The Nohkan’s Part in Atsumori as Planned, Prepared, and Performed
This chapter presents transcriptions of Issō Yukihiro's “theoretical” nohkan entrance and compares it with a specific shōdan from a live performance of Atsumori with Yukihiro on the nohkan. It demonstrates an individual interpretation of a Noh play, taking into account the different schools of instruments, singing styles, and written texts of chant books used by the main actors and chorus. It also illustrates the structure of Noh plays among the traditional plays in terms of overall organization of the dan and the shōdan. The chapter examines the flexibility in the nohkan melodic patterns that allows variations and individual interpretation within the prescribed structure. It considers a particular performance by Yukihiro that apply William P. Malm's three functions of the nohkan.