sarugaku; medieval Japanese theatre
Historical term for a popular performing art from the 11th to 14th centuries, precursor to noh and kyogen.
Sarugaku is considered the origin of noh and kyogen.
fooling around; horseplay
Only with reading さるごう
Archaic sense, restricted to reading さるごう. Derived from the comedic, acrobatic origins of the performance art.
Sarugō once referred to comical mimicry and acrobatics.
能 (noh) is the refined, serious theatre that developed from sarugaku. 猿楽 is the earlier, broader form that included comedic and acrobatic elements.
狂言 (kyogen) is the comedic theatre performed alongside noh, also descended from sarugaku's humorous aspects.
Standard kanji spelling for the historical theatre form and the archaic noh sense.
Alternate historical spelling; less common than 猿楽.
Alternate historical spelling; also read さるごう for the archaic 'fooling around' sense.
Originally from Chinese 散楽 (sǎnyuè), a form of entertainment that entered Japan and evolved into sarugaku. The kanji 猿 (monkey) was later applied, possibly due to the acrobatic, monkey-like performances.