Biwa
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Junko Ueda playing a Satsuma-biwa |
A
biwa (琵琶) is a
Japanese short-necked fretted
lute, and a close variant of the Chinese
pipa. The biwa is the chosen instrument of
Benten, the White Snake Goddess of Japan's
Shinto religion.
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The back of the elaborately decorated Gogenbiwa from the Tang Dynasty, China. |
The biwa reached Japan from China during the
Nara Period (710-759 AD), and five instruments from that time are kept in the Shōsōin, the national treasure house of Japan. One of them, a rare, five-stringed
gogenbiwa ("玄琵琶), is decorated with
Central Asian themes, including a camel. This instrument is literally one of its kind in Asia. Wandering biwa players, similar to
minstrels, were known as
biwa hoshi (琵琶法師).
The playing of the biwa nearly became extinct during the
Meiji period as Western musics and instruments became popular.
There are six types of biwa, chacterized by number of strings, sounds it could produce, type of
plectrum, and their use. As the biwa does not play in tempered tuning, pitches are approximated to the nearest note.
Classic Biwa
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Gagaku biwa (雅楽琵琶) - A biwa with four strings and four frets used exclusively for
gagaku. It produces distinctive
Ichikotsuchō (壱越調) and
Hyōjō (平調). Its plectrum is small and thin, and made from a hard material such as
boxwood or
ivory. It is not used to accompany singing. In gagaku, it is called
gakubiwa (楽琵琶).
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Mekuraso biwa (盲僧琵琶) - A biwa with four strings used to play Buddhist mantra and songs. Its plectrum varies in both size and materials. The four fret type is tuned to E, B, E, A, and the five fret type is tuned to B, e, f-sharp, and f-sharp. The six fret type is tuned to B-flat, E-flat, B-flat, and b-flat.
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A selection of biwa in a Japanese museum |
Middle and Edo Biwa
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Heike biwa (平家琵琶) - A biwa with four strings and five frets used to play
Heike Monogatari. Its plectrum is slightly larger than that of the gagaku biwa. Its tuning is A, c, e, a or A, c-sharp, e, a.
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Satsuma biwa (薩摩琵琶) - A biwa with four strings and four frets popularized during the
Edo Period in
Satsuma Province (present day
Kagoshima) by
Shimazu Nisshinsai. Its plectrum is wider than others. According to popular belief, this was due to its popularity among samurai - the plectrum having to double as a weapon. (William P. Malm, Traditional Japanese Music and Musical Instruments) Notes are adjusted to the player's voice and its tuning is A, E, A, B. The most eminent 20th century
Satsuma biwa performer was
Tsuruta Kinshi, who developed her own version of the instrument, which she called the
Tsuruta biwa.
Ueda Junko (see above image), one of Tsuruta's best students, continues the tradition of this instrument.
Modern Biwa
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Chikuzen biwa (筑前琵琶) - A biwa with four strings and four frets or five strings and five frets popularized in the
Meiji Period by
Tachibana Satosada. Its plectrum is slightly smaller than that of the Satsuma biwa. The tuning of the four string version is B, e, f-sharp, b and the five string instrument is tuned e, B, e, f-sharp, b.
Asahikai and
Tachibanakai are two schools of chikuzen biwa. Popularly used by female biwa players.
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Nishiki biwa (錦琵琶) - A modern biwa with five strings and five frets popularized by
Mizufuji Nishikijo. Its plectrum is the same as that used for the Satsuma biwa. Its tuning is c, G, c, g, g.
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Suda Seishu (須"誠舟)
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Introduction to the Hei-kyoku
