Changes

*''Japanese'': 曲舞 ''(kusemai)''

*''Japanese'': 曲舞 ''(kusemai)''

''Kusemai'' was a medieval Japanese art-form believed to consist chiefly of dance (''mai'') accompanied by narrative chanting (''kuse'') in the third-person.

''Kusemai'' was a medieval Japanese art-form believed to consist chiefly of narrative chanting (''kuse''), accompanied by dance (''mai''). The chanting generally took the form of prose, in contrast to the poetic form of [[Noh]] plays which would develop later, and featured epic qualities. The focus in the art form was on voice and text, with dance elements being relatively sparse and secondary.<ref>Quinn, 59.</ref>

It is unclear when ''kusemai'' emerged as an art form, though the earliest known references to it date to the mid-14th century. The form is believed to have drawn upon the [[Heian period]] court traditions of ''[[shirabyoshi|shirabyôshi]]'' dance, which featured women often costumed as men, often employing the same costume as the ''shirabyôshi'' - ''[[hakama]]'', ''[[eboshi]]'', and ''[[suikan]]'' (a wide-sleeved overrobe), with a folding fan in one hand, and ''[[kotsuzumi]]'' (shoulder drum) held or played by the other. Dancers of ''kusemai'' initially included both men and women, but over time the women came to dominate the form.

It is unclear when ''kusemai'' emerged as an art form, though the earliest known references to it date to the mid-14th century. The form is believed to have drawn upon the [[Heian period]] court traditions of ''[[shirabyoshi|shirabyôshi]]'' dance, which featured women often costumed as men, often employing the same costume as the ''shirabyôshi'' - ''[[hakama]]'', ''[[eboshi]]'', and ''[[suikan]]'' (a wide-sleeved overrobe), with a folding fan in one hand, and ''[[kotsuzumi]]'' (shoulder drum) held or played by the other. Dancers of ''kusemai'' initially included both men and women, but over time the women came to dominate the form.

==References==

==References==

*Shelley Fenno Quinn, ''Developing Zeami'', University of Hawaii Press (2005), 55-56, 133-134.  

*Shelley Fenno Quinn, ''Developing Zeami'', University of Hawaii Press (2005), 55-56, 133-134.  

[[Category:Poetry and Theater]]

[[Category:Poetry and Theater]]

[[Category:Muromachi Period]]

[[Category:Muromachi Period]]