Japanese stringed instruments?

Question

What is the ancient japanese stringed instrument. It looks like a large version of the mandalin(sp?) and has 3 strings. What is that called?

Answer 1

The shamisen is a 3-string lute. It is believed to be a variant of the Okinawan sanshin. The length of the shamisen varies from 1.1 to 1.4 meters. It first became popular in the pleasure districts during the Edo Period (1600~1868) and also began to be used for the musical accompaniment in kabuki and bunraku performances. The kabuki variety developed into its own form of dance music, the nagauta or long song. Shamisen are made from one of a variety of woods such as red sandalwood and the head covered with cat or dog skin. The pegs are traditionally made of ivory while the strings are twisted silk.

Traditional shamisen playing requires the player to be quite stiff and expressionless. But young players like the Yoshida Brothers or Agatsuma Hiromitsu bring a whole new, some would say rock and roll, approach that gets young fans in a frenzy of excitement while putting their elders in a fit of anger.

The biwa is a short-necked lute, used from the 7th century in gagaku, to accompany early puppet plays and also by blind monk entertainers, the Japanese equivalent of travelling minstrels. The main character in one of Japan's most famous legends, The Story of Earless Hoichi was one of these biwa hoshi (lute priests). There are many styles, the most popular being Satsuma biwa which was developed in the 16th century. The number of frets varies from 4 to 6 and strings vary in number from 3 to 5 but there are usually 4. The biwa is held almost vertical and played with a large bachi (plectrum).

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Answer 2

The shamisen is a 3-string lute. It is believed to be a variant of the Okinawan sanshin. The length of the shamisen varies from 1.1 to 1.4 meters. It first became popular in the pleasure districts during the Edo Period (1600~1868) and also began to be used for the musical accompaniment in kabuki and bunraku performances. The kabuki variety developed into its own form of dance music, the nagauta or long song. Shamisen are made from one of a variety of woods such as red sandalwood and the head covered with cat or dog skin. The pegs are traditionally made of ivory while the strings are twisted silk.

hope this helps...

Answer 3

A shamisen. It's a rather recently invented Japanese instrument, invented within the last 500 years(if i didn't remember wrongly it was invented in the 17th-18th century). It has three strings and is played with a bone plectrum. Performers can play and sing along at the same time, though the Japanese traditional style of singing is rather nasal.

Answer 4

The shamisen （三味線）is more modern, only from 15th or 16th century. What you're saying sounds more like the biwa (琵琶）. The shapes are very similar (oval) and I think it has the same roots as the lute.

Answer 5

it's a version of the lute called a Sanxian

Answer 6

It is a samisen. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samisen