Heirs to Kyoto Talent: Noh Masks Carver Gives Deep Expression to Face of Japanese Art Form

KYOTO — Noh mask carver Keiko Udaka is breathing new life into a block of wood from a 200-year-old Japanese cypress tree. In her quiet workshop in Sakyo Ward, Kyoto, which also functions as a noh training hall, Udaka works alone and intently, hammering a chisel against the block, with no drawing outline to guide her.