Identifying my shamisen - Help

General
#1

Hello everyone,

First of all let me say that I am new here, and quite excited to have found a community where information relating to the shamisen is plentiful and available. But I have an issue that’s keeping me from enjoying this beautiful instrument.

I purchased my shamisen last September off of eBay. It arrived in wonderful condition and came with both a case and wooden bachi. The shamisen was rather unprofessionally strung with steel strings coated in some kind of thin fabric. Unfortunately, a friend of mine foolishly broke the highest, thinnest string while trying to tune it himself. Not long after that, the “coating” of the lowest, thickest string began to tear off and was rendered uselss. Only after the fact did I discover that steel guitar strings are dangerous to use on a shamisen, and decided to altogether buy new, silk ones.

The issue I’m faced with is what KIND of shamisen string pack/set to buy. Wherever I can find shamisen strings online (the market is unsurprisingly limited for Westerners like myself) I have to choose between strings for different kinds of shamisen. I have absolutely no idea what kind of shamisen I have, and I am unable to check the actual purchase of it on eBay. I would like to ask those with much more knowledge than I to try and identify it, so I can finally purchase strings. I understand that some strings may be used on different kinds of shamisens; I am looking for the most appropriate kind to fit my instrument.

Some rough measurements are below. I referred to this diagram, which looks somewhat like my instrument : http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=shamisen&FORM=HDRSC2#view=detail&id=B7B0C451B6E86555752FE29B72C8376AD0CA1E8F&selectedIndex=1

Approx. length of neck from lip (separating neck and the tenjin), and the dip in the neck just before the bachi-gawa: Roughly 23 inches
Approx. length of the “tuning peg” closest to the neck: 4.75 inches

Upon closer inspection my shamisen is almost identical to the one in the diagram, save for the neo (thick rope) at the bottom, which exposes more of the wooden peg protruding from the bottom of the shamisen than the neo in the diagram.

I would appreciate any kind of help identifying the “variety” of my shamisen. I realize I may have asked some stupid questions here, I’m just trying to provide a much information as possible. If needed, I can read and respond to replies in Japanese.

Thank you very much,

-Shaun

#2

I’d upload pics. Only way to be sure. There is a guide on this site to help you tell. http://bachido.com/learn/pages/shamisen-styles

Different shamisens also have different thicknesses of the neck and tuning pegs. That and where the dou connects to the sao will vary in shape. Upload pics, or try to identify it yourself. You can also find the approximate specs for styles of shamisen online somewhere to measure and compare.

#3

go to overview» learning center»styles of the shamisen. has pictures and should tell u all u need to know

Approx. length of neck from lip (separating neck and the tenjin), and the dip in the neck just before the bachi-gawa:

This statement makes me want to believe you have a nagauta shamisen. If in fact there is a gradual sloping of the neck towards the body without a sharp angle, then it is almost certainly nagauta style.

#4

Metal strings? We’ve had a few discussions from new shamisen buyers who bought these ad-hoc shamisens from China using a combination of different styles. I remember metal strings was the common factor.

Post a picture, or try to find one of those discussions here on the forums.

#5

Thanks to everyone for their help so far.

I’ve compared my instrument to those found on the “Styles of the Shamisen” page that I was referred to. This is what I have found:

My instrument does not appear to be of the tsugaru variety. The neck is too thin and the pegs too small. However, the kawa of the tsugaru depicted on the page very much resembles mine, if it makes any difference.

I am also ruling out the jiuta shamisen. The neck still appears to be smaller than that variety, but my tuning pegs appear to be the approximate size of the jiuta’s.

Indeed my shamisen appears to be a nagauta. The neck is thin enough and the pegs the right size. However, the hatomune of the nagauta shown on the page is still much “sharper” than mine.

The gidayu shamisen is also a possibility. This is mainly because the gidayu appears to have the kind of “swoop” at the hatomune that I mentioned above. I am not sure how closely my instrument resembles it otherwise, as it’s hard to find decent photos to compare it to. It may just be a coincidence, but the gidayu on that page is the only one that has a fixture resting on the kawa. By this I mean the small wooden bridge that holds the strings together, and in turn is held down by them, since it is not actually connected to the kawa. My shamisen has this fixture, but doesn’t look much like the one in the gidayu depicted. Here’s the best example I could find of the “swoop” I mentioned: http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=gidayu+shamisen&FORM=HDRSC2#view=detail&id=1C75024CB026690AF1B36F6E9182B62BF11F1A08&selectedIndex=37

And lastly, the sanshin. When I purchased my shamisen from eBay I found many pictures of these, and strayed away from them. My shamisen does not have the patterns that appear on sanshin, and the “lip” before the tuning pegs is also nothing like mine. I would like to mention though that my shamisen has the same exact “cover” on the exterior of the kawa that you see on most sanshins when searched. Sanshins appear to lack the bridge that the gidayu has. See here: http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=sanshin&FORM=HDRSC2#view=detail&id=703E7E1AFD308DFAD76F27908F340D093675F602&selectedIndex=26

I will see about uploading photos, if possible. Otherwise I will allow consensus to decide which variety my instrument is based on this information.

