biwa
Pear-shaped lute
A biwa is a Japanese stringed instrument with a pear-shaped body and a short neck, played with a large plectrum.
It resembles a lute and has been used for centuries in court music and storytelling traditions.
The instrument is associated with blind traveling musicians who accompanied epic narratives with its distinctive twanging sound.
Bulging below, narrow above
- plumpAgreeably fat, well-filled
- roundedHaving no sharp angles
- bulbousSwollen and round
- ovoidResembling an egg's form
teardrop · curved · bellied · body · silhouette · contour · outline · form
Pear-bodied fretted strings
- kotoJapanese plucked string instrument
- shamisenJapanese three-stringed plucked instrument
- stringsThin flexible lines
- pluckedPulled out forcefully
frets · neck · soundhole · plectrum · bachi · silk · nylon · resonance
Asian stone fruit
- yellowHue between green and orange
- tangySharp and lively-tasting
- subtropicalClimate near the tropics
- seededPlaced in ranking order
juicy · sweet · aromatic · ripe · nutritious · refreshing · Japanese · medlar
pear-shaped
Bulging below, narrow above
ovoid · teardrop · curved · bellied · body · silhouette · contour · outline · form
lute
Pear-bodied fretted strings
- kotoJapanese plucked string instrument
- shamisenJapanese three-stringed plucked instrument
- stringsThin flexible lines
plucked · frets · neck · soundhole · plectrum · bachi · silk · nylon · resonance · melody
loquat
Asian stone fruit
- yellowHue between green and orange
- tangySharp and lively-tasting
- subtropicalClimate near the tropics
seeded · juicy · sweet · aromatic · ripe · nutritious · refreshing · Japanese · medlar · orange
geisha
Japanese arts entertainer
- kabukiRitualistic performance for show
- nohClassical Japanese dramatic form
- storytellingRecounting events aloud
narrative · chant · blind · monks · pilgrimage · medieval · court · Buddhist · temple · ceremonial
orchard
Fruit tree plantation
grafting · picking · grove · irrigation · rootstock · evergreen · flowering · subtropical · climate · pollination
- Asian artskabuki, noh theater, Peking opera, Beijing opera, Chinese opera
- stringed instrumentsguitar, lyre, lute, mandolin, harp
- Old Japansamurai, shogun, daimyo, katana, kimono
- Asian Musicerhu, sitar, koto, shamisen, tabla
- East Asian MusicK-pop, C-pop, Cantopop, gagaku, taiko
- Japanese Artskabuki, noh, bunraku, gagaku, taiko
biwaelectric guitar
Amplified stringed instrument
synthesizer · electronic keyboard · drum machine · sampler · electric bass