The mouth is now open. Kiyotsune is getting ready to tell his story.
In this picture you see Hea-Kyoung carving the chūjō mask I will use for Kiyotsune. At the bottom left is one of Udaka-sensei’s chūjō which is used as a model. A the top of the picture you can see paper shapes used to check the progress of specific portions of the mask.
In the picture below you can clearly see the mouth just after being opened. ‘Frowning’ eyebrow marks are also deeper now.
The Noh Diaries 
nice pics. Several years ago I was allowed to briefly ‘wear’ a mask designated a national treasure.
Wow – on what occasion if I may ask?
I was shooting in the National Noh Theatre here in Tokyo in 2009, and after the performance finished I went back stage into the changing rooms with the ‘shite’ who I knew. He had used it in the play and it was still being readied for packaging. The girl I was shooting with was so moved afterwards that she was crying as we walked back towards the station.
Wow – being able to try on a masked used in actual performance is a rare privilege. And yes I can understand your colleague’s feelings. Mask have a strong emotional charge.