Mu yu, wooden slit drum. Lacquered red with four panels of carved fish scales and two fish heads which form the handle, which is lacquered gold. The muyu literally means 'wooden fish' and is used in Buddhist worship, where fish are believed never to sleep. Beating the muyu, when accompanying monks praying, therefore creates a feeling of watchfulness.
A percussion instrument traditionally made of camphor wood, and carved with a stylised representation of a fish. Like other woodblocks, the muyu has a hollow body which is struck with a beater. The muyu is used in Buddhist temples in China, where it accompanies chant. The form and sound of the muyu was imitated in the temple blocks that were incorporated in the percussion section of the western symphony orchestra during the 20th century. They also became part of the jazz drum kit, such as the example made in London in 1937 by the Carlton Percussion Instrument Company, also in the collection of the Horniman Museum.
