SOURCE: Sekine, Masaru. “The History of Noh.” In Ze-ami and His Theories of Noh Drama, pp. 19-44. Gerrards Cross, England: Colin Smythe, 1985.

In the following essay, Sekine traces the development of Noh drama, paying special attention to Zeami's interpretations of some of the aspects of the art form.

The Noh theatre, now six hundred years old, can be studied today not only in its own right but as an introduction to and explanation of Japanese culture in a wider sense. The Noh, with all its emphasis on tradition, repetition, and the temporary, translucent beauty of hana, the supreme aesthetic achievement of this form of drama, can tell us a great deal about all the Japanese art forms which rely on similar standards.

Ze-Ami's writings may seem confusing, even at times contradictory, particularly when he moves in the metaphysical or subconscious world of Zen, which is hard to pin...