Phylogenetic Approach for Estimating Noh Archetypes

Abstract

Noh is a classical Japanese stage art consisting of dance and music. It has been handed down since Kan'ami and his son, Zeami, perfected the art of Noh in the 14th and 15th centuries. Because of the nature of this stage art, the verses used in Noh have frequently been arranged by successors. Therefore, finding the original forms of earlier composers is complicated. In this paper, the author attempt to develop a new approach for estimating these originals on the basis of a phylogenetic analysis, which originated in the field of biology. Although phylogenetic analysis has been adapted in phylogenetic philology, it has not been applied to the study of Noh verses. Its application in this field would make it possible to trace the history of Noh manuscripts and establish archetypes of several Noh plays.