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*''Other Names'': 儺戲 ''(nuó xì / nagi)''
*''Chinese'': 儺 ''(nuó)''
*''Japanese'': 追儺 ''(tsuina)''
The Nuo ritual is an ancient Chinese ritual of exorcism and purification, supposedly dating back to the [[Xia Dynasty]]. It later came to be practiced in Japan, and had some influence on the development of [[Noh]] theatre and other Japanese performing arts.
The Nuo ritual is an ancient Chinese ritual of exorcism and purification, supposedly dating back to the [[Xia Dynasty]]. It later came to be practiced in Japan, and had some influence on the development of [[Noh]] theatre and other Japanese performing arts.
In that ancient period, the ritual was led by an exorcist called Fang Xiang Shi; the meaning of this term is debated and remains unclear. In the [[Han Dynasty]], the Grand Nuo came to be performed at the end of the lunar year, and the Fang Xiang Shi was joined by 120 young palace [[eunuchs]] (age 10-12), who wore black tunics and red scarves. Carrying hand-drums, they performed a ritual calling on twelve animal spirits to drive pestilence out of the Palace, and to devour evil spirits, demons and ghosts as they were driven out. The young boys danced the roles of the animal creatures, and passed torches used in the rites to horsemen who drowned the torches in the river.
In that ancient period, the ritual was led by an exorcist called Fang Xiang Shi; the meaning of this term is debated and remains unclear. In the [[Han Dynasty]], the Grand Nuo came to be performed at the end of the lunar year, and the Fang Xiang Shi was joined by 120 young palace [[eunuchs]] (age 10-12), who wore black tunics and red scarves. Carrying hand-drums, they performed a ritual calling on twelve animal spirits to drive pestilence out of the Palace, and to devour evil spirits, demons and ghosts as they were driven out. The young boys danced the roles of the animal creatures, and passed torches used in the rites to horsemen who drowned the torches in the river.
In the [[Sui Dynasty|Sui]] and [[Tang Dynasty|Tang]] Dynasties, the twelve animal spirits were replaced with twelve officials in red robes and carrying leather whips.
During the [[Song Dynasty]], Nuo began to merge with other musical and performance forms, including ''sanyue'', ''zájù'' (雜劇), and ''nánxì'' (南戲), becoming somewhat secularized and dramatized (i.e. becoming more a theater form and less a religious ritual form), coming to be known alternatively as ''nuóxì'' (儺戲). The Fang Xiang Shi was replaced by [[Zhong Kui]] or one of a number of similar supernatural figures from folk religion, as were the twelve animal spirits.
The practice of the Nuo ritual at Court was ended in the [[Yuan Dynasty]], as the [[Mongols|Mongol]] rulers instead made use of exorcism rituals from [[Tibetan Buddhism]]. As a result, though efforts were made to restore the Nuo ritual in the [[Ming Dynasty|Ming]] and [[Qing Dynasty|Qing]] Courts, it never really came back in force; Nuo rituals continued to be performed in the countryside, however, melding with various local and regional art forms and developing into folk theatre forms still active today.
===The Nuo Rite in Japan===
The Nuo rite first became prominently practiced in Japan, and began to be performed in the Japanese Imperial Court, Buddhist temples, and Shinto shrines, during the Tang Dynasty. It is mentioned as taking place in [[705]] in the ''[[Kuji kongen]]'', and in [[706]] in the ''[[Shoku Nihongi]]''. The rite may have been introduced to Japan much earlier, however, possibly even being introduced alongside wet-rice agriculture, iron, and bronze in the [[Yayoi period]].
In the rite's early 8th century form, Fang Xiang Shi (J: ''Hôshôshi'') was portrayed as a demon (an ''[[oni]]''), with a four-eyed mask with golden eyes,<ref>Golden eyes remain a common marker for demons and gods in Noh masks.</ref>, and red robes, carrying a shield and spear, and accompanied by twenty young men in dark blue robes. An early [[Heian period]] source by [[Fujiwara no Fuyutsugu]] (the ''[[Dairishiki]]'', "Rites of the Imperial Palace") reports that the ''tsuina'', or ''tsuina shiki'' (''tsuina'' rite) as it is called in Japan, was performed on the last day of the lunar year, and was led by a [[onmyoji|Yin-Yang master]]. The central figure continued to be Hôsôshi, however. After the Yin-Yang master led an incantation, the figure portraying Hôsôshi, along with his attendants, began murmuring "na, na, na" (the Japanese pronunciation of ''nuo''), while Hôsôshi struck his shield with his spear repeatedly. The group then moved to the four gates of the palace, driving ghosts and demons out in the four directions, and finally, accompanied by court officials beating drums, chased the ghosts & demons further into the countryside.
The ''tsuina'' rite was later adopted by Buddhist temples, and incorporated into their new year's rituals, known as ''shushôe'' (修正会) and ''shunigatsue'' (修二月会). By the 11th century, these ''shushôe'' came to incorporate both ''tsuina'' and ''[[sarugaku]]'', marking the beginning of connections between the Chinese Nuo rite (as performed in Japan) and the artform which would later develop into Noh theatre.
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