The traditional Noh stage (butai) has complete openness that provides a shared experience between the performers and the audience throughout the performance.
Without any proscenium or curtains to obstruct the view, the audience sees each actor even during the moments before they enter (and after they exit) the central "stage" (honbutai, "main stage").
The theatre itself is considered symbolic and treated with reverence both by the performers and the audience.

One of the most recognizable characteristic of Noh stage is its independent roof that hangs over the stage even in indoor theatres.
Supported by four columns, the roof symbolizes the sanctity of the stage, with its architectural design derived from the worship pavilion (haiden) or sacred dance pavilion (kagura-den) of Shinto shrines.
The roof also unifies the theatre space and defines the stage as an architectural entity.

The pillars supporting the roof are named shitebashira (principal character's pillar), metsukebashira (gazing pillar), wakibashira (secondary character's pillar), and fuebashira (flute pillar), clockwise from upstage right respectively.
Each pillar is associated with the performers and their actions.

The stage is made entirely of unfinished hinoki, Japanese cypress, with almost no decorative elements.
The poet and novelist Tōson Shimazaki writes that "on the stage of the Noh theatre there are no sets that change with each piece.
Neither is there a curtain.
There is only a simple panel (kagami-ita) with a painting of a green pine tree.
This creates the impression that anything that could provide any shading has been banished.
To break such monotony and make something happen is no easy thing."

Another unique feature of the stage is the hashigakari, a narrow bridge at upstage right used by actors to enter the stage.
Hashigakari means "suspension bridge", signifying something aerial that connects two separate worlds on a same level.
The bridge symbolizes the mythic nature of Noh plays in which otherworldly ghosts and spirits frequently appear.
In contrast, hanamichi in Kabuki theatres is literally a path (michi) that connects two spaces in a single world, thus has a completely different significance.
The traditional Noh stage (butai) has complete openness that provides a shared experience between the performers and the audience throughout the performance. Without any proscenium or curtains to obstruct the view, the audience sees each actor even during the moments before they enter (and after they exit) the central "stage" (honbutai, "main stage"). The theatre itself is considered symbolic and treated with reverence both by the performers and the audience.
One of the most recognizable characteristic of Noh stage is its independent roof that hangs over the stage even in indoor theatres. Supported by four columns, the roof symbolizes the sanctity of the stage, with its architectural design derived from the worship pavilion (haiden) or sacred dance pavilion (kagura-den) of Shinto shrines. The roof also unifies the theatre space and defines the stage as an architectural entity.
The pillars supporting the roof are named shitebashira (principal character's pillar), metsukebashira (gazing pillar), wakibashira (secondary character's pillar), and fuebashira (flute pillar), clockwise from upstage right respectively. Each pillar is associated with the performers and their actions.
The stage is made entirely of unfinished hinoki, Japanese cypress, with almost no decorative elements. The poet and novelist Tōson Shimazaki writes that "on the stage of the Noh theatre there are no sets that change with each piece. Neither is there a curtain. There is only a simple panel (kagami-ita) with a painting of a green pine tree. This creates the impression that anything that could provide any shading has been banished. To break such monotony and make something happen is no easy thing."
Another unique feature of the stage is the hashigakari, a narrow bridge at upstage right used by actors to enter the stage. Hashigakari means "suspension bridge", signifying something aerial that connects two separate worlds on a same level. The bridge symbolizes the mythic nature of Noh plays in which otherworldly ghosts and spirits frequently appear. In contrast, hanamichi in Kabuki theatres is literally a path (michi) that connects two spaces in a single world, thus has a completely different significance.
Noh