powerful idea about modernity, and source of popular fashion in Japan from roughly 1910-1940
monoguruimono: fourth category noh plays about mad people
montsuki: formal Japanese dress worn during informal noh performances
nanori: a naming verse typically used to introduce an actor
natori: “naming” or formal initiation in which the student usually receives an artistic tite with the school (ryū) as the family name
nihon buyo: classical Japanese dance
Nihon nōgakukai: Japanese Noh Society
nimaime: “second” or good-hearted but flawed romantic character in kabuki
Nippon Gakujutsu Shinkōkai: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
nishikigi: “brocade trees” or decorated sticks that serve as love charms; title of a noh play
nōkan or fue: flute in the noh orchestra or hayashi
oi-matsu: large pine tree painted on the back wall of the noh theater
omiai: arranged meeting or marriage
omugaeshi: “parrot-like repetition;” imitative pedagogy of the noh lesson
onna mai: in nihon buyo, dances of women
ōtsuzumi: hip drum in the noh orchestra or hayashi
ōzayū: zigzag stepping kata or noh movement form
rensageki: chain dramas or popular early Japanese films that juxtaposed live performances of kabuki with filmed scenes
ryū: schools or guilds dedicated to the study of Japanese arts; there are five such schools in noh
sashi koye (sashi-koe): “flow-along tune;” a type of sashi sung in a smooth manner
sayū: common kata for concluding a noh dance
seiza: kneeling with legs folded underneath the body, buns resting on heels
shigin: style of reciting classical poems
shikake-hiraki: common noh kata beginning with a forward step and point followed by a step back as arms open
shikisanban: “three rites;” plays considered particularly sacred that traditionally require performers to engage in a period of “purification”
shiori: kata for weeping; hand sweeps to corner of the eye
shingeki: Japanese modern theater or “new drama”
Shinkyo Gekidan: New Cooperative Theater Company
shite: central actor or soloist in noh
shōdan: noh verse pattern or song
shōshimingeki: films about ordinary people in modern Japan
shudō: “the way of (loving) youths;” not to be misunderstood as a sexual identity
suriashi: “sliding foot;” the noh walking step
taiko: stick drum in the noh orchestra or hayashi
tanka: similar to a haiku with two additional lines of seven syllables
tateyaku: “standing role” or leading man in a kabuki play
tennin: celestial spirit; in Hagoromo, the angel from the palace of the moon
tōitsu imeiji: “unifying image”
Tokugawa bakufu: rulers during the Edo or Tokugawa period (1600-1867)
Tsukiji Shōgekijo: Tsukiji Little Theater; often cited as “Japan’s First Modern Theater”
tsukizerifu: noh verse pattern announcing “we have arrived”
tsukurimono: “built thing;” noh stage properties usually made with wrapped bamboo and little attempt to look real
utaibon: books of noh text or libretto
wagashi: delicate confectionary traditionally served with tea
wakashu: apprentices of samurai/nenja warriors
waki: witness role in noh, often a traveling monk
wakizure: companion(s) of the waki
yūgen: the profound, mysterious, and elegant beauty associated with noh
