Nô / Noh 能

Nô, the stylized classic drama of Japan, developed in the Muromachi period (1338-1573) using music, dancing, chanting, elaborate costumes and themes from religious stories or myths. The playwrights and actors Kan’ami (1333–1384) and his son Zeami (1363–1443) transformed sarugaku (“monkey dance”) into nô basically in the same way as it is still performed today. There are 250 different types of nô masks. During a nô performance there is kyôgen, a kind of comedy, as a relaxing play between the individual pieces.