The Secrets of Noh Masks

Gorgeous photos and insightful text introduce the work of today's foremost Noh mask artist, actor, and teacher.

Noh master Michishige Udaka (the only living actor to continue to make masks while still performing and teaching), presents 32 of the more than 200 masks he's created, accompanied by revelatory text about the masks and the simple yet nuanced ancient dramatic art of Noh. Best-selling author Ruth Ozeki, who studied Noh theater with Udaka in Japan, has contributed a new Foreword to the paperback edition.

Michishige Udaka, a leading-role Noh actor, is a member of the Kongo School, where he apprenticed under Iwao Kongo II, the late head of the school. At present, Udaka is the only Noh maskmaker who also performs on stage. For his contribution to the arts, Udaka has been designated a representative of a National Intangible Cultural Asset by the Japanese government. In addition, he teaches actors, dancers, designers, maskmakers, musicians, psychologists, and scholars from all over the world at the International Noh Institute, which he founded in Kyoto in 1986. He has also created three original Noh theater works including "A Prayer for Peace - Atomic Cloud," an earlier piece which he rewrote in 2001 after the September 11 attacks and performed in Hiroshima in 2010.

Shuichi Yamagata works as an advertising photographer, and also shoots portraits, scenery, skyscapes, and more.