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The second of the three "paths" is structure, or ''saku''. In this section, Zeami discusses the organization of a play in terms of overall rhythm and pacing, and use of vocal and dance elements. He describes a five-step development process for organizing plays based on the fundamental principle of ''[[jo-ha-kyu|jo-ha-kyû]]'', outlining his ideal structure of a five-''dan'' (five part) Noh play.<ref>This is discussed further in the article on ''[[jo-ha-kyu|jo-ha-kyû]]'', and in the main article on [[Noh]].</ref> He also emphasizes that a playwright must not only take ''jo-ha-kyû'' as a guideline for his own organization of the play, but must also take care to design a play such that the performers can employ the principle in their performance.
The second of the three "paths" is structure, or ''saku''. In this section, Zeami discusses the organization of a play in terms of overall rhythm and pacing, and use of vocal and dance elements. He describes a five-step development process for organizing plays based on the fundamental principle of ''[[jo-ha-kyu|jo-ha-kyû]]'', outlining his ideal structure of a five-''dan'' (five part) Noh play.<ref>This is discussed further in the article on ''[[jo-ha-kyu|jo-ha-kyû]]'', and in the main article on [[Noh]].</ref> He also emphasizes that a playwright must not only take ''jo-ha-kyû'' as a guideline for his own organization of the play, but must also take care to design a play such that the performers can employ the principle in their performance.
The third of the three "paths" is writing, or ''sho''. In this section, Zeami discusses the composition of the play itself, with a particular focus on the language used. He writes about drawing plays from various established stories or sources (''honsetsu''), and the value of poetic allusion, drawing upon famous poems of the past through a technique known as ''[[honkadori]]'' (lit. "taking the original poem"). While Noh plays will sometimes include entire poems, or lines from poems, recited just as in the original, more commonly, they allude to famous poems through familiar referents and similar poetic structure. For example, the play ''Takasago'' opens with a chant mentioning the placename Takasago, spring, dusk, a bell, and a hill, alluding to a poem by [[Oe no Masafusa|Ôe no Masafusa]] which mentions Takasago, a bell, a hill, dawn, and frost.<ref>Quinn, ''Developing Zeami'', 139.</ref>
As for ''honsetsu'', and the choice of themes to adapt into a play, Zeami cites five ideal themes: auspiciousness (''shûgen''), ''yûgen'', love, personal grievance, and desolation.
==Three Styles==
==Three Styles==