Komparu Zempō

Japanese nō dramatist

Also known as: Hachiro Motoyasu

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Article History

Quick Facts

Also called:: Hachiro Motoyasu

Born:: 1454, Japan

Died:: c. 1520,, Japan

Also Known As:: Hachiro Motoyasu

See all related content

Komparu Zempō (born 1454, Japan—died c. 1520, Japan) was a nō dramatist and actor, grandson of nō actor and dramatist Komparu Zenchiku.

Zempō was one of the last dramatists of nō’s classic period. He wrote one play, Hatsuyuki (“First Snow”), in the restrained and poetic manner of his grandfather. Most of his work, however, such as Arashiyama, was written to appeal to a wide popular audience through the use of novelty, action-filled plots, and innovative schemes. While Zempō was head teacher of the Komparu school, which under his father had favoured a conservative style of performance called shimogakari and had waned in popularity, it revived and once again presented performances at the court in Kyōto.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.