Up for your consideration is this antique Japanese Biwa, amazing workmanship and design, in good condition with some wear and one string broken as shown. Please see photos.   Measures 34 1/2 inches long by 10 7/8 inches wide, the frets are 3/4 of an inch tall each.   The biwa (琵琶) is a Japanese short necked lute, often used in narrative storytelling. The biwa is the chosen instrument of Benten, goddess of music, eloquence, poetry, and education in Japanese Buddhism. The biwa is a plucked string instrument that was first popular in China and then spread throughout East Asia. It is said to have arrived in Japan from China during the Nara period (710–794), and is even thought[by whom?] to have roots that trace back to Persia. It is generally 60 centimetres (24 in) to 106 centimetres (42 in) in length and made from wood. The instrument consists of a water drop shaped body with a handle, and while there are generally four strings, five stringed varieties also exist. In Japan, the biwa is generally plucked with a bachi instead of the fingers, and is often used to play gagaku. In addition, it is used as musical accompaniment when blind monks recite scriptural texts, or when reciting The Tale of the Heike, a war chronicle from the Kamakura period
1185–1333). Thank you for viewing and please also see our other listings.  Have a great day!