The
effect of such stereotyping, however, is much like a mask for a Noh play;
both are highly idealized faces which serve precisely to eliminate any
interference from the individual behind the mask. This gives our imagination
free rein to grasp the subtlety of the poetic emotions being described.
Both of these represent the Heian ideal of beauty, a rounded face covered
with a heavy layer of white powder, and false eyebrows applied in black
high above the hidden real ones. In both, a suggestive smile plays about
the mouth, capable of suggesting a variety of subtle emotional states.