The Spirit of Noh: A New Translation of the Classic Noh Treatise the Fushikaden

Zeami

touko 2013 · Shambhala Publications

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The Japanese dramatic art of Noh has a rich six-hundred-year history and has had a huge influence on Japanese culture and such Western artists as Ezra Pound and The Japanese dramatic art of Noh has long held a fascination for people both in the East and the West. For six hundred years it has had a huge influence on Japanese culture—and has inspired such Western artists as Ezra Pound and William Butler Yeats. Here is a translation of the Fushikaden, a seminal treatise on Noh by the fifteenth-century actor and playwright Zeami (1363–1443), the most celebrated figure in the art’s history. His writings on Noh were originally secret teachings that were later coveted among the highest ranks of the samurai class and first became available to the general public only in the twentieth century. The Fushikaden is the best known of Zeami’s writings on Noh and it provides practical instruction for actors, gives valuable teachings on the aesthetics and spiritual culture of Japan, and offers a philosophical outlook on life.

Along with the Fushikaden, translator William Scott Wilson includes a comprehensive introduction describing the intriguing history behind this enigmatic and influential art form, and also a new translation of one of Zeami’s most moving plays, Atsumori.

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Zeami (1363-1443) is considered the most important playwright, actor, and theorist in the history of Japanese Noh theatre. Along with his father, Kan'ami, he revolutionized Noh, turning it into a nuanced art form that greatly influenced many aspects of Japanese art and culture. He was a prolific writer, and his plays make up a significant part of the Noh repertoire.