The replica of the “five-stringed ‘biwa’ lute of red sandalwood with mother-of-pearl inlay” (Provided by the Imperial Household Agency)

After a painstaking eight-year endeavor, workers replicated an elaborate and unique musical instrument once cherished by Emperor Shomu (701-756), one of the most important treasures kept at Nara’s Shosoin Repository.

The “five-stringed ‘biwa’ lute of red sandalwood with mother-of-pearl inlay,” a masterpiece made of various materials through numerous techniques, is believed to have been produced in China’s Tang Dynasty (618-907).

The Imperial Household Agency replicated the lute in hopes of uncovering the manufacturing techniques that were used more than 12 centuries ago.

The replica, measuring 108 centimeters long and 30.9 cm wide, features such details of the original as mother-of-pearl inlay, which uses turban shells, and resplendent decorations made of turtle shell.

Agency officials said the five-stringed biwa originated in India.

The original kept at Shosoin is a treasure that Empress Komyo (701-760) dedicated to the Great Buddha of Todaiji temple to commemorate the 49th day after the death of her husband, Emperor Shomu, in line with Buddhist practice.

It is the only five-stringed biwa that has survived to this day.

“(The five-stringed biwa) is one of the most important pieces of the Shosoin Treasures, so I was tense all the time while I was working on it,” said Shosai Kitamura, an 81-year-old lacquer artist who worked on the mother-of-pearl inlay decorations.

Kitamura is a government-designated living human treasure.

An agency official explained why the replication took such an unusually long time to complete.

“We couldn’t afford to make mistakes because precious materials are used in the article,” the official said. “We proceeded carefully with every single process.”

The replication work started after the agency in fiscal 2003 acquired red sandalwood and turtle shell that had been in stock in Japan.

Red sandalwood was used in the main body of the original lute, but many countries that produce the wood now ban its export.

Decorations on the lute were made from the shell of a certain species of sea turtle. However, cross-border trade of this species is banned under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

Workers also had to ensure the right material was used for the strings so that the replica would function properly as a musical instrument.

The strings on the original are all but lost. The workers analyzed residual fragments on the lute and decided the best choice for the replica’s strings, in terms of durability and expansibility, would be thread from the cocoons of the Koishimaru silkworm.

The Koishimaru is a silkworm strain that Empress Emerita Michiko was growing at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.

The workers were given 15 kilograms of cocoons for the replication.

The agency official said the replica has a higher tone than that of a four-stringed biwa.

“The sound was light and evocative of the Western Regions (along the Silk Road),” the official said.

Emperor Emeritus Akihito and Michiko appeared very pleased when they listened to the sound of the instrument during their visit to Kyoto in March, the official added.

The five-stringed biwa is on display through Aug. 4 during the first term of the exhibition titled “Passing Down the Shosoin Treasures--Projects of Reproduction and Conservation” at Sannomaru Shozokan at the Imperial Palace. Sannomaru Shozokan is also called the Museum of the Imperial Collections. Admission is free.

The items in the Shosoin Treasures are centered on those prized by Emperor Shomu, who reigned from 724 through 749 in the Nara Period (710-784).

Since 1972, the Imperial Household Agency has been replicating Shosoin’s treasures for the purpose of reviving ancient manufacturing techniques and passing down those cultural traditions.

The agency has so far produced 59 replicas, including a bowl, a mask and silk fabrics.