Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: 琵琶牧々, びわぼくぼく
Category: Object
The Myth
The Biwa Bokuboku is a supernatural musical instrument known as a tsukumogami, a household object that has acquired a life of its own. It resembles a biwa, a traditional Japanese lute used to accompany the singing of stories and poems, transformed into a humanoid figure dressed like a blind priest. It carries a cane and wanders through the streets, playing music for money.
According to tradition, a biwa of exceptionally fine construction can transform into a Biwa Bokuboku after reaching an advanced age. Rather than remaining an ordinary instrument, it develops a body and the ability to move and perform independently. It plays music as it travels, turning its former purpose as a musical instrument into a supernatural existence.
The creature’s name is connected to Bokuba, a legendary biwa renowned for its extraordinary musical abilities. This magnificent instrument was said to play by itself whenever nobody was watching. Its music was so beautiful that even oni, the fearsome demons of Japanese tradition, could be enchanted by it. The Biwa Bokuboku thus combines the Japanese tradition of aging objects acquiring supernatural life with the legendary power of music to captivate even supernatural beings.
Sources
“Biwa boku boku.” Yokai.com. https://yokai.com/biwabokuboku/