The biwa is a Japanese plucked lute, usually with a bent neck, four or five strings, and from four to six frets. It is pear-shaped, with a shallow wooden body, three sound holes, and twisted silk strings wound on lateral pegs; it is played with a bachi...

The biwa (琵琶) is a Japanese short-necked fretted lute, and a close variant of the Chinese pipa. The biwa is the chosen instrument of Benten, Goddess of music, eloquence, poetry, and education in Japanese...

Pearl watchers at this year's Tucson gem shows encountered a noticeable rise in the misuse of pearl terminology, including "keshi," "Biwa," and "natural." In an article in the Washington, D.C., GIA Alumni Chapter newsletter and Web site, gem author and photojournalist Fred...