Dan-no-Ura by Junko Ueda satsuma-biwa in Caunes Minervois, France

[GLL1912]

Beautiful !! i like the eeriness

[pinz2022]

I thought it had to be performed by man?

[WINDYSOUNDS]

@pinz2022 This seems to be a more often thought misunderstanding. The satsuma-biwa does can also be performed by women. It is however understandable one may think it should be performed by men, since if we look to the extensive history of the satsuma-biwa, often its history has been dominated by male players. Let's take a closer look to its history (see next reply)

[WINDYSOUNDS]

@pinz2022 The style of the satsuma-biwa originated from the Satsuma region in southern Japan, the present-day Kagoshima prefecture in Kyûshû. In the 16th century, Lord Shimazu encouraged the warriors of the Satsuma clan to learn songs with a didactic content and to play a type of biwa related to the ancient môsô-biwa. To produce a louder and more masculine sound, the instrument's body was enlarged and made of a harder wood - a making which was survived in the present-day satsuma-biwa.

[WINDYSOUNDS]

@pinz2022 At first, this instrument spread among the warriors who enjoyed recounting their heroic deeds. Around the turn of 20th century this regional genre has spread out and was practiced everywhere in Japan. It is said that there were about 30 biwa instrument makers in Tokyo at that time. It became popular more as an entertainment aspect than as a didactic purpose. Probably women players have appeared a little by little at that time.

[WINDYSOUNDS]

@pinz2022 However, by the end of World War II the biwa had become scarce. In the middle of 20th century, Ms. Kinshi Tsuruta restored the satsuma-biwa to favor, for example by interpreting Tôru Takemitsu's famous composition for biwa, shakuhachi and symphonic orchestra, "November Steps". Also, the traditional repertories are carefully chosen, for example emphasizing universal human feeling in the tragic episodes of Heike Monogatari, which can be understood world wide.

[pinz2022]

@WINDYSOUNDS

Awesome! Thank you.

[AssSqueeze]

Bring me back to ancient Japan...