This paper discusses the perception and presentation of the Japanese Noh play Matsukaze in the translation of the poet and writer, Noguchi Yonejirō (1875-1947). Noguchi played an intercultural role by publishing articles in both English and Japanese languages in Japan and overseas, in which he introduced Japanese and foreign cultural elements. After developing a new point of view of the Noh theater, he started to introduce it in descriptive articles from 1907. These articles were followed by his explanatory English translations of Noh plays between 1915 and 1919.

The original English translation of Matsukaze is the only translation that has not yet been found, however, in 1919 it was translated into modern Japanese language by an anonymous third party and published in the journal Nohgaku. This was his only translation presented in Japanese before the contemporary society of Noh researcher’s in Japan. For these reasons, this paper is focusing on the Japanese translation of Noguchi’s article, comparing it with the original mediaeval Noh text.

The aim of this comparison is to discuss the elements and impressions of Matsukaze. These show the way in which Noguchi as a poet perceives Noh and the play Matsukaze. It also demonstrates which elements of Noh were presented for foreigners and could play a role in the contemporary foreign literary and theatrical society’s perception of Noh.