Art
The first and foremost intersection of noh and kyōgen with art is in tools and stage
properties used in performances, namely masks, costumes, and musical
instruments. In addition to their aesthetic value, props are of historical
importance, as they were carefully preserved or copied for centuries. Although
not included in this category, book design, as in the case of Kōetsu utaibon,
is also worth considering as an art in itself. When works were commissioned by political
authorities like daimyō (provincial warlords), the works could be
exemplars of exhibitions of power and commitment to the theatrical genre.
Artisans have also created works that are not directly related to stage performance. In
the Edo period (1603-1867), a number of painters, ranging from those belonging
to privileged schools like the Kanō or Tosa to those of unknown lineage,
painted scenes of excerpts from plays, resulting in a genre called nō-e
(noh painting). Some paintings portray how and in what environment the
performance was held rather than the staging itself. Works of art inspired by
noh and kyōgen, such as board games using the symbols and motifs derived from
plays, also exist. These works gesture to the cultural esteem of noh and kyōgen.
-
- Title:
- Portrait of Miyamasu Yazaemon Chikakata
- Title (jp):
- Miyamasu Yazaemon Chikakata Gazō 宮増弥左衛門親賢画像
- Description:
- Hanging scroll, ink on paper. Image dimension: 59.5 x 25.5 cm. The portrait of the shoulder drum player Miyamasu Yazaemon Chikakata (1482-1556) is the oldest among the extant portraits of noh performers. The painter is Kubota Muneyasu, a Yamato-e painter active in Kyoto and Fukui, who also practiced noh as an amateur. Inscription is by Eiho Eiyū (1547-1602), a zen monk of the Rinzai school.
- Collection name:
- Kanze Shinkurō Family Collection
- Volume:
- 1
-
- Title:
- Folding Albums of Noh
- Title (jp):
- Nō on-ekagami 能御絵鑑
- Description:
- ––
- Collection name:
- Noh Theatre Research Institute
- Volume:
- 2
- View all
-
- Title:
- An Overview of Noh and Kyogen Performance
- Title (jp):
- Sarugaku zuryaku 猿楽図略
- Description:
- ––
- Collection name:
- Hosei University Kōzan Collection
- Volume:
- 1
-
- Title:
- Picture Scroll of Kōka Kanjinnō (2 vols.)
- Title (jp):
- Kōka kanjinnō emaki 弘化勧進能絵巻 一・二
- Description:
- ––
- Collection name:
- Noh Theatre Research Institute
- Volume:
- 2
- View all
-
- Title:
- Noh mask Kokassiki
- Title (jp):
- Nōmen Kokassiki 能面 小喝食
- Description:
- ––
- Collection name:
- Noh Theatre Research Institute
- Volume:
- 1
-
- Title:
- Noh mask Magojirō
- Title (jp):
- Nōmen Magojirō 能面 孫次郎
- Description:
- ––
- Collection name:
- Noh Theatre Research Institute
- Volume:
- 1
-
- Title:
- Noh mask Jō-men
- Title (jp):
- Nōmen Jō 能面 尉
- Description:
- ––
- Collection name:
- Noh Theatre Research Institute
- Volume:
- 1
-
- Title:
- Noh mask Yamanba
- Title (jp):
- Nōmen Yamanba 能面 山姥
- Description:
- ––
- Collection name:
- Noh Theatre Research Institute
- Volume:
- 1
-
- Title:
- Noh mask Zō onna
- Title (jp):
- Nōmen Zō onna 能面 増女
- Description:
- ––
- Collection name:
- Noh Theatre Research Institute
- Volume:
- 1
-
- Title:
- Noh mask Kantan otoko
- Title (jp):
- Nōmen Kantan otoko 能面 邯鄲男
- Description:
- ––
- Collection name:
- Noh Theatre Research Institute
- Volume:
- 1
-
- Title:
- Shoulder drum with noble purple rope
- Title (jp):
- Kotsuzumi Shichō 小鼓 紫調
- Description:
- ––
- Collection name:
- Noh Theatre Research Institute
- Volume:
- 1
-
- Title:
- Shoulder drum Jōzu heta nashi
- Title (jp):
- Kotsuzumi Jōzu heta nashi 小鼓 錠図蔕梨
- Description:
- ––
- Collection name:
- Noh Theatre Research Institute
- Volume:
- 1
-
- Title:
- Noh Boardgame
- Title (jp):
- Nō sugoroku 能双六
- Description:
- ––
- Collection name:
- Noh Theatre Research Institute
- Volume:
- 1
