(1300s-present)
The Kyogen (pronounced kee-OH-gen; “crazy words”) are Japanese folk plays that portray the simple emotions and everyday experiences of regular people. The plays, which developed into their modern form in the 14th century, are meant to encourage a quiet sort of comic joy at the follies of a common life.
The modern form of Kyogen theater developed out of a combination of the comic farcical productions of Sarugaku and the athletic dance performances called Dengaku. Kwanami Kiyot-sugu and his son zeami Motokiyo honed the art form, presenting a performance in front of Shogun Yoshimitsu in 1374. Kwanami named the performance style Kyogen, which means “mad words” to emphasize the subtle comic effect of the plays.
Kyogen were handed down orally, with only the general outline and a sketchy sense of the dialogue preserved from generation to generation. This gave the plays flexibility and encouraged continual innovation. Various schools developed over the years, including Okura, Sagi, Izumi and Nomura. In more recent centuries the works have been written down and presented in various volumes, few of which are still in print.
The productions of Kyogen plays are simple, performed on a plain stage with minimal props. Fans are frequently used, as are weapons such as spears, swords, and bows and arrows. The players often wear wooden masks that represent, most commonly, a rogue, a woman, an old man, a young man, a monkey, and a fox. The comic elements of the performances are physical in nature, a matter of situation rather than of character. Popular superstitions play an important role, and there is little or no love interest portrayed.
English Versions of Kyogen
Morley, Carolyn Anne. Transformation, Miracles, and Mischief: The Mountain Priest Plays of Kyogen. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University East Asia Program, 1993.
Sakanishi, Shio. Japanese Folk Plays: The Ink-smeared Lady and Other Kyogen. Tokyo: C.E. Tuttle, 1960.
Works about Kyogen
Keene, Donald. Seeds in the Heart: Japanese Literature from Earliest Times to the Late Sixteenth Century. New York: Henry Holt, 1993.
Takeda, Sharon Sadako. Miracles and Mischief: Noh and Kyogen Theater in Japan. Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art Agency for Cultural Affairs, 2002.
