Okay heres the thing, in my current local violin shop ive visited for a number of months to check up the status on this sanxian, I’m almost positive its chinese…
It has a bat head peghead, a long but very very small sao, I’d say about as wide as the smallest brush handle you’ve ever held,
Its made with a Python skin on both sides of the head
its 3 stringed, very smoothly made but very short!
the sanxian ive seen are usually tsugaru shamisen size or above… this one looks like a childs sanxian with a tiny head to it.
i would say the head on this is about 5 inches up and down maybe 6 at most… and maybe 4-5 across … 3-4 inchies in width going up the side of the head.
theres a few things i’m weirded out about … it looks like kouki wood for one, and 2 it has gutstrings. not in the most perfect condition… but it looks roughly 30-60 years old
very lovely piece… has no bridge
its itomaki/ or karakui are black with bone lotus flower designs on the fat ends of the itomaki/ karakui.
I have first dibs on this instrument as its just a wall piece to them… they kept calling it a shamisen… so i edjucated them abit and showed them where i was confused.
heres where i’m not though
A bat is a very lucky symbol to the chinese, it looks like a sanxian just isnt up to the size i would imagine…
I’m 5ft 6 at most i had it in my lap and it barely went over my head…
Any ideas?