Tokyo Press Check: Making Face.

Denver, Colorado:: X-Press Books,, 1986.. Edition of 40. 9.25" x 7.25"; 36 pages. Type is Cairo. Japanese calligraphy by Mitzuko Santo. Printed on a 10 x 15" Chandler & Price platen press. Silk screen images. Text paper is Japanese Toyo Kurumi. Cover is Arches. Overlay are UV Ultra II. Tip sheets are Okawara Hand made. Press check masks are printed on Mohawk superfine cover. Two texts: reading from front to middle: second reading from back to middle. Japanese stab binding. Signed and numbered by Anderson. Judy Anderson: "In 1985 I worked in Tokyo, overseeing a large book project designed for the Brooklyn Museum. My presence there, as a young American woman directing the project, was a unique experience for both me and the male printing and publishing personnel. I was fascinated by the Japanese culture, their use of language, the role of alcohol, sleep and women. And how they used their faces as masks, hiding their true feelings. Being polite. Pretend. "One day in a small market in Tokyo, I came across some masks that were offered for sale. They were beautifully made and had an intensity of expression that was startling. I bought three and have since learned what a rich heritage they have in the theater and art and life of Japan. These masks are my interpretations of classical theatrical masks, from the shrine dances of Kagura and Bugaku dance drama to the classic Noh tragedies of feudal Japan and the animated Bunraku puppet shows that have survived to fascinate audiences of today. "In Japanese theater, the mask controls the wearer. In the solemn ceremony of putting on the mask, the actor gives himself over to the soul of the mask, hoping that he may project the vital essence of the mask itself. Small wonder that wearing a mask in Japan, in the theater or in daily life, is an act of honor and respect.