Vintage Japanese Chikuzen Biwa 4-String Kiri Wood Lute Moon Inlay 39″L

Vintage Japanese Chikuzen Biwa (筑前琵琶): Kiri and Mulberry Wood Lute with Crescent Moon Inlays

Japan, Showa period, early-to-mid 20th century

Dimensions: approximately 39″L × 13.5″W (99 × 34 cm), typical for the type

This is a Japanese chikuzen biwa (筑前琵琶), a four-stringed lute with a pear-shaped body, kiri (paulownia) wood soundboard, and a bent-back pegbox fitted with four tuning pegs. Two crescent moon sound holes are inlaid in bone or ivory-imitation material below the strings, and the instrument has been fitted with new strings.

The chikuzen biwa emerged in the Meiji era as a lighter, more melodic alternative to the older satsuma biwa, favored for accompanying narrative song (biwa-uta). Body size was traditionally built to suit the player's vocal range and hand size, from around 90 cm for higher voices to 105 cm for deeper ones, with a mulberry (kuwa) body prized for its hardness against the soft paulownia soundboard.

Form: Japanese chikuzen biwa (筑前琵琶), four-stringed plucked lute
Construction or Decoration: Kiri (paulownia) wood soundboard, mulberry (kuwa) body and neck; bent-back pegbox with four tuning pegs, bone or ivory-style crescent moon sound hole inlays, new strings fitted
Period: Japan, Showa period, early-to-mid 20th century
Dimensions: approximately 39″L × 13.5″W (99 × 34 cm), typical for the type
Weight:
Condition: Wood shows a warm, even patina consistent with age and playing use; no cracks or losses noted in photos. Strings are new.