Noh is the world’s oldest surviving masked drama, developed around 700 years ago by Kan’ami and Zeami. It was inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2008. Noh is a performing art that invites the audience to engage their imagination. Key to this experience are the Noh mask and costume.

The Noh mask often expresses emotions more subtly and deeply than a human face, suggesting the presence of the soul. For Noh actors, the mask is a sacred object. Before and after each performance, they bow to the mask in gratitude—to the object itself and to the generations of artists who have passed it down. With the slightest tilt or movement, a Noh performer can evoke joy, sorrow, or any other emotion.

Noh costumes evolved into lavish garments over time. During the Muromachi period, shoguns would gift their own garments to performers as rewards. Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a known enthusiast of Noh who performed himself, contributed to the rise in the costumes’ splendor. During the Azuchi-Momoyama period (1573–1603), a golden age in Japanese art history, Noh costumes became brilliant, ornate works of art. Even among world textiles, they stand as some of the finest examples of extravagant craftsmanship.

Actors choose their masks and costumes based on the imagery and mood of the play. As long as they follow the traditional rules, they may combine them freely—allowing for endless variation and expressive possibility on the Noh stage.

Kyogen is a comedic theatrical form that combines spoken dialogue, gestures, chanting, and dance. Its hallmark is humor. Like Noh, Kyogen evolved from sarugaku, a medieval form of entertainment that developed during the Heian and Kamakura periods.

While Noh explores human nature through solemn music and dance, Kyogen portrays it through laughter. Its stories often feature archetypal characters like the servant Tarō Kaja and focus on timeless human behaviors and follies. Drawing from daily life, Kyogen highlights the absurdities and foolishness of human nature—making it as relevant and enjoyable today as it was centuries ago.