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Shamisen Player
Kunisada Utagawa 1786-1865
copyright protected

Shamisen is an old Japanese musical instrument. It looks like a banjo with a long neck. You might have heard of shamisen music in connection with geishas, the kabuki theater or the Japanese bunraku puppet theater.

The Shamisen Anatomy

The shamisen is a lute instrument with three strings. It has a very long neck and is about 30 inches (one meter) long.

Its body is made out of wood and covered with cat or dog skin ( Pet lovers excuse! I hate the idea myself. ). In the historical beginnings, snake skin was used ( not much better ). The body is stuck on a pole, the neck. Body and neck can be taken apart. Thus the shamisen is easier to transport.

Over the course of time, different forms of the musical instrument devellopped. The main types are the futozao, the hosozao and the tsugaru. The difference is in the thickness of the body and thus the typical sound of the instrument. As with all Japanese art forms like the tea ceremeny or martial arts, dozens of different styles emerged - taught in numerous schools.

Shamisen History

Shamisen Player
by Tadamasa Ueno
copyright protected

As often to be found in Japanese arts, also the shamisen has its origins in China. From China the instrument came to the Southern Islands of Ryukyu (Okinawa). Around the late 16th century the it arrived on the Japanese main island and soon became popular. It was first used by street singers and geishas and considered a lower class instrument.

The shamisen plays a major role in Japanese theater - in kabuki and in bunraku - the very special Japanese form of puppet theater.

It was and is still used as principal instrument for background music in kabuki plays. And with the rising attraction of kabuki during the Edo period, the popularity of this musical instrument soared. In a bunraku play, the shamisen player has to accompany the narrator, the man who tells the story.

During the 19th century, the shamisen rose to a classical concert instrument.

Glossary

Shamisen Girl at Yui
by Eisen Ikeda 1790-1848
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Articles about Japanese music often use dozens of Japanese terms. When I arrive at the fourth term, I usually forgot the first three. For the ambitious ones among you, here are a few special terms.

• bachi - a large pick used to strike or pluck the three strings
• joruri - narrative style used in bunraku puppet theater
• gidayu - narrative style invented by Takemoto Gidayu (1651-1714)
• nagauta or naga-uta - long, lyrical songs
• minyo or min-yo - folk songs
• hon-choshi - a form of tuning - solemn
• niagari - a form of tuning - serene
• san-sagari - a form of tuning - melancholic

Forever Young

The shamisen is still a very popular musical instrument in Japan and now even outside the country. Its use spreads from a classical solo, chamber or concert instrument to folk music and to contemporary versions of some kind of improvised jazz music.

The shamisen is often used in an ensemble with two other Japanese instruments - the bamboo flute ( shakuhachi ) and the koto - a flat floor 13 string instrument. This three instrument ensemble is called sankyoku.

Shamisen on the Internet

Shamisen Player
Keishu Takeuchi 1861-1942
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• Shamisen - by Shammy

Dieter

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