Five schools specialize in shite (シテ, the role of protagonists in Noh): Kanze (観世), Hōshō (宝生), Kita (喜多), Kongō (金剛) and Komparu (金春).
Kanze, Hōshō and Kita (derived from Kongō during Edo period) are mainly based in Tokyo, Japan.
Most Noh players who attend the school live in Tokyo, including the Sōke (宗家, the hereditary head of the family).
Similarly to Tokyo and Kanazawa, Hōshō was popular in Sado, Kurume, Nagoya and Kyoto.
The Hōshō school has a complex musical scale in their songs, called Utai (謡).