No
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This most esoteric of the Japanese performing arts originated in sarugaku,
religious music and dance of the Heian period. Under the patronage of the
military elite and the nobility, no gradually developed into a distinctive
and highly sophisticated art form. In the 14th century, the Shogun
Yoshimitsu personally patronized no, raising the entertainment to the high
status it has enjoyed ever since.
Many of the plays which form the standard works of no were created by
Kanami Kiyotsugu (1333-1384) and his son Zeami Motokiyo (1363-1443). In
addition to plays, Zeami wrote importani treatises on the principles of no
stressing its nobility and refined beauty. Every play centres on one main
character, the shite, supported by the waki, often in the character of a
Buddhist priest. These actors wear masks and costumes of great beauty, the
shite costume in particular having inspired some of Japan's finest
achievements in textiles and embroidery The action of the play is further
supported by an assistant, the tsure, and a group of musicians seated at the rear and
right hand side of the stage. Generally, the action of the play is slow,
though punctuated from time with fast dance sequences; many plays end with
a dance sequence. No is usually performed in a hall specially set aside for
this purpose. The stage, a squarc platform bare of curtains or scenery, is
connected to the dressing room by a roofed corridor along which the actors
come and go. The five major schools of no - Kanze, Hosho, Konparu, Kongo
and Kita-perform in their own halls, and occasionally on outdoor stages in
the context of special festivals and celebrations. As in kabuki all the
performers are male.
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