Zeami Motokiyo - Early Life

Early Life

Zeami was born in 1363 in Nagoya and was known as Kiyomota as a child. His mother was the daughter of a priest and a Fief Lord. His father Kanami led a theater troupe which primarily performed in the Kyoto region, before becoming popular in the late 1360s and early 1370s. As they became better-known, Kanami's troupe began to perform in Daijogi. Zeami acted in the troupe and was considered attractive and highly skilled.

Ebina no Naami, an adviser of the Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, booked the troupe to perform for the Shogun, who was then 17 years old. The shogun was very powerful politically and was a patron of the arts. He was impressed by the troupe, and patronized Kanami. The troupe began to focus on the entertainment value of performance, rather than its religious significance. It had been a form of entertainment associated with the country, but with Yoshimitsu's support it became associated with the upper class. The Shogun was highly attracted to Zeami, which proved controversial among aristocrats because of Zeami's lower class background. Yoshimitsu regularly invited Kanami and Zeami to the court, and Zeami accompanied him to events. Due to his connection with the Shogun, Zeami was provided with a classical education by court statesman and poet Nijo Yoshimoto. Nijo was renowned for his skill as a Renga and taught Zeami about Literature, Poetry, and Philosophy. This type of education was very unusual for an actor: due to their lower-class backgrounds, actors received little education.