Japanese “
Shamisen” or “
Samisen” is a instrument of lute family which bas 3 strings. Its special features are as thus, its frame is stretched with cot skin, and its strings are plucked by very large plectrum called “
Bachi” The direct ancester of Japanese
Shamisen is chinese “
Sansien” invented in
Gen-dynasty (about 13th century) . Chinese “
Sansien” also has 3 strings, but its frame is stretched with snakes kin. About 1392 A. D. Chinese
Sansien was brouglht to Loochou islands by many Fukian's merchants who imigrated to Loochou. But it passed off for the time without any reform. In the beginning of the 16th Century, a great genius of Loocbou mnsic “Akainko” applied Chinese
Sansien to Loochou songs, hence Loochou
Shamisen music arose and spread to Loochou islands. In the middle of 16th. Century, many Japanese merchants, especially of
Hakata (in
kyushu) and
Sakai (in the south of
Osaka city) went to Loocbou islands to trade, and brought the Loochoo
Shamisen to Japan. In Hakata, the Loochou
Shamisens were played by the blind monk Biwa-players, when snake skin was breaked, the Loochou
Shamisen was threw away. But in
Sakai. Loochou
Shamisens were played by Gipsy
Biwa-players, when snake skin was breaked, in place of snake skin cat skin was used, so Japanese
shamisens were completed and those spread in Japan.
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