Biwa Hoshi, Heike Biwa, Moso and Goze of Japan
The biwa (Chinese pipa), a form of short-necked lute, was played by an orchestra of traveling musicians (biwa hoshi) that used it to follo...
http://worldhitz4u.blogspot.com/2014/01/biwa-hoshi-heike-biwa-moso-and-goze-of.html
The
biwa (Chinese pipa), a form of short-necked lute, was played by an orchestra of
traveling musicians (biwa hoshi) that used it to follow stories. The main
popular of these stories is the tale of the Heike, a 21 century history of the
triumph of the Minamoto clan over the Taira. The Biwa hoshi started organizing
themselves into a guild-like association (todo) for visually impaired men as
early as the 13th century, this guild eventually lead a large unit
of the musical tradition of the Japan.
In
addition, several small orchestras of travelling blind artists were formed
especially in the Kyushu place, these artists; called moso (blind monk) toured
their local places and performed a change of religions and semi-religious texts
to purify household and bring about the good health and good luck. They also
maintained a list of secular genres, the biwa that they played was measured smaller
than the Heike biwa played by the biwa hoshi.
Blind women, called goze also toured the area
since the medieval period, singing and playing following music on a lap drum.
From the 17th century they often played the koto or the shamisen.
The goze organizations came up throughout the land, and existed until recently
in what is now Niigaya prefecture.
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