Although the origin of Noh is not clear, it is generally believed that Noh originated from gigaku (ancient pantomime in which performers wear masks), Japan's oldest theatrical art that was introduced from China during the seventh century, and sangaku (form of theater popular in Japan during the eleventh to the fourteenth century) introduced from the Asian continent during the Nara period.
能の起源について正確なことはわかってはいないが、7世紀頃に中国大陸より日本に伝わった日本最古の舞台芸能である伎楽や、奈良時代に大陸より伝わった散楽に端を発するのではないかと考えられている。