NOH THEATER Historical Timeline

552-710 Asuka Period Buddhism is introduced to Japan ca 552. Gigaku, a drama/dance performance is introduced from the Korean Peninsula. Performances are held at Buddhist temples and consist of a procession of masked figures followed by dances and mimes accompanied by flutes drums and cymbals.

710-784 Nara period Kojiki, written in 712, records Japan’s myths and creation legends, and earliest recorded Japanese performance known as kagura.

Compilation of Manyoshu (poetry) begins in 746, a source for many Noh plays.

794-1185 Heian Period Bugaku replaces Gigaku and becomes the ceremonial music of the court. Music and masked dance includes elements from China, Korea, India, and Tibet. Aristocrats sometimes perform Bugaku dances.

1183-1333 Kamakura Period Military rule replaces aristocratic rule. The emperor becomes a ceremonial figurehead of state. ca. 1350 Dengaku, which combined song, dance, and mime, is supported enthusiastically by the first Ashikaga Shogun (military leader), Takauji.

1374 Zeami performs in Kyoto at the age of 12 with his father Kan’ami’s Noh troupe and gains the atten- tion of the Shogun (military leader), Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. Military leaders and aristocrats support Noh and dengaku performances and encourage refinement and development of both.

1392-1573 Muromachi Period Cultural life flourishes. Zeami establishes an influential Noh troupe and writes, edits, and scores hundreds of Noh plays.

1467-1573 Warring States Period Regional warlords fight for control of capital in Kyoto. Noh is still a popular form of entertainment, espe- cially among the warrior class.

1603-1868 Tokugawa Shogunate (Edo period) Noh theatre continues to be patronized by samurai elite, and feudal domains patronize their own noh troupes, in addition to receiving lessons in noh. Performances sometimes lasting for weeks would be held to commemorate important events.

1868 – 1912 Meiji Period The Kanze school of Noh has over 1 million students of utai. (The practice and art of singing Noh librettos)

1869 The Duke of Edinburgh visits Japan and attends a performance of Noh drama.

1871 Iwakura Tomomi, a Japanese statesman, leads a delegation of diplomats to the West and sees the connection between Noh and opera.

1879 Noh is performed for former president of the United States Ulysses S. Grant, who urges that it be preserved.

1881 The Noh Society, led by Iwakura Tomomi, builds the first permanent Noh stage for the public in Shiba Park in Tokyo.

1890 The Noh Theater Society is founded to preserve and promote Noh as Japan’s national theater.

1909 Zeami’s writings are rediscovered and published. 1926-1939 Showa Period Japanese militarization leads to conflict in China, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific nations and ultimately to war with the United States.

1945 Asia-Pacific War ends with Japan’s surrender. The process of “demilitarizing” Noh begins. All forms of traditional Japanese theater struggle to survive in the chaos and destruction in post-war Japan.

1947 Women receive the legal right to perform Noh along with men.

1983 The National Noh Theater opens in Tokyo.

Copyright 2014 KET Noh Theater Historical Timeline 2 1989 Present Heisei Period Renewed interest in traditional arts brings Noh performers to modern media such as television and film. Noh plays are staged in traditional and non-traditional settings.

2001 United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) proclaims Nogaku (Noh) as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.