Biwa - Loquat

Japanese: 琵琶 - びわ

A plucked string instrument of the lute family in China, Korea, and Japan. In China and Korea, it is called "pipa." It was introduced to Japan from China during the Nara period, but its origins are probably in Persia. A stringed wooden instrument with a curved neck and a pear-shaped body called the barbat from Sassanid Persia (3rd to 7th centuries) became the oud during the Islamic period and was widely spread by Arabian merchants, becoming the lute in Europe and the biwa in Asia. There are several theories about the name biwa, including that it comes from the barbat, and that it is a Chinese word that describes the reciprocating motion of a plucked string.

[Sylvain Guignard]

China

Regarding Tang Dynasty biwa, five instruments preserved in Shosoin are important sources. Four of these are four-stringed instruments with a curved neck and a pear-shaped body, and the remaining one is a five-stringed, straight-necked, pear-shaped, mother-of-pearl, five-stringed biwa. The former is thought to be of Iranian origin, and the latter of Indian origin. In addition, two four-stringed, straight-necked, circular-body ruan xian (called Qin biwa before the Tang Dynasty) instruments have also been preserved. Both are beautifully decorated, and on the surface of the plectrum there are images of camels and elephants. During the Song Dynasty, the biwa was widely loved as a solo and accompaniment instrument, and was used to accompany the recitation of epic tales (danshi), especially in the southern part of the country. During the Ming dynasty it was also used for chamber and theatre music, but during the Qing dynasty it was superseded by an instrument similar to the three-stringed huqin.

Today's Chinese pipa is a four-stringed instrument with a curved neck and a pear-shaped body, 16 strings (some have 17 or even 24 strings), usually tuned _A2 - _D3 - _E3 - _A3 . The player sits on a chair, holds the instrument vertically on his lap, and plays with the fingernails. Tremolo and crescendos and decrescendos using the thumb and index finger are characteristic.

[Sylvain Guignard]

Korea

There were three types of biwa in Korea, which were used exclusively in court music (gagaku). The first type was a four-stringed, pear-shaped biwa, which was thought to have been imported from the Tang Dynasty around the time of the unification of Silla (676). It was called the Tang biwa and was the central stringed instrument in Tang music. During the Goryeo Dynasty (10th-14th centuries), court gagaku split into Tang music and Hyang music (music unique to Korea), with the Tang biwa being used in Tang music and the second type, the five-stringed, pear-shaped Hyang biwa, being used in Hyang music. During the Yi Dynasty (15th-19th centuries), the Tang biwa also began to be used in Hyang music, and at that time the number of strings was increased from 4 to 12. This instrument is no longer used at all today. The third type is the gekkin, a long-necked round-bodied instrument more similar to the ruan xian than the modern Chinese gekkin, which was used exclusively for folk music, but is also no longer in use today.

[Sylvain Guignard]

Japan

Today, there are five types of biwa in use in Japan, all of which have a curved neck, a pear-shaped body, and are played with a plectrum.

[Sylvain Guignard]

Raku Biwa

The biwa is used in gagaku. Its origins are the oldest, dating back to the Nara period. Currently, in gagaku, it is not considered a melodic instrument, but rather a rhythmic instrument that plays chords and single notes to indicate beats. However, solo pieces were once imported, and in 833 (Tencho 10), Fujiwara Sadatoshi brought back three pieces, including "Ryusen," from the Tang Dynasty, but these were considered secret pieces and were lost in the early modern period. The instrument is the largest of the five types of biwa, and the player holds it horizontally and plays by pressing the top of the strings.

[Sylvain Guignard]

Blind Monk Biwa

Blind monks chant sutras such as "Jishinkyo" to the accompaniment of the biwa, and are also called "Jishin Biwa" or "Kōjin Biwa." It was established at the same time as the Gaku Biwa or at the latest in the 9th century, and was used in Buddhist ceremonies of the Tendai sect at the time, flourishing mainly in Kyushu. Even today, only a few remain in the Kyushu region. Currently, there are two major schools, Chikuzen Moso Biwa and Satsuma Moso Biwa, with Jojuin Temple in Fukuoka and Jorakuin Temple in Kagoshima as their respective centers. The instrument is small for portability, and the player holds the instrument at a slight angle and plays it by pressing the space between the pillars.

