This book traces the history of noh and ky¿gen, the first major Japanese theatrical arts. Going beyond P. G. O'Neill's Early N¿ Drama of 1958, it covers the full period of noh's medieval development and includes a chapter dedicated to the comic art of ky¿gen, which has often been left in noh's shadow. It is based on contemporary research in Japan, Asia, Europe and America, and embraces current ideas of theatre history, providing a richly contextualized account which looks closely at theatrical forms and genres as they arose. The masked drama of noh, with its ghosts, chanting and music, and its use in Japanese films, has been the object of modern international interest. However, audiences are often confused as to what noh actually is. This book