Noh mask Tenjin

The mask shows fierce expression of Fujiwara Michizane who was an aristocrat of varied attainments in the 9th century. It is used for the spirit of Michizane in the Noh play “Raiden (thunderbolt).” The story was made based on an episode: Michizane was relegated from the Kyoto Imperial Palace to Dazaifu in Kyushu region by a false charge; Aster he died, he became a thunder and cursed the Imperial Court.
The reddish-brown face expresses the rage by its upturned eyes with embedded gold plate, showing the teeth from its wide-open mouth. The backside is coated with lacquer in black and branded ‘天下一若狭守 (The Great Master, Wakasa no Kami)’. This brand is considered to have been used by Suminobo Mitsumasu who was a Noh mask carver in the 17th century.