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 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 13^th 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 17^th 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.