or No theatre
Classic Japanese theatrical form.
One of the world's oldest extant theatrical forms, Noh theatre has a heroic theme, a chorus, and highly stylized action, costuming, and scenery. Its all-male performers are storytellers who use their visual appearances and movements to suggest their tale rather than enact it. Noh (from Japanese nō , meaning "talent" or "skill") developed from ancient forms of dance-drama and became a distinctive form in the 14th century. The five types of Noh plays are the kami ("god") play, which involves a sacred story of a Shintō shrine; the shura mono ("fighting play"), which centres on warriors; the katsura mono ("wig play"), which has a female protagonist; the gendai mono ("present-day play") or kyōjo mono ("madwoman play"), which is varied in content; and the kiri or kichiku ("final" or "demon") play, which features devils and strange beasts. Kan'ami (1333–84) and his son Zeami (1363–1443) wrote many of the most beautiful Noh texts; more than 200 remain in the modern Noh repertoire.