Labels inside my shamisen

General
#1

[Album] Labels inside my shamisen, need a translation

These labels are inside my shamisen I am re-skinning. I’m not sure how old it is, but not new, anyway. I inherited 2 old(ish) shamisens and a koto, and unfortunately have no information about them.

I would really appreciate help in translating the information on the labels to learn more about this particular instrument.

The skin (cat) on both sides was torn, but otherwise it is in pristine condition, having been kept in a hard case. The itomaki appear to be ivory, but may be a plastic simulation.

Thank you for your help.
Kevin

#2

Hi Kevin,
I checked and saw that you asked about these before, and at that time I said pretty much all I could about them:

But I just checked again, and found out that the shop, Hamaki, where it was re-skinned in 1958 was in Kobe City as I guessed, but is also still around, AND has a webiste:

http://nttbj.itp.ne.jp/0782311731/index.html

So that’s kind of interesting. If it was last skinned in 1958, it is quite possible that the itomaki are ivory. Are they at all discoloured? Sometimes that’s a giveaway - the oils from the player’s hands can turn it brown in places. Also, you should be able to make out some grain in ivory if you look closely.

#3

Interesting info about Ivory and oil on the hands of the player Gerry. Another reason for shamisen players to get the habit of using a gentle clothe to clean after playing. Not just a strings thing…

© 2020 Kyle Abbott