Noh Theatre.

The roots of the noh theatre go back 1,300 years to when a particular performing art called sangawuku was brought over from China. It merged with another form of entertainment called sarugaku. This art consisted of impersinations along with skits and short dances. As time went by, many professional sarugaku troupes became popular, their small skits grew into longer meaningful stories and the dances and songs became more sophisticated. 

Sarugaku shortly turned into the art of noh which introduced complex rhythms, advanced philosophy and monotonous singing style. Although the art of noh had evolved, the basic style and shape hasn't changed that much. Many people including military leaders were touched by the art of noh anf thus decided to incorporate it into the formal training of seveal samurai clans. Despite the fact the noh theatre was very popular it had faced a crisis during World War 2 but the effort and tireless energy of noh artists saved it from extinction. Before World War 2, there were only male actors in noh theatre but in today's generations there are more and more women professionals.  

Another feature of noh theatre is that the leading actor usually wears a mask, turning them into someone very different: a very old man, young or old woman, divine figure, ghost, or young boy. The actors who play supporting roles don't have to transform themselves similarly to the comic parts who dont have to wear masks either. 

Noh is performed on a special and quite particular stage, the main performing area is a square measuring 5.4 meters each side. Additionally, extending to the left of the stage is the hashigakari, a corridor through there the main musicians and actors enter and leave. These areas are usually covered by a roof so the stage looks like a house inside a building.