Begin Japanology

The shamisen is a traditional three-stringed Japanese musical instrument. Its unique sound has been enjoyed in Japan for centuries. When you play the shamisen, you strike the body along with the strings. The strings and body vibrating together create a distinctive tone. The history of the shamisen goes back about 500 years. It has long given traditional performing arts, like Kabuki and Bunraku, a lively musical accompaniment. In recent years, many children have begun taking shamisen lessons, and some musicians are adapting the shamisen to modern musical genres like rock and punk. On this edition of BEGIN Japanology, we look at the shamisen and what this traditional instrument reveals about Japanese musical tastes.