Bidou Yamaguchi, a professional Noh mask maker, spoke to Cal State Long Beach students and faculty Thursday about his revolutionary spin on a 600-year-old Japanese tradition
Noh mask making is an intricate process that involves hand carving blocks of Japanese cypress. The masks, which are covered with crushed seashells and lacquer, are then hand painted with natural pigment.
These masks have been reproduced hundreds of times for the Noh theatre, a traditional Japanese drama regarded for its poetic nature and ability to revive the spirits of long-dead characters from the classical period, Yamaguchi said.
In 2003, Yamaguchi left the craft of traditional Noh mask-making to create a series of masks inspired by famous European paintings.
Da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” and Johannes Vermeer’s “Girl with the Pearl Earring” are a few faces that inspired him to peruse a new style, Yamaguchi said.
“These were faces of such mask-like perfection, real and yet unreal,” Yamaguchi said. “They seemed fleeting and eternal at the same time.”
Yamaguchi said he produced Noh theatre masks for nearly a decade before deciding to venture away from traditional masks.
“My desire to go beyond my traditional craft, to create a new and different mask, became stronger day by day,” Yamaguchi said.
Although is it frowned upon to stray away from the traditional characters of the Noh theatre when using Noh mask-making techniques, Yamaguchi said his master teacher has been supportive and interested in his new style of creation.
A full presentation of Yamaguchi’s traditional and new Noh masks are featured in the University Art Museum until April 13.