Japanese Nō Masks: With 300 Illustrations of Authentic Historical Examples

by Friedrich Perzynski, Stanley Appelbaum (Editor)

Combining elements of dance, drama, music and poetry, the performances of Japanese No theater are a highly stylized form of entertainment. Accompanying the sumptuous costumes worn during performances are elaborately carved No and Kyogen wooden masks — major works of art in their own right. This book, based on a classic two-volume German study, presents a wealth of illustrations and information relating to these magnificent theatrical devices.
A new, informative introduction and extensive captions derived from the original text and newly translated, accompany the heart of the book--more than 120 full-page plates depicting museum-quality masks worn by actors playing gods, warriors, demons, and monsters, beautiful women, feudal lords, mad characters, and supernatural beings. All 303 illustrations from the original two-volume work are included.
A unique introduction to classic Japanese theater for Western theatergoers, this volume will also serve as an excellent reference for students, scholars, and enthusiasts of No drama.

Genres: Art, Japan

178 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1925

Reviews

[Aeron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cool illustrations!

[Miranda W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't recall when, where, or why I got this book, but it was an interesting snippet on Nō masks that was a blazing fast mish-mash art history, anthropology, and archaeology. The text consists primarily of an 8-page introduction rehashing the work of Friedrich Perzynski (a mysterious Polish man who apparently wrote a lot about Nō theater in the early 20th century). This is followed by about 100 black-and-white photographs of Nō masks.

It's very brief but it piqued my interest. I didn't realize how long of a time span Nō theater covered (e.g. one of the first images, presumably taken in the early 20th century, is of a No actor playing the ghost of a 12th-century warrior, wearing a mask carved in the 17th century). And the masks are beautiful and so expressive! It would be nice to see them in color and to learn a little more about the Nō masks within the context of Japanese theater.

[Alan Fitzgerald-Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Something of a rehash of a 1925 book on the subject and all black and white photographs.
Useful for some history but illustrations are quite poor.

[Helmut · Rating 4 out of 5]

Schwarz-weiß-Reproduktionen und kurze Einführung

Bei diesem Artikel handelt es sich um eine gekürzte Übersetzung des Buches "Japanische Masken Nô und Kyôgen" (Berlin 1925). Die Kürzung bezieht sich allein auf den Beitext, alle Reproduktionen des Originalbuches sind beinhaltet.

Der Text gibt eine sehr knappe, in dieser Form kaum richtig verständliche Einführung in das japanische No-Theater und die wichtigsten Maskenschnitzer; allerdings ist dies auch Beiwerk und für eine informativere Beschreibung dieser Kunstart sollten andere Werke hinzugezogen werden.

Die Reproduktionen der Masken sind leider schwarz-weiß (da aus dem Buch von 1925 übernommen ist das sicherlich verständlich), was doch etwas an Flair-Punkten kostet. Wie schön das Buch wäre, wenn es Farbrepros hätte, kann man an den zwei Masken auf dem Titelcover erkennen.

Insgesamt bietet dieses Buch aber einen schönen Einblick in die unterschiedlichen Maskenarten des No-Theaters, und es gibt meines Wissens keine echte Alternative dazu.

[Elliott Lemberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great resource for anyone interested in the origins of masks used in classical and contemporary Nō theatre. The introduction includes a concise, yet illuminating, description of Kyōgen and Nō; including detailed descriptions, as well as photographs, of the performance space. The introduction also elucidates the basic structure of a Nō play and divides the form into five types.

As other reviewers have mentioned, all of the photographs of the masks are in black-and-white; though colour would have been preferred - for the full effect of the masks to resonate with the reader - Friedrich Perzyński's original work was published in 1925, before the advent of colour photography. The images included in this edition were taken for it.

[Katrina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up because I read somewhere that it was the guide to Japanese no masks

But really it was like here is a 10 page guide about how it's an art form and there were a few masters of crafting these detailed masks and here's a stack of pictures. Yes I wanted pictures. Yes it was nice to see the variations of how the artists depicted similar characters. I really liked the pictures but I guess I wanted a bit more history and less dates and times and names.

This is a catalogue of no masks condensed from another book.

I just love how they are all creepy as hell. Even the innocent girl child (who it was hard to tell was female).

I find the plain ones more freaky because they look more like real faces carved into wood.

Though the demon ones are equally terrifying

[Damien · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whilst this is an interesting and informative collection it is a great shame that the pictures are in black and white.