An Approach for Archiving Noh Dances by Analysis and Synthesis of the Smallest Motion Units: Reflections on its Lack of Success

Reiko Yamanaka
Nogami Memorial Noh Theatre Research Institute, Hosei University
Wednesday, 26 April 2023
3:00–3:30 pm

 BACK TO SCHEDULE

Abstract: Noh performances, especially Noh dances, are made up of a combination of small motion units, and Noh actors use these units for notating their performances. In traditional Noh notations (katatsuke), motion units are placed linearly (written vertically), and when necessary, information about position or orientation on the stage is added.

About ten years ago, I conducted a joint research project with some researchers from the field of engineering. The aim of the project was to build up a database of motion units of Noh performance and to design a system with which we could reproduce Noh dance just by retrieving each unit according to the katatsuke

Although the research was funded by a government grant and managed to produce some good results, I don’t think that the research could be called a success overall. In this paper, I would like to talk about our failures: what went wrong, why we could not continue, how people misunderstood or rejected our project, what we should have done, etc. These reflections may also provide a new perspective on the difficulties of joint research projects or tell us about the strongly fixed image people have of Noh.

About the presenter: Reiko Yamanaka is Professor at the Nogami Memorial Noh Theatre Research Institute of Hosei University. Born in 1957 in Tokyo, she holds a Ph.D. from the Japanese Literature Department of the University of Tokyo and specializes in research on individual Noh plays and the ways in which they have been staged throughout Noh’s history.