Noh and Kyogen Rare Materials Digital Collections

Tsuke

Tsuke, “notes” or “supplement” if literally translated, are records of practical instructions for performing noh. Generally, practical knowledge of staging is transmitted by word of mouth from master to disciple. While this custom still continues even today, as noh spread to the broader populace, both professionals and amateurs also wrote down tips for dance movements or for each musical instrument to pass down detailed and accurate performance know-how. Tsuke are classified according to role or purpose and are most commonly distinguished by type, such as kata-tsuke (tsuke for “kata”, acting and dancing forms), tsukurimono-tsuke (tsuke for props), etc. The instructions are mainly textual, but sometimes drawings and musical scores enhance readers’ understanding. As more and more tsuke were written and passed down, they contributed to the systematization and standardization of noh performance. These tsuke collections can be a valuable source for reconstructing how plays were performed in past centuries or how they have evolved to their present-day form.

  • image:NL24
    Title:
    Diary Interviewing with Gyūren
    Title (jp):
    Gyūren e tou nikki  岌蓮江問日記
    Description:
    ––
    Collection name:
    Noh Theatre Research Institute
    Volume:
    1
  • image:KZ41-78
    Title:
    Notes of Dance for Beginners (3 vols.)
    Title (jp):
    Tōbushō (jō, chū, ge)  童舞抄　上・中・下
    Description:
    ––
    Collection name:
    Hosei University Kōzan Collection
    Volume:
    3
    View all
  • image:KZ41-79-01
    Title:
    Drawings of the Stage
    Title (jp):
    Butai no zu  舞台之図
    Description:
    ––
    Collection name:
    Hosei University Kōzan Collection
    Volume:
    1
  • image:KZ41-18
    Title:
    Drawings of the Kanze School Stage Properties, Copied from Kujō Tadataka Manuscript
    Title (jp):
    Kujō Tadataka bon tensha Kanze-ryū tsukurimono no zu  九条忠孝本転写『観世流作物之図』
    Description:
    ––
    Collection name:
    Hosei University Kōzan Collection
    Volume:
    1
  • image:KZ41-85
    Title:
    Secret Records of the Ōkura School Stage Properties
    Title (jp):
    Ōkura-ryū tsukurimono hiroku  大蔵流作り物秘録
    Description:
    ––
    Collection name:
    Hosei University Kōzan Collection
    Volume:
    1
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