Satsuma Biwa

Mamoru Ohashi|Kimi Izumi

1996 · Wood, lacquer, nylon · Musical Instruments

The Biwa, Japan's plucked lute, is descended from the Chinese pipa in the 7th century. In Japan it was first used in court music (gaku-biwa), then in a smaller version by Buddhist monks (moso-biwa). Later the heike-biwa, used to recite the epic Tale of Heike, combined elements of most and by the 12th century the most popular instrument. The Satsuma-biwa was originally used by samurai in the 17th century for moral training but was also used in other context. From the mid-19th century to about 1915 the satsuma-biwa was one of the most popular instruments. It is played with a large triangular plectrum.

Artist

Mamoru Ohashi|Kimi Izumi

Date

1996

Medium

Wood, lacquer, nylon

Culture

Japanese

Department

Musical Instruments

Credit line

Gift of Mamoru Ohashi, 1998