Naga Fukuro

General
#1

Hello there!

Two questions for those who have a naga fukuro. :wink:

I was planning on sewing one for a hosozao shamisen (the beginner’s one).

I couldn’t find a pattern but looking at the video, it looked like two simple lined fabric rectangles sewn together, with an opening on one side (from the top to maybe 5-10cm above the dou).
The width of the rectangles seems to be about the dou’s width (plus seam allowances), and the total height seems a bit higher than the total length of the shamisen (5-10cm higher?).
A strap of fabric is sewn above the dou’s place, to wrap the shamisen in the naga fukuro.

Am I correct or am I missing some important details?

I thought it might be good to sew a light padded lining between the two fabrics to protect the instrument a bit more. But I can’t find any padded naga fukuro… is it because it’s a bad idea?

Thank you all :slight_smile:

1 Like
#2

Hey there,

Based on my nagafukuro, you’re pretty much spot on. They’re sized based on the kind of shamisen, so they tend to be fitted around the dou, with a little bit of slack to account for ease of use and possible washibukuro layering.

Of the three I have, all are double layered, although the padding is variable (the cheaper one has none beyond the additional layer, the silk ones seem to have just a little, which may just be due to plusher fabric).

The length of the strap used to tie the covering closed varies a bit as well.

I’ll pull out one for measuring this evening.

#3

Thank you Christopher, measurements would be great! :slight_smile:

#4

Excuse me if I can be a bit ignorant, but I don’t know what’s this naga fukuro. Is it a song? A shamisen? A technique?

#5

Hey Sakura,

It’s a cloth case for carrying a shamisen. Unlike the smaller kinds that cover only the dou, a nagabukuro covers the whole instrument to protect it from dust and the like.

In this case, fukuro （袋）means “bag” or “sack” and naga （長）means “long”.

#6

(… we don’t really sew songs or wrap shamisen in them, but the idea is somehow poetic, I like it ^^)

#7

Alrighty:

The nagabukuro I received with my first nagauta shamisen is as follows:

~109 cm long (Opening going down to about 78 cm mark)

~110 cm long strap connected to where the opening ends.

~33 cm wide layed flat.

~ Silk exterior, probably cotton interior

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#8

Yay! Thank you very much Christopher, I’ll use those measurements. :wink:

#9

So… it’s like a cover? Like violin ones?

#10

A naga fukuro in action :

#11

Sakura,

It’s a cover made from cloth. You are correct.

#12

What’s the form of this cover?

#13

It’s a rectangle :slight_smile:

More precisely: a rectangle made by two simple lined fabric rectangles sewn together, with an opening on one side to slip the shamisen inside.

#14

And the result:


For this first try I decided to use a padded lining to provide a better protection for the shamisen (I don’t have a case for now and I’m bringing the shamisen with me to a Larp tomorrow so I wasn’t very confident in the very thin traditional naga fukuro).

I’ll try to realize a short video tutorial to explain how to sew it :slight_smile: It’s very easy and quick to make (it was made in one day)!

3 Likes
#15

Nice job!!! I’d put a strap or two so I can carry it over the shoulder.

#16

Oooooo !

#17

Rob: I was hesitating whether it was a good or a bad idea. It’s more convenient to bring it with us, but I was afraid of the fact that the shamisen will hit the hips or sth repetitively… Hum… I don’t know ^^

#18

That came out great!

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