(Japan Series) Kitazawa Hideta – Noh theatre masks: demonstration and discussion
Renowned mask-carver Kitazawa Hideta will be joined by author and producer of English-language noh Jannette Cheong, to explore the process of designing, carving and working with noh masks. Kitazawa is unique in the noh world in making new masks for innovative and experimental noh pieces, including English-language noh, as well as producing classical noh and kyogen (nohgaku) masks. He will demonstrate the different stages of carving, offering a rare opportunity to understand how iconic noh masks are made for both traditional and contemporary noh.
This event is part of the Japanese Studies series organised in collaboration with the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures (SISJAC) and The Courtauld Institute of Art.
KITAZAWA HIDETA is a wood sculptor and noh mask maker based in Tokyo. He learned traditional wood carving of Buddhist and Shinto statuary from his father, Kitazawa Ikkyo, and later studied noh mask carving. He currently produces classical noh and kyogen masks and has been designated a master craftsman by the Tokyo Metropolitan government. Kitazawa has also created numerous shinsaku “new” masks for foreign language noh productions, notably those of Theatre Nohgaku, as well as for other noh influenced plays.
AUTHOR, JANNETTE CHEONG is a poet, playwright, designer and Theatre Nohgaku-affiliated artist. London born, she has been involved with education and artistic collaborations internationally for almost 40 years. She is the author of the English noh Pagoda, and her ballet-noh-opera collaborative piece, Opposites-InVerse, was performed for Matsui Akira’s tribute programme: Noh Time Like the Present, London (2017). Her English noh Between the Stones (Europe, 2020) was again toured by Oshima Noh Theatre/Theatre Nohgaku.
AUTHOR, RICHARD EMMERT is professor emeritus at Musashino University, Tokyo, where he taught classical noh and Japanese and Asian traditional performing arts. Born in Ohio (USA), he is a certified Kita school noh instructor and led noh performance workshops worldwide. Founder of Theatre Nohgaku, he has composed noh music for numerous English noh productions. He is the co-author of a series of seven noh performance guides and author of the six-volume The Guide to Noh of the National Noh Theatre.
Dr MARGARET COLDIRON is a theatre director, performer, teacher and a specialist in Asian performance and masks. She is the author of Trance and Transformation of the Masked Actor in Japanese Noh and Balinese Dance Drama (Mellen Press 2004) and has published widely on masks, Asian and intercultural performance and actor training.