NOH�CKABUKI,�@BUNRAKU. The origins of noh, Japan�fs oldest theater form, go back to ancient times; but it was in the fourteen century that it began to flourish. Whereas kabuki and bunraku were for the common people, noh was for members of the warrior or samurai class. Noh is a lyric dance-drama performed on a special stage to the accompaniment of music. Dramatic elements are few: the principal characters wear masks and the dance-movements …showed first 75 words of 316 total…

…showed last 75 words of 316 total…and right hand, one the left hand, and one the feet. In the case of female dolls, which have no feet, the third man skillfully manipulates the skirts of the doll to give the impression of walking and other leg movements. The puppets perform the actions as the story is related in a special chant, called joruri, to the accompaniment of shamisen music. Because of this, bunraku is also called ningyo-joruri(puppet ballad-drama). ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **Bibliography**