The so-called dark age of Japanese literature was not entirely unproductive: it gave the drama (_No_) to Japan. Tradition ascribes the origin of the drama to a religious dance of a pantomimic character, called _Kagura_ and associated with Shinto ceremonials. The No, however, owed its development mainly to Buddhist influence. During the medieval era of internecine strife the Buddhist priests were the sole depositaries of literary talent, and seeing that, from the close of the 14th century, the Shinto mime (Kagura) was largely employed by the military class to invoke or acknowledge the assistance of the gods, the monks of Buddha set themselves to compose librettos for this mime, and the performance, thus modified, received the name of No. Briefly speaking, the No was a dance of the most stately character, adapted to the incidents of dramas "which embrace within their scope a world of legendary lore, of quaint fancies and of religious sentiment." Their motives were chiefly confined to such themes as the law of retribution to which all human beings are subjected, the transitoriness of life and the advisability of shaking off from one's feet the dust of this sinful world. But some were of a purely martial nature. This difference is probably explained by the fact that the idea of thus modifying the Kagura had its origin in musical recitations from the semi-romantic semi-historical narratives of the 14th century. Such recitations were given by itinerant Bonzes, and it is easy to understand the connexion between them and the No. Very soon the No came to occupy in the estimation of the military class a position similar to that held by the _tanka_ as a literary pursuit, and the _gagaku_ as a musical, in the Imperial court. All the great aristocrats not only patronized the No but were themselves ready to take part in it. Costumes of the utmost magnificence were worn, and the chiselling of masks for the use of the performers occupied scores of artists and ranked as a high glyptic accomplishment. There are 335 classical dramas of this kind in a compendium called the _Yokyoka Tsuge_, and many of them are inseparably connected with the names of Kwanami Kiyotsugu (1406) and his son Motokiyo (1455), who are counted the fathers of the art. For a moment, when the tide of Western civilization swept over Japan, the No seemed likely to be permanently submerged. But the renaissance of nationalism (_kokusui hoson_) saved the venerable drama, and owing to the exertions of Prince Iwakura, the artist Hosho Kuro and Umewaka Minoru, it stands as high as ever in popular favour. Concerning the five schools into which the No is divided, their characteristics and their differences--these are matters of interest to the initiated alone. The Farce.