The Origins and the Divergences of the Biwa-lutes as housed in the Sh?s?-in

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Other Title
  • 正倉院琵琶源流攷
  • ショウソウイン ビワ ゲンリュウコウ

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This paper discusses the origins and divergences of the Biwa (Ch. Pipa)-lutes as housed in the Sh?s?-in Repository in Japan. It analyzes historical and archaeological materials, while reflecting the fact that the lute type musical instruments were popular in Roma and India as well as China during the same period, especially ca. the 2nd - 3rd centuries CE. This fact does not seem to have been deliberately considered in previous studies. This paper brings up new hypotheses as following : The Genkan (Ch. Ruanxian, Fig. 1) was developed from its prototype, which had diverged in China in ca. the 2nd - 3rd centuries from the West Asian long neck lute. The spread of the West Asian long neck lute had been facilitated particularly through the Roman-Kushan seaborne trade in western part of Central Asia and North India during ca. the 1st - 3rd centuries. The Kyokk? (Ch. Quxiang, Fig. 2) was developed from its prototype, which had diverged in western part of Central Asia and North India by the 2nd century from the lute, which had been introduced from the Roman cultural sphere particularly through the Roman-Kushan seaborne trade. The Gogen (Ch. Wuxian, Fig. 3) was developed from its prototype, which had diverged in South India by the 3rd century from the lute, which had been brought from the Roman cultural sphere especially through the Roman-S?tav?hana seaborne trade. The Shinkan (Ch. Qinhan) is an unspecified lute, which existed in Tang dynasty China (618-907). It might have been a four-stringed short straight neck lute with a pear-shaped body (Fig. 4) with old characteristics of the Greek and Roman lutes.

Journal

  • 人文學報

    人文學報 103 1-43, 2013-03-25

    THE INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH IN HUMANITIES, KYOTO UNIVERSITY

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