Mibu-kyôgen 壬生狂言

Mibu-kyōgen is a form of religious pantomime theatre performed without words, which has been passed down for 700 years at Mibu-dera temple in Kyôto. It is characterised by colourful costumes, unique masks, and the use of flutes, bells and drums, and was created to help people to understand Buddhist teachings. The main difference between traditional kyōgen and mibu-kyōgen is that the former is a spoken, humorous form of theatre for the nobility, whilst mibu-kyōgen is a silent, religious pantomime for the common people.