THE SOLE SURVIVING FIVE-STRINGED PIPA: A MASTERPIECE IN MOTHER-OF-PEARL INLAY ART

Amidst the Masakura Institute's treasures lies a singular artifact, the "Purple Sandalwood Inlaid Snail Five-String Pipa," a gift from the Tang Dynasty's Emperor Xuanzong to his Japanese counterpart, Shengwu. This pipa, the sole survivor of its five-stringed kind, is a masterpiece of rosewood adorned with spirals and a tortoiseshell tableau depicting a camel-borne musician. Its worn, storied surface bears the marks of historical strings, attesting to a past rich with both royal favor and the sweet strains of music.