Shamisen

The shamisen is a stringed instrument and one of the traditional musical instruments of Japan. It comprises a wooden body covered with animal or synthetic skin and a long neck on which strings are strung and plucked. The appeal of the shamisen lies, more than anything, in its versatility in musical expressions. One could say that as an instrument the shamisen is special in that it allows for both bold and delicate sounds. 

There are 3 types of shamisen according to the width of the neck: the futozao (wide neck), the chūzao (medium-wide neck), and the hosozao (narrow neck). The neck of the futozao on the left in the image measures over 3 cm wide and the body of the instrument is also quite large. This type of shamisen is used for music from the Tsugaru region or for gidayu dramatic recitations. In the middle is the chūzao which has a neck measureing between 2.6 and 2.7 cm wide. This type of shamisen is mainly used to accompany jiuta and minyō folk songs. To the right is the hosozao with its neck measuring under 2.5 cm wide. This type of shamisen is mainly used in traditional music including nagauta (kabuki music) and zoku’uta (traditional fold music).

The shamisen body is made from Chinese quince which is more gentle compared to mahogany or red sandalwood. There are two types of shamisen body, the maru’uchi-dō with rounded interior and the ayasugi-dō with the zigzagging carving on the inside. The zigzagging pattern of the latter augments minute sound vibrations to further increase sound quality.

In general, there are a total of 68 steps in the making of a shamisen. The process is mainly divided into three parts: the tenji (head or top end of the neck), the sao (neck) and the dō (body). Each part is created separately before being assembled. We talked to shamisen maker and player, Satoshi Nonaka (whose workshop is located in Higashiyama’s Ajiki Alley that has many traditional machiya and nagaya houses built over a century ago) about the process of making a shamisen. Let’s take a look at how each component is made. 

The neck comprises three sections: the top section, the middle section, and the lower section. These three sections are joint using fittings. The shamisen is often carried in its case with these sections stored apart. The tenons are made to precision using a chisel or a gimlet. It takes a master to create detachable fittings that fit perfectly.

The skin is first dampened, and then the areas that will be adhered to the body frame are scraped down using a pumice stone or sandpaper. Next, special pegs are clipped along the four sides of the skin. Glue is then applied to the body frame and the skin still with all the pegs attached are placed over the body frame. The body is placed on the stretching platform and the skin is gradually tightened using cords wound to each peg whilst checking the sound by tapping on the skin using a mojiribō stick. Once the skin is stretched and dried, excess skin is then trimmed off. After that comes the stringing. The assembled shamisen is thoroughly checked for all angles. Finally, the bridge is attached and the strings are each tuned to the required note.

In general, there are dozens of different types of tools used in the 68 steps of making a shamisen, including chisels, planes and files. Today, shamisenare mostly made by different craftspeople depending on the parts. We will take a look at the tools used by Tomofumi Nonaka who is in charge of making the neck. 

The tachi-kanna is a scraper plane used to shape the neck. The word ‘tachi’ literally means ‘standing up’ and the name of the plane comes from the fact that the blade is set to a 90-degree angle, which is different from normal planes. This angle is necessary in order to prevent chipping of the blade, something that is common with normal planes when planing hard wood. The sakadachi-kanna, on the other hand, is a plane mainly used for the final finish. ‘Saka’ means ‘the other way round’ and the plane is so called because the blade is set to the opposite angle of blades found in planes used in carpentry and other purposes. The sakadachi-kanna plane gets rid of any fuzzy grain and leaves the wood surface smooth. 

Today, shamisen workshops undertake many repair jobs. The repairing of a shamisen neck is called kanberi-naoshi. The word ‘kan’ comes from kandokoro or the areas touched by the player’s fingers which become worn overtime. As the kandokoro become worn and dented, the strings get pushed in and prevents adequate sound to be produced. For this reason, kanberi-naoshi is done regularly.

Since being included as part of the compulsory music study at schools from around 2004, traditional Japanese instruments such as the shamisen have become familiar items to Japanese school children. In addition, these instruments have also been used by rock bands, as well as being incorporated into various music genres. As a versatile instrument that can adapt to the times, as well as different playing and music styles, the shamisen will no doubt continue to take on new musical styles in the future.