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This thesis analyses the development of Yeats's image of Japan from his introduction to Japanese culture through 'Japonisme' in the mid-1880's, until the end of his life in 1939. It also surveys the sources of information that Yeats had on Japan other than the Noh drama, and shows how these sources were as important as the Noh, if not more, in defining his image of Japan as an artistic utopia. Three periods of Japanese history were of particular interest to Yeats: The early nineteenth century, in which most Japanese colour prints were produced; the Ashikaga period (1333-1573), when the Noh flourished, and Heian Japan (794-1100), an extraordinary culture which produced some of the world's greatest works of art. Images of Japanese culture from these periods combined to produce a composite, mythical vision of Japan in Yeats's imagination.