Biwa-bokuboku 琵琶牧々

Biwa-bokuboku (琵琶牧々) is a hauntingly beautiful yokai—a sentient musical instrument that refuses to be silenced by time or neglect.

Meaning and Origin

The name comes from the Biwa (琵琶 - a traditional wooden lute) and bokuboku (牧々), which is both an onomatopoeic reference to the sound of the instrument and a tribute to the legendary biwa named “Bokuba.”

As a tsukumogami, the Biwa-bokuboku is a lute that has reached its 100th year or was abandoned by a master musician. Instead of rotting away, it gains a soul and a body, often choosing to wander the world as a wandering performer (biwa hōshi).

Characteristics

The Biwa-bokuboku is typically seen as a human figure dressed in the robes of a blind priest, but with a large biwa lute where its head should be. It often carries a walking cane and its original plucking plectrum.

It is not malevolent; rather, it is consumed by a desire to play. It wanders the streets at night, its strings vibrating with phantom music that is said to be so exquisite it can calm even the most violent demons.

Legends

Illustrated by Toriyama Sekien in Gazu Hyakki Tsurezure Bukuro, it is said that the Biwa-bokuboku is particularly fond of haunted houses or old temples. It will sit in the shadows and play sorrowful tunes, lamenting the days when it was played by the hands of a true master.

In some tales, it is part of a trio of sentient instruments, along with the Koto-furunushi (koto) and Shami-chōrō (shamisen), who perform ghostly concerts in abandoned palaces.