Background
Zeami was born in 1363 in Nagoya.
( This annotated translation is the first systematic rend...)
This annotated translation is the first systematic rendering into any Western language of the nine major treatises on the art of the Japanese No theater by Zeami Motokivo (1363-1443). Zeami, who transformed the No from a country entertainment into a vehicle for profound theatrical and philosophical experience, was a brilliant actor himself, and his treatises touch on every aspect of the theater of his time. His theories, mixing philosophical and practical insights, often seem strikingly contemporary. Since their discovery early in this century. these secret treatises have been considered among the most valuable and representative documents in the history of Japanese aesthetics. They discuss subjects from the art of the playwright to the reciprocal nature of the relationship between performer and audience.
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(Obunsha Tokyo 1947. A play by Motokiyo Zeami. Lovely & ra...)
Obunsha Tokyo 1947. A play by Motokiyo Zeami. Lovely & rare; hand made paper, bound with fine fiber cord. Full of block prints, stamps and Japanese & English text.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000W7AGWI/?tag=2022091-20
Zeami was born in 1363 in Nagoya.
Zeami first appeared before Shogun Yoshimitsu in a performance at the Imakumano Shrine in 1374. Before he reached his majority at 20, Zeami was considered an accomplished and polished performer. Upon the death of his father Zeami became the head of the troupe. Sometime in his early 20s Zeami entered the awkward age, when he was neither a charming youth nor yet the great artiste he was to become at the height of his fame.
Resolved to suffer the embarrassments of the awkward age, Zeami blossomed forth in his mid-20s as a serious actor of note. Zeami was not spoiled by his new success, for he realized that only with the passing of years and the coming of wisdom was the actor's true "flower" achieved. Perseverance and a life devoted to art were keys to the formula of his success.
Zeami wrote extensively on the art of the No in Kadensho (1400; On Transmitting the Flower); Shikadosho (1420; On the Way of the Highest Flower); and Nosakusho (1423; On the Composition of No). The No drama is a combination of many elements, rather like opera.
Zeami in his essays on acting expressed the opinion that a young actor, even eleven years old, has a certain charming quality which enhances his performance. His youthful appearance and voice help him to offset any criticism of his lack of finesse. If this emphasis on youth seems inconsistent with Zeami's insistence on the maturity and virtuosity of the accomplished actor, it must be noted that the Shogun himself was only a few years older than Zeami and was surrounded by a youthful entourage of samurai. Zeami was favored and cultivated by many because of his intimacy with the Shogun.
In addition to being assigned the authorship of some of the best-known dramas, such as Matsukaze, Eguchi, and Sotoba Komachi, Zeami is also credited with the No dance, kusemai, an important addition to the structure of a No play. Zeami was once assumed to have been the author of about half of the known repertory. Modern scholarship has now left him with about 25 of the finest, most artistic examples of Japan's classical drama.
Zeami reached the height of his fame when he appeared at Yoshimitsu's villa at Kitayama in a performance in honor of Emperor Go-komatsu in 1408. Within a few weeks Yoshimitsu had died of an illness, and the No had lost its most important patron. The next shogun showered his patronage on a rival actor. For some years after this Zeami seems to have fallen out of favor and to have spent his time composing dramas and writing criticism on the actor's art. In 1422 Zeami retired from the world into Holy Orders, leaving to his son the leadership of his troupe.
In later years both Zeami and his son Motomasa experienced the hostility of Shogun Yoshinori, while Zeami's nephew was shown preference. Father and son were not bidden to the palace of the Shogun and later were excluded from performing before the retired emperor. When Motomasa died in seclusion in the country, Zeami was inconsolable. His grief blighted the remaining years of his life.
The leadership of Zeami's school of the No passed to his son-in-law Komparu Zenchiku. In 1434 Zeami was banished to the remote island of Sado in the Sea of Japan. He remained there until the assassination of Yoshinori resulted in a general amnesty in 1441. Zeami then returned to Kyoto.
Zeami is known as the foremost writer of Noh and the artist who brought it to its classical epitome. Scholars attribute roughly 50 plays to him, many of which have been translated into European languages. The contemporary versions of his plays are sometimes simplified. Some of his plays are no longer extant, and roughly 16 exist only in the form of rare manuscripts.
( This annotated translation is the first systematic rend...)
(Obunsha Tokyo 1947. A play by Motokiyo Zeami. Lovely & ra...)
Quotations:
"Life is a lying dream, he only wake Who casts the World aside. "
"To watch the sun sink behind a flower clad hill. To wander on in a huge forest without thought of return. To stand upon the shore and gaze after a boat that disappears behind distant islands. To contemplate the flight of wild geese seen and lost among the clouds. And, subtle shadows of bamboo on bamboo. "
