A Noh performer, playwright, and theorist of the Muromachi period. Together with his father Kan'ami, he led the Kanze-za troupe and brought Noh to its artistic peak. Favored by Shōgun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu from boyhood, he refined Noh through contact with Kyoto's cultural elite. Placing the aesthetic concept of yūgen (mysterious grace) at the heart of his art, he authored many theoretical treatises, foremost among them the Fūshikaden (Kadensho). He composed many of the Noh plays still performed today—including Takasago, Hagoromo, Izutsu, Kinuta, and Motomezuka—and codified the Noh tradition. After Yoshimitsu's death, his patrons changed; in his old age he incurred the anger of Shōgun Yoshinori and was exiled to Sado Island (1434). He reportedly returned to Kyoto afterward, but the circumstances of his death remain disputed. His phrase "in secrecy lies the flower" epitomizes his teaching of deep hidden meaning and the beauty of restraint.

A devoted seeker of artistic truth, combining pure dedication with intellectual rigor. While inheriting his father's art, he developed an original philosophy, elevating stage performance from mere entertainment to spiritual and aesthetic experience. Though tossed about by the powerful, he never lost his passion for art.

He established Noh as Japan's defining classical performing art, and its form, repertoire, and theory are inherited to this day. The Fūshikaden continues to be read as a meditation on art and life, and he laid the foundation for Noh's inscription on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list.