The was a Japanese guild for blind men, established in the 14th century by the

biwa hōshi , also known as "lute priests", were travelling performers in the era of Japanese history preceding the Meiji period. They earned their income by reciting vocal literature to the accompaniment of music. were mostly blind, and adopted the shaved ...

. Members performed a variety of roles, as itinerant musicians, masseurs, and

acupuncturists Acupuncture is a form of alternative medicine and a component of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in which thin needles are inserted into the body. Acupuncture is a pseudoscience; the theories and practices of TCM are not based on scientif ...

. It received the patronage of the

Muromachi The is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate (''Muromachi bakufu'' or ''Ashikaga bakufu''), which was officially established in 1338 by t ...

and Edo shogunates, and remained active until the

Meiji restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...

, being eventually disbanded in 1871. The organization was hierarchically structured. The primary ranks, known as , were (the highest), then , , and ; these were further subdivided into a total of 73 distinct grades. Total membership was usually around 3,000; it is not known what proportion of the total blind population this represents. The Tōdōza accepted only male members; a separate organization, the , existed for blind women. There was additionally a further guild, the , similar to the Tōdōza but active mostly in the western regions of Japan.

See also