Shamisen Instruments Music Performing Arts Traditional Arts and Entertainment Japan

Shamisen Instruments Music Performing Arts Traditional Arts and Entertainment Japan

The shamisen is a three-stringed plucked lute. It was introduced to Japan from China during the Edo period. It is part of traditional sankyoku chamber music and is used as background music for kabuki theatre and as accompaniment to narratives and songs in bunraku puppet theatre. The Tsugaru shamisen, a slightly larger instrument, is the staple of Tsugaru folk shamisen, an improvisational style developed in the northern region of Honshu, Japan's main island.

Top: Regional: Asia: Japan: Arts and Entertainment: Traditional: Performing Arts: Music: Instruments: Shamisen

See Also:

Trends in Japan: Tsugaru Shamisen - Article about renewed interest in the instrument. Includes links.
Shammy's - Information about the shamisen, a stringed instrument. Includes tuning and building.
IIAS Newsletter: Tsugaru Shamisen Music - Dr. Hae-kyung Um's book review of The Birth of Tsugaru Shamisen Music.
Hidetaro, Honjoh - Traditional and contemporary shamisen musician and composer. Includes biography, discography with audio samples, shamisen history and styles including hauta and risogaku. [English/Japanese]

Help build the largest human-edited directory on the web.
Submit a Site - Open Directory Project - Become an Editor
Click here to add, change or remove your listing

MySQL - Cache Direct sec.