[Sylvain Guignard]

Heike Biwa

It is an instrument that accompanies Heikyoku, the music that tells the story of "The Tale of the Heike." Heikyoku reached its height during the Muromachi period, and during the Edo period it split into the Maeda school (Edo) and the Hatano school (Kyoto). Because it was protected as a ceremonial music by the Edo Shogunate, like Noh, it was not driven out by the popularity of the shamisen and continued to exist until the Meiji period, and there are still players of it in Nagoya, Sendai, and other places today. The instrument is somewhat large, and the player holds it almost horizontally and plays it by pressing the top of the pillar.

[Sylvain Guignard]

Satsuma Biwa

This biwa evolved from the Satsuma Moso Biwa at the end of the Muromachi period, and today there are many schools of it, including the Seiha, Kinshin-ryu, Nishiki Biwa, and Tsuru-ha. It began when Shimazu Tadayoshi of the Shimazu clan in Satsuma (Kagoshima Prefecture) had the Satsuma blind monk Fuchiwaki Juchoin compose biwa songs for the purpose of moral education for samurai, and at the end of the Edo period, the master Ikeda Jinbei established today's Seiha style. After the Meiji Restoration, it spread throughout the country, mainly in Tokyo, and was highly praised as a masculine instrument. In the late Meiji period, Nagata Kinshin of Tokyo founded the Kinshin-ryu school for urban tastes, and it became an offshoot. Since then, the original Satsuma biwa has been called the Seiha style. Furthermore, in the early Showa period, Suito Kinjo of the Kinshinryu school invented the Nishiki biwa, and in the 1980s Tsuruta Kinshi, also from the Kinshinryu school, founded the Tsuru school, which branched off from the school. The Seiha and Kinshinryu biwas are somewhat large, and the player holds the instrument upright and plays vigorously, pressing between the pillars and striking. Most players are male. The Nishiki biwa is a fusion of the Satsuma biwa and Chikuzen biwa, and in terms of its melody it can be said to be a compromise between the two, and most players are female. The Tsuru school biwa adds innovative features to the instrument's structure and playing techniques, such as a bent pillar and rubbing with a plectrum.

[Sylvain Guignard]

Chikuzen Biwa

This new biwa music was founded in Kitakyushu in the 1880s, incorporating elements of Satsuma biwa and shamisen music, based on the tradition of Chikuzen Bōsō Biwa, which had fallen into decline with the abolition of the Todo-za after the Meiji Restoration. It was started by Tachibana Chijō (the first Kyokuō), Tsurusaki Kenjō, Yoshida Takeko and others. Thanks in particular to the efforts of Tachibana Kyokuō, who moved to Tokyo and became active, it flourished from the late Meiji period to the early Showa period, and came to rival the Satsuma biwa in popularity. The instrument is slightly smaller than the Satsuma biwa, and the melody is generally feminine. However, some five-string biwa pieces created in the Taisho period under the influence of the Satsuma biwa have a heroic, masculine melody. Even today, most of the players are women.

Both Satsuma Biwagaku and Chikuzen Biwagaku were very popular from the Taisho to the early Showa eras, but their popularity waned rapidly after World War II because many of the songs were based on war stories. Today, however, new developments are being seen, such as the creation of a new genre called "bigin," which has short, poetic content, started by Yamazaki Kyokusui of the Chikuzen Biwa Tachibana Society, and the active use of the biwa by contemporary composers such as Takemitsu Toru.

