Satsuma-biwa music

Hiromi Hakozaki, who is a Satsuma-biwa player, played biwa music at the machiya of Onishi-tune-shoten and explained how biwa instruments became its present form. I want to write about one of Japan’s specific sound instruments according to her explanation. Before my explanation I want to mention my impression after listening to her play, I said to her in this way.
“The sounds of Satsuma-biwa is calm in terms that it allows a human physiological phenomenon like that blood pressure will be peaceful, but is very deep in terms that it lets the human spirit vibrate strongly.”

Biwa v.s. Lute

Biwa(Japanese lute) came far from Persia in the 8th century via The Silk Road. The picture above is an ancient Persian lute instrument(front and back) which is stored as a national treasure in Syosoin next to Todaiji or Kasuga Shrine in Nara City from the 8th century. There is an opinion that the lute in Syosoin is the original biwa(lute). And the long history for thirteen centuries in Japan transformed it into its present biwa instrument. On the contrary, the Persian lute which is transferred to Europe from Persia was transformed into the lute.

Now, I will compare the Satsuma-biwa and the lute from the eyes based on how to play. Firstly, the lute has frets but biwa has no frets. Instead of frets the Satsuma-biwa has “ju”s which make pitches and string-blending sounds. Secondly, the lute is played by the fingers, on the contrary, the Satsuma-biwa is played by a “bachi”, which is bigger than a human hand as in the picture below, for picking strings, rubbing strings and hitting strings and its board. Simply speaking, Satsuma-biwa is not for melody but for sounds.

Characteristics of the Satsuma-biwa sounds are very specific. The first is “sawari” in Japanese, which means overtones. For Eastern instruments, producers have developed clear sounds by eliminating overtones. On the contrary, historical biwa producers developed sawari by sacrificing clear sounds. Besides, the Satsuma-biwa is an instrument that players can make distorted sounds like noise.

Evidence is better than debate! Please listen to a master play.

Satsuma-biwa music with syakuhachi, koto and drums


Singular usage of the Satsuma-biwa
Biwa playing spread throughout Japan in the Kamakura period(the 12th century to the 14th century). Those who spread biwa music were biwa priests who chanted tragic stories of “Heike-monogatari” , Tales of the Heike, which were the tales that the Heike families boasted prosperity and were ruined by the Genji families who were the king’s families in the Kamakura period.

As you know biwa music is sorrowful. But yet there was a method to play biwa music in situations where it not normally played. The writer who spread “the way of the Samurai” in America, Inazo Nitobe, noted about the Satsuma-biwa in his book “ Bushido” as follows.

“In the principality of Satsuma, noted for its material spirit and education, the custom prevailed for young men to practice music(Satsuma-biwa music); not the blast of trumpets or the beat of drums,—“those clamorous harbingers of blood and death”— string us to imitate the actions of a tiger, but sad and tender melodies on the biwa, soothing our fiery spirits, drawing our thoughts away from the scent of blood and scenes of massacre.”

According to another interesting real story, biwa music met the largest thoughts of eastern society in the civil war period. A poor biwa priest resting on a street whose name was Ryousai heard the Christian teaching of Francisco Xavier by chance. Xavier of Societas Iesu came from Europe to teach Christianity to Japanese people in the 16th century. Ryousai believed Christian thoughts immediately on hearing Xavier’s teaching and was named Lorenzo Ryousai by Xavier. Lorenzo deeply understood the thoughts of Christianity. He made new biwa music with Christian chants and he devoted himself to take on the missionary works with Xavier. His ability to correctly chant was put to good use in spreading the words of The Bible correctly. He met many samurai lords and some samurai lords changed their beliefs to Christianity. Besides, he argued with Buddhist priests and defeated them by his deep religious understanding.

How did Satsuma-biwa influence the human heart?
Xavier said about Japanese people at that time after returning to Europe as follows.

“People in this nation are supreme of all the people I have met. We wouldn’t be able to find people better than Japanese people in different religious nations. They are kind, generally good people and they don’t have malicious minds. They are surprisingly proud and they put their significance on honor. Most Japanese people are poor, nonetheless, the samurai and even other people don’t think that poverty is a dishonor. Besides, Japanese people are sociable and they have a lot of interest in things which they don’t know about.”

The personality which Xavier described is the so-called autonomy. And It might be that one person of those who were mentioned by Xavier was Lorenzo Ryousai. As a result of thinking about Lorenzo’s biography and the Xavier’s description, to say as Lorenzo in a word he might be an autonomous person. The autonomous person has three significant characteristics, independence, self-esteem and self morality. Especially, a self-esteemed person knows the meaning and the purpose of his life. Even if he were such a person, there are still doubtful points. No sooner did he hear the thoughts of Christianity than changed his belief, why? Why could he make biwa music with chants from The Bible without hesitation? Why could he abandon his old religion and the traditional Satuma-biwa music without concern?

I am sure that he had an excellent ability of intelligent perception, which includes a perceptive ability to love, to receive Christianity. In addition, I have my idea for answering those doubts. It is said that in-depth Japanese styles have ambivalence. I don’t know whether Lorenzo’s autonomy was his own self. But if, it may sound strange, I think that Satsuma-biwa music with overtones influencing his mind, heart and spirit might have grown his ability of intellectual perception and might have forged him to be someone with ambivalence, to be beyond fear or to become autonomous. Moreover if it was true, for young samurais to play Satsuma-biwa music was reasonable in the meaning that Satsuma-biwa music developed their ability of intelligent perception and it lets samurais go beyond the fear of death with the scent of blood and become autonomous with ambivalence between massacre and calm. Come to think of it, my impression of Satsuma-biwa music is ambivalence. My imagination never stopped but it won’t spread further.


Please enjoy Satsuma-biwa music
Now, I want to write my conclusion. Please listen to Satsuma-biwa music. Why? Because it may push up your ability of intellectual perception. And the ability of intellectual perception shall raise your ability of development for new things and new thoughts or for how to enjoy your life.

Actually, Satsuma-biwa music doesn’t have the same elements compared with the elements of western music with rhythms, melody, chords, tonality and structure. However, it has many things like the diversity of its sounds and non-linear different from structure. You may feel my idea below strange; western music has an eye on its own completion, but Satsuma-biwa music has an eye on its supreme brilliance on playing it and has a room where each listeners can add his feeling into. After all, Satsuma-biwa music is transferable, fragile and deep-skill-needed. And it is important thinking point that Japanese historical producers sought those characteristics of sounds. Resonance and sympathetic vibration are important key words to connect those independent and non-linear sounds, I think.

Please listen to it live. Because the vibration of the air around the biwa music is one of its music and a player and listeners make the field of music together. Moreover, that field is a once-in-a-lifetime encounter. You should listen to it with all your body.