日本の演劇：能面 Japanese Noh Masks

Main Types of Masks portrayed in Noh theatre.

Hannya Demon Mask

Colour: The colour of the mask is red, to show that the demon is angry. The red colour is a sign of his temper. A golden colour is used for the eyes to show that the person isn't human, but a monster.

Shape: The shape of the mask is made in such a way to emphasise the appeal of the mask. The horns are big and golden to show that the mask's character is a feared, and the sharp teeth of the mask also indicate that. 

The masks in Noh all have names and they are made out of materials such as clay, dry lacquer, cloth, paper, and wood.

Usually only the shite, the main actor, wears a mask. However, in some cases, the tsure may also wear a mask, particularly for female roles. The Noh masks portray female or nonhuman (divine, demonic, or animal) characters. There are also Noh masks to represent young or old men.

The efforts associated with their movement :

Dab - At the beginning, the actors take very light and sudden reps to come to the main stage. They come quickly, and move with small steps.

Wring - Some of the actor's bodies are always sustained and sometimes don't move much and always seem closed in their spot.

Glide - Some of the actors glide through the stage in light movements slowly.

The 8 Essential Archetypes in Noh theatre are:

Protagonist: The traditional Protagonist is the driver of the story: the one who forces the action. We root for it and hope for its success.

Antagonist: The Antagonist is the character directly opposed to the Protagonist. It represents the problem that must be solved or overcome for the Protagonist to succeed.

Reason: This character makes its decisions and takes action on the basis of logic, never letting feelings get in the way of a rational course.

Emotion: The Emotion character responds with its feelings without thinking, whether it is angry or kind, with disregard for practicality.

Skeptic: Skeptic doubts everything — courses of action, sincerity, truth — whatever.

Sidekick: The Sidekick is unfailing in its loyalty and support. The Sidekick is often aligned with the Protagonist though may also be attached to the Antagonist.

Guardian: The Guardian is a teacher or helper who aids the Protagonist in its quest and offers a moral standard.

There are four major categories of Noh performers: shite, waki, kyōgen, and hayashi.

1. Shite (仕手, シテ). In plays where the shite appears first as a human and then as a ghost, the first role is known as themaeshite and the later as the nochishite.   

2. Waki (脇, ワキ) performs the role that is the counterpart of the shite.

3. Kyōgen (狂言) perform the aikyōgen (相狂言) which are interludes during plays. Kyōgen actors also perform in separate plays between individual noh plays.

4. Hayashi (囃子) or hayashi-kata (囃子方) are the instrumentalists who play the four instruments used in Noh theater: the transverse flute, hip drumor ōkawa, the shoulder-drum, and the stick-drum. The flute used for noh is specifically called nōkan or nohkan.

Noh, or Nogaku—derived from the Sino-Japanese word for "skill" or "talent"—is a major form of classical Japanese musical drama that has been performed since the 13th century.

Noh evolved from various popular, folk, and aristocratic art forms, including Dengaku, Shirabyoshi, and Gagaku.

Kan'ami and his son Zeami Motokiyo brought Noh to what is essentially its present-day form during the Muromachi period (1336 to 1573). 

Noh later influenced other dramatic forms such as Kabuki and Butoh. During the Meiji era, although its governmental patronage was lost, Noh received official recognition as two of the three national forms of drama.