A JAPANESE BIWA, TRADITIONAL LUTE INSTRUMENT
Lot 75 - AK0126

Japan, Taisho period (1912-1926)

The 4-string biwa features a pear-shaped wooden body with a smooth, polished finish that highlights the fine grain of the wood. The front is fitted with crescent moon-shaped sound holes, known as fukikaeshi, that contribute to the instrument’s distinctive tonal resonance. The neck and pegbox are carefully carved and fitted with large, ornately turned tuning pegs, the rear of the biwa is carved with bamboo and cloud motifs. Typically strung with four or five silk or nylon strings, the biwa is played using a large plectrum (bachi) to produce a dynamic, percussive sound ideal for dramatic narration. Its voice ranges from sharp and staccato to rich and lyrical, depending on the player’s technique and the type of biwa (e.g., gagaku biwa, heike biwa, or satsuma biwa).

LENGTH 94 cm

Condition: Good condition with expected traces of use and wear, surface scratches, and few small age cracks, a larger crack to the base with old fills.

The biwa is a traditional short-necked lute, closely associated with classical storytelling, court music, and Buddhist chants throughout Japanese history. The origin of the Japanese biwa as a generic type of instrument dates back to around the year 700 CE when the pipa was first introduced to Japan from China as part of ensembles gifted to the Japanese Emperor. It eventually became the favored instrument to accompany narrative singing, especially on the southern Japanese island of Kyushu where it was performed by blind Buddhist priests (mōsō). Several schools of biwa playing evolved from the mōsō tradition, one of which, founded in the 1890s by Tachibana Chijō and others and called the Asahi-kai, was based on the style of the Chikuzen region of Kyushu. Tachibana “sought to create a new narrative style that would appeal to a contemporary urban audience” (de Ferranti p. 120) and that would be performed by sighted musicians.