Nō Dramas

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Nō dramas emerged in Japan in the ca. 14th century and were performed in shrines and temples in Kyōto and Nara. The plots of nō plays were based on historical events, literature, legends, and contemporary events. At the time when nō plays were being written, many authors drew upon references or allusions from various literary sources such as Genji monogatari, Ise monogatari, and the Kokinshū. Two examples of nō plays that were based on Genji monogatari are Matsukaze and Nonomiya. After reading Matsukaze and Nonomiya, it is interesting that both plays share a similar plot even though they are written by different authors. Matsukaze, or also known as Pining Wind, was written by Zeami Motokiyo (1363 – 1443) around 1412 and according to Tyler, “[t]he background of Pining Wind includes a play which is now lost, Shiokumi (‘Gathering Brine’)” by Kiami (Tyler 183). The nō play Nonomiya, or also known as The Wildwood Shrine, is believed by most people to have been written by Komparu Zenchiku (1405 – 1468), who is the son - in - law and apprentice to Zeami. Both Matsukaze and Nonomiya share a similar story line and literary sources, but differ in how they were applied to contribute to the play’s plot, setting, characters, and relaying the emotion of the characters.

Although Matsukaze is based on Genji monogatari, Matsukaze also includes literary sources from Shiokumi, Ise monogatari, and the Kokinshū, which has a significant role in the play by presenting the play’s plot, setting, characters, and the character’s emotions. In Matsukaze, Matsukaze and Murasame represent characters from both Genji monogatari and Ise monogatari. In Genji monogatari, Matsukaze and Murasame represent the Akashi lady awaiting Genji’s return to Suma and ...

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...e description of the setting and the emotions of the characters. On the other hand, Zenchiku had stuck to most of the details in Nonomiya that were set by Murasaki Shikibu in Genji monogatari, but he gave the reader a new perspective of Rokujō than how she had been portrayed in the original tale. After analyzing and comparing Matstukaze and Nonomiya, it seems appealing to be able to modify an original story in a way to make it just as entertaining to read and watch as the original version.

Works Cited

Bargen, Doris G. A Woman’s Weapon: Spirit Possession in The Tale of Genji. University of

Hawaii Press, 1997. Print.

Keene, Donald. Seeds in the Heart: Japanese Literature from Earliest Times to the Late

Sixteenth Century. New York: Columbia University Press, 1999. Print.

Tyler, Royall. Japanese Nō Dramas. New York: Penguin Group, 2004. Print.

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