ABSTRACT
The plays Izutsu, Atsumori, and Atoka are mainstays of the classic repertory of Noh with a consistent popularity and continuous performance tradition of five to six centuries. The first two were written by Zeami Motokiyo (1363–1443) and exemplify his ideas about the classic formal structure of Noh. They also display thematic characteristics that are common to many plays of the repertory, but rarely realized with such skill and grace. The third play, Ataka, was probably written by Zeami’s grand-nephew, Kanze Kojiro Nobumitsu (1435–1516). It contrasts both formally and thematically with the other two and exemplifies a strain of Noh that has been equally popular in performance even though it has attracted less scholarly attention. All three works are performed a number of times each year, by both professionals and amateurs, on the Noh stages of contemporary Japan. Atsumori, in particular, has found an appreciative reading audience in the West as well, thanks to Arthur Waley’s fine translation.
