Zeami Motokiyo facts for kids
Zeami Motokiyo (世阿弥 元清) (born around 1363 – died around 1443), also known as Kanze Motokiyo (観世 元清), was a very important Japanese actor and writer. He helped create the famous Noh theater style.
Zeami's father, Kan'ami Kiyotsugu, was also a skilled actor. He taught Zeami about Noh theater from a young age. Zeami quickly became a talented performer. Their family theater group became very popular. Zeami even got to perform for the powerful Japanese leader, the Shōgun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. The Shōgun was very impressed by Zeami. He gave Zeami a special education in classic books and ideas. Zeami continued acting and made it his full-time job in 1374. After his father passed away in 1385, Zeami took over the family group. He became even more successful.
Zeami's plays mixed old and new ideas. He used traditions from both Japan and China. He also included many ideas from Zen Buddhism in his works. No one knows exactly how many plays he wrote, but it was probably between 30 and 50. He also wrote many books about Noh. These books explained his ideas about how to perform. They are the oldest known writings about theater ideas in Japan. However, people didn't widely read them until the 1900s.
After Shōgun Yoshimitsu died, the next Shōgun, Ashikaga Yoshimochi, wasn't as interested in Zeami's plays. But Zeami found support from rich merchants. He continued his successful career with their help. He became very well-known and respected in Japan. Later, in 1429, Ashikaga Yoshinori became Shōgun. He was not friendly toward Zeami. Yoshinori liked Zeami's nephew, Onnami, a lot. Zeami didn't want Onnami to take over his theater group. Because of this disagreement, Yoshinori sent Zeami away to Sado Island. After Yoshinori died in 1441, Zeami came back to mainland Japan. He passed away in 1443.
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Zeami's Early Life and Training
Zeami was born in 1363 near Nara. As a child, he was called Kiyomoto. His father, Kanami, led a theater group. This group mostly performed in the Kyoto area. They became very popular in the late 1360s and early 1370s. As their fame grew, Kanami's group started performing in more places. Zeami acted in the group. People thought he was very good and charming.
An adviser to Shōgun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, named Ebina no Naami, arranged for the group to perform for the Shōgun. Yoshimitsu was 17 years old at the time. He was a very powerful leader and supported many artists. He was very impressed by Kanami's group and became their supporter. Because of this, the group started to focus more on entertaining people. Before, their performances had more religious meaning. Noh theater used to be seen as country entertainment. But with Yoshimitsu's help, it became popular with the upper class.
The Shōgun was very interested in Zeami. This caused some talk among the noble families because Zeami came from a lower class. Yoshimitsu often invited Kanami and Zeami to his court. Zeami even went to events with the Shōgun. Because of his connection to the Shōgun, Zeami received a special education. A court official and poet named Nijo Yoshimoto taught him. Nijo was famous for his skill in Renga poetry. He taught Zeami about literature, poetry, and ideas. This kind of education was very unusual for an actor. Most actors from lower classes didn't get much schooling.
Zeami's Theater Career
Zeami received special support in 1374. This was a rare honor for an actor back then. This support allowed him to become a professional artist. After his father died in 1385, Zeami started leading the theater group. The group became very successful under his leadership. While leading, he wrote the first Japanese books about the practical ideas of art.
Zeami had a clear way of writing his plays. He would start with a topic, then plan the structure, and finally write the words. We don't know the exact number of plays he wrote. Estimates say it was around 50 or 60. He was interested in many different subjects. He was also good at writing Renga poetry. Some of his most famous plays were based on The Tale of the Heike, a classic Japanese story. He combined old Japanese and Chinese poems into his plays. Other playwrights of his time, Doami and Zoami, also influenced him. He wrote about them in his books. He especially praised Zoami.
One of Zeami's most important performances happened in 1394. Shōgun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu visited the Kasuga shrine in Nara. Zeami performed during this visit. It was a very important political event. This shows that Zeami was likely a well-known artist by then. He gave two important performances for the Shōgun in 1399. One of these might have even been seen by Emperor Go-Komatsu.
Zeami found Yoshimitsu to be a challenging supporter. Another actor, Inuo, also competed for the Shōgun's favor. Yoshimitsu died in 1408. The new Shōgun, Yoshimochi, wasn't very interested in Zeami. He preferred the dengaku plays of Zoami. However, Zeami's career stayed strong. This was because he had good connections with the city's business people. He was a respected public figure. This gave him access to many supporters. He eventually became a celebrity. He wrote a lot of his works between 1418 and 1428.
Zeami's Famous Plays
It can be tricky to know for sure who wrote some Noh plays. Many plays are thought to be by Zeami. He also helped to change and share many others. But some plays are definitely known to be his. His plays have been passed down through the leaders of the Kanze family for generations. Because of this, different leaders have changed and updated them over time.
