At the end of the Kuse, the jiutai singing for the spirit of Lady Yūgao starts to recite the very first poem that Prince Genji wrote to her, but as if taken by emotions, as if poetic words could not fully express her deepest feelings anymore, she interrupts the recitation, and begins to dance.
The elegant Jonomai dance closely interweaves choreography with music. It is composed of five sections, which can be accessed by clicking on their names below:
The form of the Jonomai is cyclical because it is primarily articulated through the nohkan’s repeated patterns. They are identified in the score below the video with the following legend: Chū – C, Kan – K, Kan no Chū – KC, Ryo – R, Oroshi – Or and Dan – D.
While a dance-to-text shōdan is structured around salient mimetic kata, an instrumental dance is not. Instead, particular structural kata paired with vocal calls of the percussion play a specific formal function. For instance, kata involving the fan, often accompanied by sleeve motion, are used to anticipate the beginning of a section. Having performed the Jo and Kakari with a closed fan, the shite announces the imminent beginning of the First dan by . After having brought it in front of his face for a Raised fan kata, the dancer brings it down to waist-level, where it is commonly held. Then, a signals the upcoming beginning of the Second dan. Lastly, a announces the coming of the Third dan. While these kata anticipate an upcoming dan, the actual beginning of each dan is in fact marked by the extended kakegoe 'iya', which within the congruent sections are reserved exclusively for this purpose. Finally, the shite signals the dance's closing phase by and Renesting of the Fan to standard hold.
While arm motions involving the fan and sleeves and specific kakegoe announce the beginning of a section, foot motion paired with a percussion pattern articulate the sections' closing. This is done by stamping, followed by the ōtsuzumi’s six consecutive strokes shikake pattern. For example, the shite concluded the kakari by performing a followed by shikake. The closing of the and dan introduce variations on the stamping and a shikake sequence.
The very end of the Jonomai is also signaled with a kata and tempo change. The shite concludes the dance by performing a Raised Fan kata. Commonly performed as he sings the ageha solo line in the Kuse, it can however appear anytime. By performing the Raised Fan kata at the conclusion of the dance, the shite who has been silent throughout the Jonomai, is setting up an expectation for chant. The transition is further underlined by a sudden change of tempo. Controlled by the percussionists, the tempo gradually and steadily accelerates throughout the Third dan to reach the dance’s fastest speed at its penultimate honji. Then, it slows down in preparation for the nohkan’s conclusive and slow tome pattern, which in Hashitomi’s case, with the beginning of the next shōdan, the Waka.
The differences in the use of stage-space also help articulate the dance’s five-section structure. The Jo takes place exclusively on Square 1. The kakari and the Third dan see the shite dancing across the whole stage, whereas stage-space use in the First and Second dan is rather limited.
The use of the stage-space in the kakari is also noteworthy. The nohkan player introduces its core sequence of patterns called Ji, which he repeats four times, while the shite opens the stage-space. Holding a closed fan in his right hand, the shite first traverses the right lateral over the first Ji —Squares 1 to 3— then the front stage over the second one— Squares 3 to 5— and finally the left-right transversal over the last two Ji —Squares 5 to 1. This trajectory does not only open the stage-space, it also creates a spatial wave of tension-release. Backstage positions such as Square 1 and 8, further from the audience, are essentially positions of released tension. They are often used as starting and closing positions for a dance and its various sections. On the other hand, frontstage positions such as Square 3 and 4 and center-stage Square 9, closer to the audience, are positions of strength. Therefore, the motion from Square 1 to 3 is building momentum, bringing the shite from a position of released tension in Square 1 to the front in Square 3. The motion from Square 3 to 5 maintains momentum since the dancer remains in the stage’s forefront. Finally, the motion from Square 5 to 1 releases tension, taking the shite from frontstage to backstage.
The kakari’s choreography exemplifies the overall modularity of Noh. The same stage-space use can be seen in both instrumental dances featured on this website: the kakari of this slow and elegant Jonomai, and the first section of the dynamic and virile Maibataraki dance in Kokaji.
Another intermedia pointer in the Jonomai is the oroshi pattern. It is recognizable aurally as it is a two-honji-long slow-down, during which the shite moves to a quieter stage position and stops. For instance, in the First dan’s oroshi, he takes to move from the dynamic Square 3 to the weaker Square 2. In the Second dan’s oroshi , the shite performs a move by taking Seven Steps Back from the strong Square 9 to the quieter Square 6.