Thanks again, everyone

-Shaun

#6

Hi Shaun,
Welcome to the forum!
I’m with Karl - this sounds like one of the Chinese hybrids that were popping up a while ago. They seem like fine starter instruments, and a good deal for the money.
As for which strings to use, check the circumference of the neck at a few points (they generally get slightly thicker towards the body). Nagauta should be around 9 cms, chuuzao (jiuta, min’yō) should be 10 cms, Tsugaru about 12 cms. Buy your strings according to that measurement; using heavier strings than the neck is made for will eventually warp it. And buy a couple of sets at least, it’s no fun breaking a string and waiting weeks until you can play again.

#7

It may just be a coincidence, but the gidayu on that page is the only one that has a fixture resting on the kawa. By this I mean the small wooden bridge that holds the strings together, and in turn is held down by them, since it is not actually connected to the kawa. My shamisen has this fixture, but doesn’t look much like the one in the gidayu depicted.

All shamisen have this bridge, we call it a koma. I had never noticed it before, but yes, it appears the examples on the Styles of the Shamisen page lack them. Don’t let that confuse you, a bridge is absolutely necessary!

I would like to mention though that my shamisen has the same exact “cover” on the exterior of the kawa that you see on most sanshins when searched. Sanshins appear to lack the bridge that the gidayu has. See here: http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=sanshin&FORM=HDRSC2#view=detail&id=703E7E1AFD308DFAD76F27908F340D093675F602&selectedIndex=26

What do you mean by this? Is the kawa white or a snake-skin pattern? It should be very easy to distinguish between a shamisen and a sanshin, even for a beginner. Also, a bridge is clearly visible on the sanshin in the link you posted. I was pretty sure about what you had, but I think pictures will now be the only way for any of us out here in Bachidoland to be able to tell you for sure.

#8

http://traditions.cultural-china.com/chinaWH/images/exbig_images/6c3323c72d0e67b976915ad3a9e753cd.jpg

Does it look similar to this?

#9

I could have worded that better. When I say cover I mean the black and gold padding that is tied around the perimeter of a sanshin’s body in most pictures. The kawa itself is white, it does not have any kind of pattern. I found it odd because my instrument, apart from having this cover, shares few other similarities to a sanshin.

I found the circumference of the neck as suggested by Gerry, and I believe it was around 8.89 cm. I believe this measurement stays consistent all the way down the neck, but I may have to check again. Since I’m still having trouble identifying it, I will have to get my camera to work so I may post pictures. They should be up in about twelve hours.

#10

1st. It can be a synthetic layer of sanshin kawa,put under the real snakeskin,but sometimes its only the synthetic since its cheap.

#11

2nd. It can be a wood cover instead of the kawa.

#12

OR it can be a shamisen I saw in 02/2012
It Is a “gidayu” shamisen, exactly like this.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Shamisen-with-soft-case-and-Bachi-Japanes-3-string-instrument-/390432100005?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5ae7910ea5&nma=true&si=sB0mg7eZk2N8FQMp5D9TbgSGeKc%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

But it has a ‘tiiga’ around it.

#13

that’s not gidayu, gidayu have a notched skin around the edge about the thickness of shamisen (as far as i know)
Violingking ‘shamisen’ just don’t strike right to me for some reason.

#14

Shinji - That link you posted to eBay is my instrument. I recall the seller’s name.

But as Amanda was saying; my shamisen doesn’t have that pattern of notched skin. Maybe the pictures on the listing were off? Everything seen there was included, except the synthetic cover Shinj mentioned. I also noticed my bachi was different from the one in the images, as was strange method in which my shamisen was strung when it arrived.

#15

Well the shamisen in the link has notched skin, so worst case scenario is that you really didn’t get what you paid for, for one. You really have to be careful about buying “shamisens” on eBay. I’m not saying it’s a bad instrument. I would have to say that IS a gidayu shamisen in the link, but without the pictures of yours, this will remain a mystery.

Maybe you can contact the seller and ask him.

I can’t even make an informed guess as to what kind of strings to get unfortunately, that seems like a larger futozao style, but you stated that the neck was less than 9 cm in circumference, seemingly denoting a nagauta style. You may have to experiment if you can’t come up with some conclusive information.

#16

Here are several pictures of my instrument. There are 13 in total.

#17

Wow! Very nice! I don’t really know anything about them, but I think you have a gidayu. The seller or someone must have thrown that sanshin cover on to make it look neat or something. I don’t know if a gidayu HAS to have the notches in the skin or not. I’ve tried to help as much I can, now somebody with actual knowledge will have to help. I have no clue what gauge strings to put on a gidayu.

#18

Yeah I saw that one on eBay a while back and considered purchasing, but something just looked off about it. Looking at your pictures it looks like some Frankenstein gidayu/nagauta/sanshin hybrid. I have never seen a koma like that- it kinda strikes me as a DIY job.

In all it looks like it could actually be a pretty decent shamisen to play, as long as it sounds all right. Have you tried playing it yet? How does it sound?

As for strings, you should probably get nagauta strings just to be safe. Tsugaru strings will work just find too, but they are made for aggressive playing and may rip your skin if it wasn’t designed to take the extra abuse. Then again even tsugaru strings would be better than guitar strings :-p

#19

do apologise for my earlier post, i can’t see any pics other than the top one in that link and can’t see much. Don’t know why i can’t see but #shrugs# sorry shinji

so yes i was wrong, i’m sure that is like the others said.

#20

I really couldn’t say Cody. I don’t believe that it was properly tuned at any point and I have nothing to compare the sound to.

So if we have established the nagauta is appropriate for this instrument, would anyone recommend the nagauta ito set found in Bachido’s store?

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