To help readers decipher the exact meaning of Noh, the authors offer a detailed examination and explanation of this, the first great Japanese theatrical form, which can often intimidate the uninitiated. They present the history, explain the nuances, and even provide samples of these Noh plays.

The spirit is at the essence of Noh, the first great Japanese theatrical form that developed in the late fourteenth century. Largely responsible for Noh's development were Kannami Kiyotsugu and Zeami Motokiyo, father and son. Kannami combined elements of other Japanese theatre with Zen Buddhism to create the form, while Zeami perfected it. Zeami, the 'Shakespeare of Noh', wrote more than 100 of the approximately 240 plays that constitute the still-active repertoire. The authors present the history, explain the nuances, and even provide samples of Noh plays. They do so with passion, reverence, and an uncanny depth of perception -- all of which proves that they, like all Noh performers, did indeed 'work in pure spirit'.