Japanese Folk Plays

Interspersed between the stately, slower-paced dance dramas of Japan's Noh theater are the delightful comic plays or interludes known as Kyogen. These brief plays evolved from the bawdy skits that were rousingly enjoyed by the

plebeian populaces of the cities in feudal Japan some hundreds of years ago when Noh itself was a pastime and entertainment exclusively reserved for the aristocracy. Today they still provide delightful relieffrom the sustained and

concentrated action of the Noh play that has changed very little throughout the centuries. Among the various forms of classical Japanese drama, the flamboyant action and brilliant coloring of Kabuki has perhaps enabled it to be the most easily understood; and the Noh, in a number of excellent translations, has

become widely known for its poetic beauty. But the Kyogen, equally deserving of attention, have remained relatively unknown. Only now, with this new edition of Miss Sakanishi's excellent translations, are they at last readily available

to the Western reader. For the actual Western theater-goer in Japan, these translations are invaluable as aids to understanding and appreciating the comic,

sometimes outrageous, situations in which the protagonists so often find themselves involved. For those who are interested in the plays from a purely literary point of view, they may well prove to be as charming as the ancient Greek comedies; at the same time they also provide an insight into the life and times offeudal Japan. In both form and spirit these translations are accurate renderings of the originals and convey to the reader the qualities of earthiness, spontaneity, and good humor that are inherent in all authentic folk drama.