[Sylvain Guignard]

Chinese lute
19th century, wood and ivory, length 94.2 cm, owned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, China

Chinese lute

Types of Japanese Biwa
©Shogakukan ">

Types of Japanese Biwa

Names of the various parts of the Satsuma Biwa
©Katsuya Nishikawa ">

Names of the various parts of the Satsuma Biwa

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

中国、朝鮮、日本のリュート属撥弦(はつげん)楽器。中国、朝鮮では「ピパ」とよばれる。日本へは奈良時代に中国から伝来したが、その起源はおそらくペルシアにあると考えられる。ササン朝ペルシア（3～7世紀）のバルバットbarbatという木製・曲頸(きょくけい)洋ナシ形胴の弦楽器がイスラム時代にウードとなり、アラビア商人によって広く伝播(でんぱ)し、ヨーロッパではリュートに、アジアでは琵琶となった。琵琶の名はこのバルバットに由来するという説、弾弦の往復運動を表す漢語という説などがある。

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中国

唐代の琵琶については、正倉院に保存されている五つの楽器が資料として重要である。これらのうち四つが四弦曲頸洋ナシ形胴の楽器で、残りの一つが五弦直頸洋ナシ形胴の螺鈿紫檀五絃(らでんしたんごげん)琵琶である。前者がイラン起源、後者がインド起源と考えられる。またこのほかに四弦直頸円形胴の阮咸(げんかん)（唐代以前は秦(しん)琵琶とよばれた）が二面保存されている。いずれも美しい装飾が施され、撥(ばち)面にはラクダやゾウの図もみえる。宋(そう)代には独奏および伴奏楽器として広く愛好され、とくに南部では叙事物語の朗唱（弾詞(だんし)）の伴奏に用いられた。明(みん)代にはさらに室内音楽および劇場音楽としても使われたが、清(しん)代に入って三弦の胡弓(こきゅう)に似た楽器によってとってかわられた。

　今日の中国の琵琶は、曲がった棹と洋ナシ形の胴をもつ四弦16柱(じゅう)（17柱、24柱のものもある）の楽器で、普通A₂-D₃-E₃-A₃に調弦される。奏者は椅子(いす)に座り、膝(ひざ)の上に楽器を垂直に立てるように置いて、指の爪(つめ)で弾奏する。親指と人差し指によるトレモロおよびクレッシェンドやデクレッシェンドが特徴的である。

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朝鮮

朝鮮にも3種類の琵琶があり、これらはもっぱら宮廷音楽（雅楽）に用いられた。第一のタイプは四弦曲頸洋ナシ形胴の琵琶で、新羅統一（676）前後に唐から輸入されたものと考えられる。唐琵琶(タンピパ)とよばれ、唐楽の中心的弦楽器であった。高麗(こうらい)朝（10～14世紀）には宮廷雅楽が唐楽と郷楽(きょうがく)（朝鮮固有の音楽）に分かれ、唐楽には唐琵琶、郷楽には第二のタイプである五弦直頸洋ナシ形胴の郷琵琶(ヒヤンピパ)が使われ始めた。李朝(りちょう)（15～19世紀）に入ると郷楽にも唐琵琶が用いられ始め、その際、柱の数も4から12に増えるなどの変更を受けた。この楽器は現在ではまったく使われていない。第三のタイプは月琴(げっきん)である。これは現在使用される中国の月琴よりむしろ阮咸に似た長棹円形胴の楽器で、郷楽にのみ用いられたが、これも今日では使われていない。

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日本

今日、日本では次の5種の琵琶が用いられている。すべて曲がった棹と洋ナシ形の胴をもち、撥で弾奏する。

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楽琵琶

雅楽で用いる琵琶。もっとも起源が古く、奈良時代にまでさかのぼる。現在、雅楽のなかでは旋律楽器としてではなく、和音や単音を弾奏して拍節表示をするリズム楽器として位置づけられている。しかし、かつては独奏曲も輸入されたこともあり、833年（天長10）に藤原貞敏(さだとし)は唐から『流泉』など3曲を持ち帰ったが、それらが秘曲とされていたこともあって、近世には消失してしまった。楽器は5種の琵琶中もっとも大きく、奏者は楽器を水平に構え、弦の上を押さえて弾奏する。

