Taema (Noh play)

Taema (当麻) is a Noh play of the fifth category, Kiri Noh, attributed to Zeami, and centred around the origin legend of the Taema Temple in Nara Prefecture, Japan.
Background
[edit]The play draws the traditional stories of otogizoshi, with their merger of elite and popular concerns, and their focus on miracles and origin stories.[1] In particular, it is concerned with the role of Princess Chujo-hime in creating the Taima Mandala.
Plot
[edit]A relatively undramatic play, Taema recounts how an old man visits the temple and learns the legend of the Princess from an old nun, who is revealed as the Bodhisattva Kannon.[2] Thereafter the Princess herself appears, and dances in a representation of the Pure land.[3]
Recent history
[edit]Though rarely performed, 2012 saw a performance in Japan featuring (equally rarely) a central role for a female actor.[4]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Glassman, Hank (2007). ""Shaka no Honji": Preaching, Intertextuality, and Popular Hagiography". Monumenta Nipponica. 62 (3): 299–321. ISSN 0027-0741.
- ^ J Thomas Rimer, Collected Works (2004)
- ^ J Thomas Rimer, Collected Works (2004)
- ^ says, Richard (2013-03-27). "Noh "Taema" – an image of the Pure Land". ~ Stories of the Mirror ~ 鏡は語る. Retrieved 2025-06-09.