shamisen
Three-stringed Japanese instrument
A shamisen is a Japanese stringed instrument with a long neck and a small rectangular body covered in animal skin.
It has three strings plucked with a large plectrum called a bachi.
The shamisen accompanies traditional theater forms like kabuki and bunraku, as well as folk music and geisha performances.
Japanese arts entertainer
- kabukiRitualistic performance for show
- bunrakuMulti-puppeteer Japanese theater
- nohClassical Japanese dramatic form
- stageRaised performance platform
concert · recital · accompaniment · narrator · chanter · musician · performer · entertainer
Multi-puppeteer Japanese theater
- kabukiRitualistic performance for show
- ensembleUnified group or outfit
- melodyPleasing sequence of notes
- twangSharp vibrating sound
vibrato · rhythm · improvisation · plucking · strumming · buzzing · drone · pentatonic
Japanese modernization era
- ukiyo-eJapanese woodblock print tradition
- courtesanPaid aristocratic companion
- entertainmentAgreeable diversion of attention
- folkloreInherited cultural narratives
festival · heritage · craftsmanship · artisan · preservation · Japan · Okinawa
geisha
Japanese arts entertainer
- kabukiRitualistic performance for show
- bunrakuMulti-puppeteer Japanese theater
- nohClassical Japanese dramatic form
stage · concert · recital · accompaniment · narrator · chanter · musician · performer · entertainer · banquet
bachi
bunraku
Multi-puppeteer Japanese theater
- kabukiRitualistic performance for show
- ensembleUnified group or outfit
- melodyPleasing sequence of notes
twang · vibrato · rhythm · improvisation · plucking · strumming · buzzing · drone · pentatonic · ballad
Meiji
Japanese modernization era
- ukiyo-eJapanese woodblock print tradition
- courtesanPaid aristocratic companion
- entertainmentAgreeable diversion of attention
folklore · festival · heritage · craftsmanship · artisan · preservation · Japan · Okinawa
- Japanese culturesamurai, kabuki, sumo, origami, tea ceremony
- Asian artskabuki, noh theater, Peking opera, Beijing opera, Chinese opera
- Asian pastimesmahjong, origami, karaoke, tai chi, go
- folk artstribal art, folk opera, folk theater, Celtic knotwork, Navajo weaving
- instrumentsguitar, guitars, piano, pianos, drum
- stringed instrumentsguitar, lyre, lute, mandolin, harp
shamisentaiko
Japanese ceremonial drum
pipe organ · drums · flute · trumpet · synthesizer