琵び琶わ法ほう師し

noun

biwa-playing minstrel; lute priest

Historical term for a blind itinerant performer who played the biwa (Japanese lute) and often dressed like a Buddhist monk. Associated with the medieval period and the spread of epic narratives such as the Heike Monogatari.

See also: 琵琶

• 琵び琶わ法ほう師しは平へい家け物もの語がたりを語かたり歩あるいた。

  Biwa-playing minstrels traveled around reciting the Tale of the Heike.