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盲僧琵琶

盲目の僧侶(そうりょ)が『地神経(じしんきょう)』などの経文を琵琶伴奏で唱えるもので、「地神琵琶」「荒神(こうじん)琵琶」ともいわれる。楽琵琶と同時か遅くとも9世紀には成立し、当時は天台宗の仏教儀式に用いられ、主として九州で栄えた。今日でも九州地方にのみわずかに残る。現在、筑前(ちくぜん)盲僧琵琶、薩摩(さつま)盲僧琵琶の二大系統があり、福岡の成就院、鹿児島の常楽院がそれぞれの中心地となっている。楽器は携帯の便のため小形で、奏者は楽器をやや斜めに立てて構え、柱と柱の間を押さえて弾奏する。

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平家琵琶

平曲、つまり『平家物語』を語る音楽の伴奏楽器。平曲は室町時代に全盛期を迎え、江戸時代に前田流（江戸）と波多野流（京都）に分裂した。江戸幕府によって能と同じく式楽として保護されていたため、三味線の流行にも駆逐されることなく、明治時代まで存続し、今日も名古屋、仙台などに奏者が残っている。楽器はやや大形で、奏者は楽器をほぼ水平に構え、柱の上を押さえて弾奏する。

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薩摩琵琶

室町時代末期に薩摩盲僧琵琶から派生した琵琶で、今日、正派(せいは)、錦心(きんしん)流、錦(にしき)琵琶、鶴(つる)派など多くの流派がある。薩摩（鹿児島県）島津藩の島津忠良(ただよし)が、武士の道徳教育の目的で薩摩盲僧淵脇寿長院(ふちわきじゅちょういん)に琵琶歌を作曲させたのが始まりで、江戸時代末期に名手池田甚兵衛が今日の正派様式を確立した。明治維新後、東京を中心に全国に広まり、男性的な楽器としてもてはやされた。明治後期、東京の永田錦心が都会的趣味の錦心流を開き、分派。以後、本来の薩摩琵琶を正派とよぶ。さらに昭和初年、錦心流から水藤錦穣(すいとうきんじょう)が錦琵琶を考案し、1980年代にはやはり錦心流から鶴田錦史(つるたきんし)が鶴派を開いて分派した。正派と錦心流の琵琶はやや大ぶりで、奏者は楽器を立てて構え、柱と柱の間を押さえてたたくように激しく弾奏する。男性奏者が多い。錦琵琶は薩摩琵琶と筑前琵琶を融合したもので、曲調面からも両者の折衷といえ、奏者は女性が多い。鶴派琵琶は、曲折した柱、撥での擦奏など、楽器機構・奏法に斬新(ざんしん)なくふうを加えている。

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筑前琵琶

明治維新後の当道座廃止によって衰微した筑前盲僧琵琶の伝統を基に薩摩琵琶、三味線音楽の要素を取り入れて、明治20年代に北九州で創始された新琵琶楽。橘智定(たちばなちじょう)（初世旭翁(きょくおう)）、鶴崎賢定(けんじょう)、吉田竹子らによって始められた。とくに上京して活躍した橘旭翁の尽力で明治後期から昭和初めにかけて盛行し、薩摩琵琶と人気を二分するに至った。楽器は薩摩琵琶よりやや小さく、曲調も全体的に女性的である。しかし、大正時代に薩摩琵琶の影響で考案された五弦琵琶の曲には勇壮な男性的曲調のものもみられる。奏者にはいまなお女性が多い。

　薩摩琵琶楽、筑前琵琶楽はともに大正から昭和初年にかけて大流行したが、戦記物語を題材とする曲が多いため、第二次世界大戦後その人気は急速に衰えてしまった。しかし今日では、短く詩的な内容をもつ「琵吟(びぎん)」とよばれる新しいジャンルが筑前琵琶橘会の山崎旭萃(きょくすい)によって始められたり、武満徹(たけみつとおる)ら現代音楽の作曲家によって琵琶が積極的に取り入れられるなど新たな展開をみせている。

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[参照項目] | 楽琵琶 | 薩摩琵琶 | 正倉院 | 橘旭翁 | 筑前琵琶 | 永田錦心 | 平曲 | 盲僧琵琶

中国の琵琶
19世紀　木・象牙　全長94.2cm　中国メトロポリタン美術館所蔵">

中国の琵琶

日本の琵琶の種類

薩摩琵琶の各部名称

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例

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