Jo-ha-kyū (序破急) - Kotobank

Kotobank presents jo-ha-kyū as a three-part principle used first in gagaku, where jo opens, ha develops, and kyū ends quickly. The entry then shows how the term extends to tempo, script structure, staging, linked verse, and even a general way of describing how things unfold.

Reading notes

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• In gagaku and bugaku, jo, ha, and kyū name structural parts of a piece, and the order does not change.
• Jo is linked to a non-metrical opening; ha to a metrical middle section; kyū to the final section.
• The principle is also used for tempo in performing arts such as jōruri and kōdan.
• In Nō and jōruri, jo-ha-kyū can describe the structure of a script or performance program.
• The entry says Zeami treated jo-ha-kyū as something that applies within Nō performance and even within small gestures.
• Kotobank also notes its use in renga and renku for the progression of an entire sequence.
• The term can function more broadly as a figurative way to speak about the beginning, middle, and end of things.