Noh Terminology

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T (Index List)

Tabi (足袋)

The hakobi, or “movement” of the legs is so important in Noh that it is referred to as “the art of ...

Tachi (太刀)

A Japanese sword with a blade length of about 60 cm (2 shaku) or more, mainly used for roles of Genp...

Tachiai (立合)

Competitive performances between performers of different schools gathered on the same stage. Tachiai...

Tachihimo (太刀紐)

The cord used for wearing a sword around the waist. A silk braid about 3 meters long with tortoisesh...

Tachimawari (立廻リ)

One type of hatarakigoto (the accompaniment of hayashi to movements with a certain meaning). The per...

Tachishaberi (立チシャベリ)

One type of aikyōgen performed by the kyōgenkata in Noh. After the entrance of the maeshite in Noh, ...

Taiko (太鼓 )

The percussion instrument used by the taikokata. The top and bottom drum faces, made of cow leather,...

Takayasu School [Ōtsuzumi-kata] (高安流［大鼓方］)

One of the Noh large hand drum (ōtsuzumi) schools. The founder, Takayasu Yoemon Dōzen (1499-1557), w...

Takayasu-ryū (高安流)

A Noh school of waki actors. Its origins go back to Takayasu Chōsuke (died 1585), who lived in Takay...

Tamba-Sarugaku (丹波猿楽)

A sarugaku school which performed mainly in the middle ages in the Tamba Province (where Kyoto and t...

Tappai (達拝)

One of the forms in Noh and kyōgen. Both elbows are held firmly, and the two hand are grasped and he...

Tare (垂)

One type of wig worn by the performers. Made by weaving perfectly straight horse hairs onto a 10cm r...

Taro Kaja (太郎冠者)

See "Tarō Kaja"...

Tarō Kaja (太郎冠者)

A famous character in kyōgen plays. Tarō Kaja does not refer to a specific person, but rather to a h...

Tatō-gami (畳紙)

A folding paper-case for keeping costumes. Made of thick Japanese paper pasted together into larger ...

Tegumi (手組)

The smallest musical unit used by percussion instruments (kotsuzumi, ōtsuzumi, taiko) in Noh perfor...

Tengan-himo (天冠紐)

A cord used to secure a crown, such as a tenkan worn by a heavenly maiden or a wa-kammuri used for t...

Tengan (天冠)

See "Tenkan"...

Tenkaichi (天下一)

A title given to masters of various industrial arts by the authorities, from the Azuchi-Momoyama per...

Tenkan (天冠)

A kind of headgear. A crown used for the role of a noblewoman or a heavenly maiden. The crown itself...

Tennyonomai (天女之舞)

One type of dance in Noh. Nakanomai danced by the tsure female god in Chikubushima and Arashiyama a...

Terasu (テラス)

Angling the mask slightly upward is known as terasu, or “to make a happy face,” and angling the mask...

Tesarugaku (手猿楽)

Noh was formed in great part in the Muromachi period by the artisans who made a living performing th...

Tetsuke (手付)

Music using percussion instruments. The rhythm units performed by the kotsuzumi, ohtsuzumi and taiko...

To-uchiwa (唐団扇)

See "Tō-uchiwa"...

Tobikaeri (飛ビ返リ)

One of the forms in Noh and kyōgen. After spinning and raising the body up rapidly, one knee is pla...

Tokanmuri (唐冠)

See "Tōkanmuri"...

Tome (留め)

Tome, or “to stop,” indicates the end of something. It can be the end of a Noh or kyōgen play, or s...

Tome (トメ)

It is a style of Noh and Kyōgen acting. It is a form of dancing that is used to end a dance performa...

Tomo (トモ)

The role accompanying the shite or tsure, known as tomo when playing the role of a sword bearer or o...

Tori (トリ)

The basic unit of the Noh music rhythm is a simple octuple measure, and the rhythm is called honji. ...

Torikabuto (鳥兜)

The torikabuto, or “bird helmet” is an elegant headpiece worn by actors performing a dance. Shaped ...

Torimino (鳥蓑)

A type of costume: an outer layer that covers the body for waterproofing, keeping out snow and cold....

Toyotomi Hideyoshi (豊臣秀吉)

Toyotomi Hideyoshi lived from 1537to 1598 and was a shogun during the period of warring states in th...

Tsubo-ori (壺折)

One way of wearing a costume. The bottom of a kimono such as the kaori is raised to the knees, and b...

Tsue (杖)

Many canes are used in Noh and Kyōgen plays. These are for direction, not for supporting the perform...

Tsuki no ogi (月ノ扇)

See "Tsuki no ōgi"...

Tsuki no ōgi (月ノ扇)

A form in Noh and kyōgen. In the tsuki no ōgi, or “held fan” form, the hinge of the opened fan is he...

Tsuku (ツク)

The verb “tsuku” is used to indicate overlapping. Noh performers hate overlapping in anything, incl...

Tsukurimono (作り物)

The props placed on the stage in Noh and kyōgen. As they are built individually for each performance...

Tsumeru (ツメル)

Tsumeru is when a performer moves forward with two sure steps, a left then a right (sometimes a righ...

Tsune-no-Ogi (常の扇)

See "Tsune-no-Ōgi"...

Tsune-no-Ōgi (常の扇)

All of the performers in Noh and kyōgen, from the tachikata to the hayashikata, kōken and jiutai, ca...

Tsure (ツレ)

The performer appearing after the shite in Noh. Tsure is written with the kanji meaning “to accompan...

Tsuyogin (ツヨ吟)

“Strong song,” the converse of “weak song,” or yowagin, when referring to the way a melody of a cha...

Tsuyu (露)

Floor-length cords under the sleeves of a wide-sleeved costume. A long cord (tsuyu-himo) is put thro...

Tsuyuhimo (露紐)

Cords under the sleeves of a wide-sleeved costume. There is a cord to tie the sleeve in each cuff of...

Tsuzuke-utai (ツヅケ謡)

One variety of hiranori vocals. Sung with a relatively even beat, tsuzuke-utai is a lively vocal sty...

Tō-uchiwa (唐団扇)

A hand prop of a round fan held instead of an ordinary fan (chūkei) by the character of a Chinese p...

Tōkanmuri (唐冠)

A kind of headgear. It is a black crown used for the roles of foreign nobles and demon gods in “Tsu...