Chūjō, or Middle Councilor, describes a government office in the imperial court. In the late Heian period members of the Taira clan in the imperial guard were granted this rank and integrated into the court became well known for their musical and poetic abilities. The mask evokes the elegance and refinement of the courtier (Tōru, Unrin'in, etc) in its shaved eyebrows repainted as soft, thick lines on the forehead and in the rich red gently smiling mouth with blackened upper teeth. The furrowed brow lends sensitivity to the face. When the mask is worn for the role of a Taira warrior enacting a battle (Tadanori, Kiyotsune, etc.), these lines lie hidden by a sweatband . The black horizontal stripe at the top of the mask corresponds to the rim of the courtier's eboshi hat. (MB)
