Kitazawa Hideta

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.

He 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.

He has given workshops and demonstrations in Japan and internationally.

A book on his work entitled Noh and Kyogen Masks will be published by Prestel in autumn 2024.