Japanology Plus (2014)

Season 4: Episode 2

Noh theater is said to be the world's oldest contemporary performing art. After emerging 650 years ago, it survived a time of national turbulence with the help of samurai warlords, and it is still going strong today. This time on Japanology Plus, we explore how this traditional form of theater presents profound drama on a simple stage, and with subtle gestures. Our expert guest, Reiko Yamanaka, is head of The Nogami Memorial Noh Research Institute of Hosei University. And in Plus One, Matt does his best to follow the guidance of Hiroyuki Matsuno, a noh actor who also offers classes on noh.