Tickets
English
DonateMembershipTickets

Satsuma Biwa (薩摩琵琶)

ca. 1800
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 681
This lute came to Japan in the seventh century. Several types of biwa have been developed to suit different genres and performance styles. Unlike the modern Chinese pipa, the biwa is played with a triangular-shaped plectrum and is held more horizontally. Biwa music includes a repertoire derived from court narrative traditions and others from Buddhist sutra recitation.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Satsuma Biwa (薩摩琵琶)
  • Date: ca. 1800
  • Geography: Japan
  • Culture: Japanese
  • Medium: Wood, mother-of-pearl and ivory
  • Dimensions: 35 × 12 1/8 × 11 1/2 in. (88.9 × 30.8 × 29.2 cm)
  • Classification: Chordophone-Lute-plucked-fretted
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1968
  • Object Number: 68.62.1
  • Curatorial Department: Musical Instruments

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Heike Biwa (平家琵琶), Wood, leather, Japanese
Heike Biwa (平家琵琶)
Japanese
ca. 1835
Helmet (<i>Zukinnari Kabuto</i>), Iron, lacquer, Japanese
Helmet (Zukinnari Kabuto)
Japanese
16th century
Biwa, Wakamura workshop, Wood, lacquer, gold, white coral?, leather, ivory, Japanese
Biwa
Wakamura workshop
ca. 1891
Ennanga, Ganda, Wood, vegetal fiber, snake skin, hide, Ganda people
Ennanga
Culture Ganda
19th century
Armor (<i>Gusoku</i>), Saotome Ietada Japanese, Iron, lacquer, silk, gilt copper, Japanese
Armor (Gusoku)
Armorer Helmet bowl signed Saotome Ietada
Armorer Breastplate inscribed inside, Myōchin Munesuke
16th and 18th centuries

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.