The biwa is used in Gagaku and in the period of the imperial court, also was a solo instrument, as can be seen in the pictures illustrating the Tale of Genji. But this solo repertory, elegant pieces transmitted from China, has vanished, leaving only legends behind. In the medieval period, simple biwas were used by blind priests telling stories from the Tales of the Heike about the battles between the Genji and Heike clans. This style of narrative singing has been transmitted to the present, but there are almost no performers left and it is now more or less an ancient curiosity.
Modern biwa comes from the island of Kyushu as can be seen in the names Chikuzen and Satsuma, both parts of Kyushu. Even though the direct influence of Heike biwa is relatively weak, Satsuma biwa developed to encourage the martial spirit and new settings of texts taken from the Tales of the Heike as well as other battle tales are an important part of the modern biwa repertory.

Gaku Biwa:
It is said that the biwa lute originated in Persia, crossed the Asian continent and entered Japan together with Gagaku. The instrument used in Gagaku is called a gaku biwa. The body of the instrument is made with rosewood, mulberry or Chinese quince for the rounded part of the body (cherry and zelkova wood is also used) and chestnut for the face of the instrument. If the rounded part of the body is made from one piece of wood it is called "hita ko" and if it is made from two or three pieces of wood it is called "hagi ko." Hita ko instruments are considered to be the most valuable. There is a strip of leather about 10 - 12 cm. wide across the lower part of the face of the instrument. This is struck with the plectrum when the instrument is played. Often beautiful pictures are painted on this strip of leather and famous biwa also have names, often names that are related to the designs of these pictures.
The upper part of the body is called the "shishi kubi (deer neck)" and is made from hard imported wood or mulberry. The top part is called the "kairobi (shrimp tail)" and is made of boxwood or sandalwood. The pegs for the strings are low and small, which distinguishes the gaku biwa from more modern types of biwa lke the Satsuma biwa and the Chikuaen biwa. The plectrum is made of boxwood and is thin and around 20 cm. long. There are four strings made of silk.

Chikuzen Biwa:
At the end of the Nara period and beginning of the Heian period, there was a blind priest in Hakata named Gensei. He knew Dangyo Daishi, the founder of the Tendai sect of Buddhism and when the temple Enryakuji was established on Mt. Hiei, Gensei was called to Kyoto. He taught the Buddhist sutras and also made great contributions when the capital was moved from Nara to Kyoto and was praised by the emperor. Gensei returned to Hakata and founded the temple Seishukuin. This is the main temple for Chikuzen blind priests and the spread Chikuzen biwa throughout northern Kyushu. The instruments they used were made by the priests themselves, so at first, there were many different kinds of biwa. But gradually, instruments with four strings and five bridges became standard. The instrument used for Chikuzen biwa today is a new instrument developed in the mid-Meiji period based on the Satsuma biwa. Some instruments have four strings and five bridges and other instruments have five strings and five bridges. The instrument with five strings adds one high-pitched string to the Satsuma biwa. The four string instrument is relatively small and has a very subtle sound, so there are many female performers on this instrument.

Satsuma Biwa:
Satsuma biwa began during the Muromachi period at the end of the 16th century when the lord of the Satsuma clan, Shimazu Tadayoshi ordered Fuchiwaki Ryoko to improve the instrument used in Satsuma by blind priests to increase the volume. The purpose was to create new biwa pieces to educate and encourage the samurai of the Satsuma domain in martial values. The Satsuma biwa has four strings and four bridges. It is large and the bridges are very high. It is played vigorously with a very large plectrum. There is not a strict attention to style so that performers are free to perform as they wish. In the Edo period, the lyrics of battle tales became very popular and biwa music became popular with commoners as well. The music of commoners is called "machi fu (town style)" as opposed to the "shi fu (samurai style)" practiced by the warrior class. In the Meiji period, Satsuma biwa spread all throughout the country. Today, some instruments also have the extra high string like the Chikuzen biwa. Satsuma biwa musicians use biwas with five strings and five bridges along with the original four string, four bridge instrument.