Zeami

Zeami
or Seami or Kanze Motokiyo

born 1363, Japan
died Sept. 1, 1443, Kyōto?

Japanese playwright and theorist of the nō theatre.

Under the patronage of the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, Zeami joined with his father, Kan'ami (1333–84), to create the theatre in its present form. He is credited with about 90 (and most of the greatest) of the approximately 230 plays in the present repertoire. In treatises written as manuals for his pupils, notably Fushi kaden (1400–18; "The Transmission of the Flower of Acting Style"), he set forth principles of theatre that were followed for centuries.

* * *

▪ Japanese dramatist
also spelled  Seami,  also called  Kanze Motokiyo 
born 1363, Japan
died Sept. 1, 1443, Kyōto?

      the greatest playwright and theorist of the Japanese nō theatre (Noh theatre). He and his father, Kan'ami (1333–84), were the creators of the nō drama in its present form.

      Under the patronage of the shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, whose favour Zeami enjoyed after performing before him in 1374, the nō was able to shake off the crudities of its past and to develop as a complex and aristocratic theatre. After his father's death, Zeami became the chief figure in the nō. He directed the Kanze school of nō that his father had established and that had profound and lasting influence. Zeami not only continued to perform brilliantly but also wrote and revised plays prolifically. He is credited with about 90 (and most of the greatest) of the approximately 230 plays in the present repertoire. In 1422 he became a Zen monk, and his son Motomasa succeeded him. But Ashikaga Yoshinori, who became shogun in 1429, favoured On'ami (Zeami's nephew) and refused to allow the son to perform before him. Motomasa died in 1432, and Yoshinori exiled Zeami to the island of Sado in 1434. After the shogun died in 1441, Zeami returned to Kyōto.

      In his treatises—of which the most important is the collection Fūshi kaden (1400–18; “The Transmission of the Flower of Acting Style”), “flower” representing the freshness and appropriateness of fine acting—written as manuals for his pupils, Zeami said the actor must master three basic roles: the warrior, the woman, and the old person, including the singing and dancing appropriate to each. The two main elements in nō acting were monomane, “an imitation of things,” or the representational aspect, and yūgen, the symbolic aspect and spiritual core of the nō, which took precedence and which became the touchstone of excellence in the nō. Zeami wrote, “The essence of yūgen is true beauty and gentleness,” but not mere outward beauty: it had to suggest behind the text of the plays and the noble gestures of the actors a world impossible to define yet ultimately real. Such plays as Matsukaze (“Wind in the Pines”), written by Kan'ami and adapted by Zeami, have a mysterious stillness that seems to envelop the visible or audible parts of the work. In other of Zeami's dramas there is less yūgen and more action and, occasionally, even realism.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • ZEAMI — Auteur, acteur, compositeur, Zeami est le premier en date des grands dramaturges japonais. Il donna au n 拏 , dans les premières décennies du XVe siècle, l’aspect qu’il a conservé à peu de choses près jusqu’à nos jours. On lui attribue près de la… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Zeami — Motokiyo (jap. 世阿弥 元清, * 1363; † 1443) war eine wichtige Person des japanischen Nō Theaters. Als Dramatiker, Theoretiker und Schauspieler des Nō trat er bereits als Jugendlicher vor dem Shōgun Yoshimitsu auf. Dieser förderte verschiedene… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Zeami — (世阿弥, 1363 1443), de son nom d origine Kanze Motokiyo(観世 元清), acteur et dramaturge japonais, fut le théoricien du Nō. Fils de Kan ami Kiyotsugu, acteur et directeur d une troupe près de Nara, Zeami est remarqué à l âge de 13 ans lors d une… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Zeami —   [z ], Motokiyo, japanischer Schauspieler, * Yūzaki (heute zu Nara) 1363, ✝ Kyōto 1443; schon als Kind von seinem Vater Kanami Kiyotsugu (* 1333, ✝ 1384) in die Schauspielkunst eingeführt, verfasste er später zahlreiche Nō Spiele, entwickelte in …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Zeami — (Seami, Kanze Motokiyo) (ca. 1364–ca. 1443)    Zeami is generally recognized as the most important playwright in the tradition of Japanese Nō theater.He became so well known that at one time, half of the 240 extant Nō plays were attributed to him …   Encyclopedia of medieval literature

  • Zeami Motokiyo — (世阿弥 元清; c. 1363 – c. 1443), also called Kanze Motokiyo (観世 元清), was a Japanese aesthetician, actor and playwright. Contents 1 Acting 2 Writing 3 See also …   Wikipedia

  • Zeami Motokiyo — (jap. 世阿弥 元清, * 1363; † 1443) war eine wichtige Person des japanischen Nō Theaters. Als Dramatiker, Theoretiker und Schauspieler des Nō trat er bereits als Jugendlicher vor dem Shōgun Yoshimitsu auf. Dieser förderte verschiedene Kunstformen im… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Zeami Motokiyo — (世阿弥 元清, Zeami Motokiyo? 1363 1443), también llamado Kanze Motokiyo (観世 元清, Kanze …   Wikipedia Español

  • Zeami Motokiyo — (世阿弥 元清, 1363 1443). Actor y dramaturgo japonés. Hijo de Kanami, ambos fueron actores de nō, protegidos por el shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, y autores de más de la mitad de las obras del actual repertorio del nō. Zeami escribió también manuales de… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Zeami — o Seami o Kanze Motokiyo (1363, Japón–1 sept. 1443, Kyoto?). Dramaturgo japonés y teórico del teatro no. Bajo el mecenazgo de shogun Yoshimitsu de la familia Ashikaga, creó junto a su padre, Kan ami (n. 1333–m. 1384), el teatro no como lo… …   Enciclopedia Universal

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”