Born a son of the sarugaku actor Kan'ami (birth year debated); his childhood name was Oniyasha. He was on stage from early childhood under his father.
At his father's performance at Imakumano in Kyoto, the 11-year-old caught the eye of shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu (some say 1375), who doted on him and kept him close. He also learned waka and linked verse from the noble Nijō Yoshimoto.
At the Gion Festival Yoshimitsu had Zeami sit beside him. A noble's diary noted bitterly this special treatment of a low-born performer.
His father Kan'ami died while touring in Suruga (Shizuoka). At 21 Zeami became head of the Kanze troupe and carried on his father's art.
He set down the first parts of the Fūshikaden, his treatise on Noh based on his father's teachings, explaining "the flower" that moves an audience, as in "what is hidden is the flower".
His patron Yoshimitsu died. The next shogun Yoshimochi favored the dengaku actor Zōami, and Zeami refined his art in pursuit of yūgen, a deep and quiet beauty, writing many masterpieces such as Izutsu.
Around this time he took vows and handed leadership of the Kanze troupe to his eldest son Motomasa. He kept writing on his art, completing the Kakyō in 1424.
The 6th shogun Ashikaga Yoshinori favored Zeami's nephew On'ami, and Zeami and his son were shunned, barred from performing at the palace among other slights.
His gifted eldest son Motomasa died while traveling in Ise; his second son Motoyoshi had already become a monk. Zeami grieved deeply that his art's lineage had been cut off.
For reasons that remain unclear, he was exiled to Sado at 71.
He wrote the Kintōsho, short chant pieces recording his days on Sado, singing calmly of the island's scenery and shrines.
Some say he was later pardoned and returned to the capital, but details are unknown. He is thought to have died around this time (debated).
Nijō YoshimotoAshikaga YoshinoriKan'amiAshikaga Yoshimitsu
Kan'amiAshikaga MotoujiShiba YoshimasaAshikaga YoshimitsuShō HashiMansaiAkamatsu MitsusukeAshikaga Yoshimochi
People of the Muromachi period ・ People by period
Based on facts found in textbooks and biographies. Uncertain points are marked as such.