This is one of a series of posters designed in 1981 by twelve top Japanese graphic design artists under the curation of the art and design critic Masaru Katsumi. They commemorated a series of lectures, masterclasses and performances relating to five types of traditional Japanese theatre, dance and music. Performers calling themselves the Classical Performing Arts Friendship Mission of Japan spent five weeks performing on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles, and across the country as part of the UCLA Asian Performing Arts Institute.

Noh is the major form of classical Japanese musical drama performed since the 14th century, and the oldest type of theatre regularly performed today. Traditionally, a Noh programme includes five Noh plays with comical kyogen plays in between, acting as light relief.