Thanks to Ghost of Tsushima for including YAMATO, Biwa player
"Ghost of Tsushima " is a PlayStation 4 game software produced by Sucker Punch Productions and released in July 2020.
Ghost of Tsushima - Official Cinematic Trailer
The story is......
The year is 1274.
Samurai warriors were the legendary defenders in Japan.
Suddenly, the Mongolian armies struck an island called Tsushima in the Kyushu area.
It is about Jin Sakai, the samurai warrior who fights against the invasion.
Everyone who already played the games , remembered the blind monk named "Yamato" who plays an important role in this game. He plays the BIWA a stringed instrument that looks like a guitar or a lute.
I am an amateur Biwa player.
I would like to express my appreciation to Sucker Punch Productions for introducing Biwa as an attractive instrument.
The game has been criticized for Cultural Appropriation sometimes , but as for me I don't think it needs to be criticized.
Sucker Punch Productions teams learned a lot about Japanese culture and history, especially about Biwa.I felt they had a deep respect for Japanese culture.
From now on , I will explain more about BIWA, thanks to the game creators.
Biwa had been introduced to Japan by the Tang dynasty (618-907) in China.
BIWA's ancestor is the OUD and was born in the Middle east. The OUD travelled Silk Road to Japan. OUD had been to WEST and became lutes and guitars in Europe.
The OUD became PIPA in China, BIPA in Korea and DAN TY BA in Vietnam.
These kind of instruments were written by the same Chinese characters.
The biwa was initially an instrument for aristocrats, and was used in orchestras and solo instrumental musical performances.
Biwa began to be played by blind monks around the 11th century. They were called Biwa Houshi.
Houshi means a monk.
They began to sing about local traditions and war stories ‘HEIKE Tales ’.
HEIKE Tales is one of the most famous war stories in Japan.
Biwa Houshi had traveled around the country to tell the story of what happened to Heike around the 13th century.
Heike tales is about a battle between the Genji clans and Heike clans.
After a long battle, the Heike clan was defeated.
Heike tales was created to mourn the Heike clan's soul.
Biwa Houshi had traveled around the country to tell Heike tales around the 13th century.
Because Biwa Houshi belonged to the temples, they could easily escape from the power of the Shogunate, which was Samurai government during that time.
And so, Biwa Houshi were free to travel around the countries in Japan and got various information.
So, Biwa Houshi had a role as newscasters to inform the common people.
And Biwa Houshi were also like movie stars perfoming entertainment.
In the game therefore, Biwa Houshi is suitable as a role to give Jin Sakai a hint of capture.
Musician Yamato in the game is very accurate.
There are many types of Biwa in Japan, and it is difficult for even Japanese people to select accurately. We Biwa players are faced with a lot of misunderstanding about Biwa.
From left to right
Gaku Biwa
Chikuzen Biwa
Heike Biwa
Mousou Biwa
Satsuma Biwa
The shape of the Biwa played by Yamato is the Mousou BIWA.
Mousou Biwa was used by the monks who told the story of war or Sutra in the Kyushu area.And, Mousou Biwa was small and slender, so it was convenient to carry.
That is why Mousou biwa is the most suitable biwa for the game in island of the Kyushu in the 13th century.
And music in the game is played by Satsuma Biwa, not Mousou Biwa.
But I think this difference is a welcome arrangement and can be considered acceptable.
Nowadays very few people currently play the Mousou Biwa.
And the sound of Mousou Biwa is very monotonous and simple.
Satsuma Biwa is a modernized version of Biwa, so it is widely used in movies and games.
That is why Satsuma biwa is suitable for the game, and which makes it a spectacular and fantastic story.
I am greatly impressed with the sincere efforts of Sucker Punch Productions.
I want to say thank you to Sucker Punch Productions.
If you are interested ,I recommend you to listen to the performance of Biwa. You can hear it by searching "Biwa" on YouTube.
Gaku Biwa
Gaku Biwa was played by the aristocrats in the past, and as of the present time, is still in our modern Japanes traditional orchestra.
It is one of the oldest styles of Biwa.
MOUSOU Biwa
It was played by a blind monk like Yamato in the game.
盲僧琵琶 山鹿良之 「羅生門」 Story of Rashomon
Satsuma Biwa
Satsuma Biwa was played by the Samurai since the Edo period.
Traditional songs are sometimes played by Satsuma Biwa, and modern attempts are also being made.
Toru Takemitsu: November Stepps