Here are some plays that everyone agrees Zeami wrote:
- Akoya no Matsu (not performed much now)
- Atsumori
- Hanjo
- Izutsu (likely written in the late 1420s or early 1430s)
- Kinuta (likely written in the early 1430s)
- Matsukaze (uses a part written by Kan'ami)
- Saigyo Zakura
- Sekidera Komachi
- Tadanori
- Takasago
- Yamanba
- Yashima
Zeami's Writings on Noh
Zeami wrote 21 important books and essays over about 40 years. These writings explain the main ideas of Noh theater. He wanted to teach his fellow actors the most important parts of performing. He wrote about how actors should be trained, how to play different characters, music, and body movements. He also talked about bigger ideas, like how life should be lived. These writings were meant for a small group of his colleagues. This is because theater groups were often passed down in families. Information was usually shared from one generation to the next. Zeami wanted to make this process easier. He hoped it would help his group keep getting support.
Fūshikaden: The First Book
Zeami wrote several books about theater. The first one was called Fūshikaden (風姿花伝, "The Transmission of the Flower Through (a Mastery of) the Forms"). People often call it Kadensho (花伝書, "The Book of Transmission of the Flower"). This is the first known book about theater in Japan. Other Japanese Buddhist groups and poets wrote similar books. But this was the first one specifically about Noh. Some experts think Zeami got the idea from his training in Renga poetry. This book also includes a detailed explanation of jo-ha-kyū. Zeami saw this as a universal idea that applies to many things. His first book includes many of his father's ideas about Noh.
Kakyo: Zeami's Own Ideas
The book Kakyo was written later. It shares Zeami's own personal thoughts. While Fushikaden talks a lot about "flowers" (meaning beauty in performance), Kakyo focuses on spiritual beauty. It also discusses the actor's voice and their thoughts. Some scholars believe Zeami's interest in Zen Buddhism led to this change. His age also changed between his first and last works. This seems to have greatly affected his ideas. He spent a lot of time writing Kakyo. He gave the finished book to his son Motomasa. Zeami's other son, Motoyoshi, had already copied down another of Zeami's writings called Reflections on Art.
Challenges and Exile
When Ashikaga Yoshinori became the Shōgun, he showed even less interest in Zeami than previous leaders. We don't know exactly why he felt this way. Some people think it was because Zeami was connected to certain political groups. A family history found in 1967 suggested that politics played a part in how Yoshinori treated Zeami. This history showed that a brother of Zeami's mother supported a group that was against the Ashikaga Shogunate.
Some people also think Yoshinori was a bit unusual. It's been suggested he punished Zeami because he didn't enjoy his performances. Yoshinori liked colorful plays with actors playing demons. Zeami's plays rarely featured these. Yoshinori preferred Zeami's nephew, Onnami, because Onnami's performances included demons. Zeami and Onnami had been close and performed together. Zeami wasn't sure if any of his own sons could lead the group after him. So, he paid special attention to Onnami's training.
However, Zeami's son Motomasa started leading the group in 1429. That year, both Motomasa and Onnami performed for Yoshinori during a 10-day festival. But Yoshinori stopped Zeami from appearing at the Sentō Imperial Palace. This might have been because Zeami refused to give all his writings to Onnami. The next year, the job of music director at the Kiyotaki shrine was given to Onnami instead of Motomasa. That same year, Zeami's son Motoyoshi stopped acting to become a Buddhist priest. Also that year, Motomasa died. Some people think he died unexpectedly. Even though he had lost political favor, Zeami kept writing many works.
Onnami took over the leadership of Zeami's Kanze school. The Shogunate made this decision, even though theater groups were usually passed down in families. Zeami first didn't want Onnami to lead the group, but he eventually agreed. Zeami believed his family line for the group ended with Motomasa. But Onnami felt he was continuing the line. Zeami gave his finished writings to Konparu Zenchiku, not to Onnami.
In 1434, Zeami was sent away to Sado Island. He finished his last known work two years later. It was a detailed story of his time in exile, written from his own point of view. In it, he showed a calm attitude toward his troubles. We don't know much about the very end of his life. But it was believed that he was allowed to return to the mainland before he died. Zeami passed away in 1443 and was buried in Yamato. His wife died a short time later.
Zeami's Lasting Impact
Zeami is known as the most important writer of Noh plays. He helped make Noh theater into the classic art form it is today. Experts believe he wrote about 50 plays. Many of these have been translated into other languages. The versions of his plays performed today are sometimes simpler than the originals. Some of his plays no longer exist. About 16 of them only exist as rare old handwritten copies.
There are not many old documents that tell us about Zeami's life. This lack of information has led to a lot of guesses about him. Some common ideas are that Zeami might have been a spy, a priest, or a Zen master.
Zeami's writings were not widely available after he died. Only high-ranking warriors could read them. In 1908, several of his writings were found in a used bookstore in Japan. They became more widely known after this discovery. However, a complete collection wasn't published until 1940. Zeami's plays have been performed continuously in Japan ever since he first wrote them.
In 1976, a crater on the planet Mercury was named after Zeami.
See also
In Spanish: Zeami Motokiyo para niños
