It looks like some kind of hybrid to me as well, but basically it may be a sanshin–peg box and pegs look sanshin-ish. Body shape and neck color make it look like nagauta. I think sanshin strings are plastic–you could even try monofilament fishing line if you can get three different guages. I think Bachido’s nagauta strings should work okay. You might want to try other kinds of bridges (koma) if possible. Good luck!
I tried to reply to this last night, but couldn’t sign in for some reason. I mostly agree with John, though it didn’t occur to me that it could be as small as a sanshin - can you give us a measurement for the length of the instrument?
Anyway, here’s last night’s failed post:
This is almost definitely a “Made In China” shamisen (not a Chinese sanxian, but a Japanese shamisen made in China) - the general craftsmanship tells you this. My assessment of this instrument might sound kind of harsh, but if you got it for a good price, it looks fine for a starter instrument.
Aesthetically, there are a few things that are visually off about it: The covering that goes around the body is for a sanshin, which is why it only covers 3 sides of your instrument. A genuine dou kake might give the skin a bit more protection where your arm comes in to contact with it, but if what you have works, there is no reason to change it right now. The tuning pegs are more elaborate than Japanese tuning pegs, but I’m sure they work fine. The neo (tailpiece) is kind of sloppy looking.
About strings, the “Ito Set (Nagauta)” in the bachido store is what I would go for. It’s always tough to tell from pictures, but the neck looks thicker than a nagauta neck. Still, you said that the circumference was under 9 cms, so to be safe maybe you should go with nagauta strings for the time being.
I would also suggest, if you have the money, that you buy another koma, because the one in the picture looks a bit crude, and anyway, it never hurts to have a spare around.
Again, I haven’t heard any of these Chinese shamisen yet, but by the look of them, they seem like a good deal for the money.
It’s a little frustrating to know that the instrument is not entirely legitimate, but having it identified is good all the same. I will buy the nagauta strings and see how they perform on the current koma before buying a new one.
I’d like to thank everyone who helped identify this instrument for what it is. Hopefully this can help others in the future, as I’m sure I am neither the first or last to come across one of these things.
Thanks everyone!
-Shaun