Introduction to Japanese Theater

The source of Japanese theater is the original mantra energy. It originated mainly from the religious and production energies. It evolved from the hand-walking movements of witches at the Soul Summoning Festival to improvisational dancing. The first Japanese collection of waka, the Manyoshu, contains songs that depict performances that mimic the movements of mountain men hunting deer and fishermen catching crabs. In addition, in the labor mantra noh, the movements of sowing and harvesting were imitated in song and dance, or the celebration of a good agricultural harvest, accompanied by drum beats, reciting mantras, singing and dancing, or making the movements of men and women embracing with joy to thank the god of the field, known as tamae (field dance).