Biwa-bokuboku (琵琶牧々), sometimes only referenced as Biwa (琵琶), is a biwa yōkai.
Appearance[]
Biwa-bokuboku's head is an actual biwa, being a tsukumogami of said instrument. His eyes, which have purple sclerae and gold irises with black pupils, are placed by the side of the strings which are connected from the top of his head to his teeth. He has bony light purple arms and legs and wears what appears to be long wavy, beige straws.
Personality[]
Powers and Abilities[]
History[]
2007 Anime[]
He appears in episode #57 of the fifth anime adaptation, The Legendary Yōkai Nue!!
Legend[]
Biwa-Bokuboku is a tsukumogami of a biwa from the Gazu Hyakki Tsurezure Bukuro. They resemble a Biwa hōshi whose head is that of a biwa. The Biwa-Bokuboku travels around the country playing the sound of itself.
Long ago, there was a biwa known as the Genzō or the Bokuba kept in the Inner Palace. The Genzo was said to have a mysterious power in it, and even demons were so fascinated by it that they once stole and played it. It would not make a sound if being held by a poor player or if it was not dusted off. A fire broke out and the entire palace burned down, taking most of its treasures with it, but the Genzō Bokuba managed to escape by flying out the window. Toriyama Sekien speculated that the Genzō Bokuba may have been a Biwa-Bokuboku.
Another story told of a biwa hōshi who was traveling around the country when he came to a deep pool and dropped his biwa into it. When he went into the water to pick it up, the water, which had been calm until then, immediately turned violent and swallowed the biwa hōshi. When he came to his senses, his face had transformed into a biwa.
Trivia[]
- In the live-action film series, Biwa-Bokuboku increases his face from one to four when someone plays him.