BIWA

The biwa derives from a Chinese lute which itself derives from a Persian/Middle Eastern lute called barbat 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, decorated with Central Asian themes, including a camel. This instrument is literally one of its kinds in Asia, being the only one preserved from the period, although similar instruments are manufactured in small numbers today. Wandering Biwa players, similar to minstrels, were known as Biwa hōshi.

The playing of the Biwa nearly became extinct during the Meiji period as Western music and instruments became popular.