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Paper short abstract

This paper traces the origin and historical development of the blind biwa tradition in Japan and examines the relationship between the heike zatō and mōsō groups, with particular attention to Heike-related tales that became a central component of the repertory of blind biwa players in Kyushu.

Paper long abstract

The tradition of performing songs and narrating tales to the accompaniment of lute-like instruments has existed on the Asian continent since ancient times. However, the pathways through which biwa-accompanied storytelling was transmitted to and established in Japan remain unclear. Literary and historical records begin to mention blind biwa players, known as biwa hōshi, only from the Heian period onward, leaving earlier stages of this tradition largely undocumented.

Biwa hōshi were not solely performers who recited narrative works such as Heike Monogatari and Sōga Monogatari; they also fulfilled a wide range of ritual and religious roles. These included fortune-telling, spirit pacification, and practices connected to the veneration of water and earth deities, situating biwa hōshi at the intersection of storytelling, ritual practice, and local belief systems. Over time, two distinct groups of blind biwa players emerged from this broader tradition: heike zatō and jijin mōsō. Biwa hōshi active in urban settings, organized under tōdō-za, a professional guild of blind performers established in Kyoto, increasingly systematized their activities and developed biwa performance into a specialized performing art. In contrast, mōsō, who remained primarily in rural communities, preserved older shamanistic and religious practices and maintained close ties to local ritual contexts.

According to a traditional account, the blind biwa tradition in Kyushu originated in the second year of the Empō era (1674), when Funahashi Kengyō traveled from Kyoto to Kumamoto at the request of Lord Hosokawa. During his stay, he performed Heike recitations and composed several narratives based on local historical events, which he subsequently transmitted to local blind biwa players.

This paper traces the origin and historical development of the blind biwa tradition and examines the relationship between heike zatō and mōsō. Particular attention is given to Heike-related tales, which became an essential component of the repertory of blind biwa players in Kyushu, highlighting how shared narrative materials were adapted to differing social, religious, and performative contexts.