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No
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.