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LIBERATING THE SHAMISEN

LIBERATING THE SHAMISEN,Tsugaru shamisen, Tsugaru jongara bushi, Tsugaru shamisen player, Susumu Yamagami, traditional culture, Japanese culture, sledding, performance, live music, Kassai Aomori=Date:1994, Place:Aomori Prefecture,JAPAN

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'Bunraku' puppet masters to give special show in Osaka

OSAKA, Japan - "Bunraku" (puppet theater) chant master Toyotake Nozomidayu (L) poses with puppet masters and a "shamisen" (three-stringed guitar) player during a press conference held in Osaka on Dec. 24, 2014, to announce a special Bunraku performance to be staged in the western Japan city in February 2015.

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Okinawan folk duo performs in New York

NEW YORK, United States - With Yukito Ara (R) on sanshin (Okinawa shamisen) and Isamu Shimoji on guitar, Sakishima Meeting, a folk duo from Okinawa Prefecture, southern Japan, performs during a concert at the Japan Society in New York on Dec. 12, 2014.

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Okinawan folk duo performs in New York

NEW YORK, United States - Isamu Shimoji and Yukito Ara of Sakishima Meeting, a folk duo from Okinawa Prefecture, southern Japan, play the guitar and "Sanshin" (Okinawa shamisen) during a concert at the Japan Society in New York on Dec. 12, 2014.

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Largest ensemble of shamisen performers

TOKYO, Japan - More than 1,000 performers of "Tsugaru shamisen," a type of music played with the shamisen three-stringed, Japanese musical instrument, gather at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo on Oct. 25, 2014, to set a world record for the largest shamisen ensemble. Under the eye of staff from Guinness World Records Japan, they set a record when 1,124 performers played together. According to Guinness World Records, the previous world record in the category was set in 1999 at Tokyo Dome when 815 shamisen players performed together.

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Largest ensemble of shamisen performers

TOKYO, Japan - More than 1,000 performers of "Tsugaru shamisen," a type of music played with the shamisen three-stringed, Japanese musical instrument, gather at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo on Oct. 25, 2014, to set a world record for the largest shamisen ensemble. Under the eye of staff from Guinness World Records Japan, they set a record when 1,124 performers played together. According to Guinness World Records, the previous world record in the category was set in 1999 at Tokyo Dome when 815 shamisen players performed together.

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Largest ensemble of shamisen performers

TOKYO, Japan - More than 1,000 performers of "Tsugaru shamisen," a type of music played with the shamisen three-stringed, Japanese musical instrument, gather at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo on Oct. 25, 2014, to set a world record for the largest shamisen ensemble. Under the eye of staff from Guinness World Records Japan, they set a record when 1,124 performers played together. According to Guinness World Records, the previous world record in the category was set in 1999 at Tokyo Dome when 815 shamisen players performed together.

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150th anniversary of Japan-Switzerland ties

GENEVA, Switzerland - Shunsuke Kimura (R) and Etsuro Ono play the Tsugaru shamisen stringed instrument in Neuchatel, Switzerland, during a ceremony to commemorate the 150th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and Switzerland.

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Traditional dance event in Toyama

TOYAMA, Japan - People dance to the sound of instruments including the ''kokyu,'' a traditional Japanese fiddle that originated in China, and the ''shamisen,'' a three-stringed Japanese instrument played with a plectrum, on Sept. 1, 2011, during the traditional ''Owarakazenobon'' dance event held annually during the typhoon season in the city of Toyama to pray for good harvests. The event will continue through Sept. 3.

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Traditional dance event in Toyama

TOYAMA, Japan - Women dance to the sound of instruments including the ''kokyu,'' a traditional Japanese fiddle that originated in China, and the ''shamisen,'' a three-stringed Japanese instrument played with a plectrum, on Sept. 1, 2011, during the traditional ''Owarakazenobon'' dance event held annually during the typhoon season in the city of Toyama to pray for good harvests. The event will continue through Sept. 3.

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Tsugaru folk music played in Vladivostok

VLADIVOSTOK, Russia - Japanese musicians Shigeri Kitsu (L) and Katsuaki Sawada (R), a Tsugaru shamisen player, play folk music from northeastern Japan with Russian musicians in Vladivostok, Russia, on March 9, 2011.

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Japan-S. Korea festival in Seoul

SEOUL, South Korea - Students of Goshogawara Daiichi High School in Aomori Prefecture play Tsugaru shamisen, traditional three-stringed instruments from the prefecture, at the ''Nikkan Koryu Omatsuri'' (Japan-South Korean Exchange Festival) in Seoul on Oct. 2, 2010.

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Children take kabuki lessons to learn Japan's culture

OSAKA, Japan - Mio Yamano, 6, receives a shamisen lesson from Toon Nakajima Katsusuke, at Matsuo Juku Kodomo Kabuki (kabuki cram school for children) in Osaka's Tennoji Ward.

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(2)Japan Week celebrated at Aichi Expo

NAGAKUTE, Japan - Shamisen (three-stringed banjo) players give a performance with a Katsushika Hokusai ukiyo-e in the background as part of events to mark Japan Week at the 2005 World Exposition in Aichi Prefecture on June 7.

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(2)Emperor's 70 years of age celebrated

TOKYO, Japan - Sawako Minayoshi (L) sings a popular folk song of Amami, Kagoshima Prefecture, to the shamisen played by Yutaka Tsuboyama at a folk entertainment show held at the Imperial Palace on March 14 in celebration of Emperor Akihito's 70 years of age. (Pool photo)

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Tokushima's Awa Odori folk dance festival begins

TOKUSHIMA, Japan - Colorfully costumed dancers step out to the sound of ''shamisen'' stringed instruments and ''taiko'' drums in the city of Tokushima on Aug. 12, the first day of the annual four-day Awa Odori folk dance festival. More than 950 dance groups involving 100,000 dancers will participate in the festival, which has more than 400 years of history.

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Traditional Japanese music gaining popularity

TOKYO, Japan - Musical duo Yoshida Brothers -- Ryoichi (L) and Kenichi -- play the Tsugaru shamisen, a three-stringed Japanese banjo, during a recent performance at the French Embassy in Tokyo. The brothers, who dress in traditional ceremonial attire when performing, are rising stars in the traditional Japanese music scene.

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Maiko at Kabuki theater in Kyoto

Japanese "maiko" traditional professional entertainers (L) visit Minamiza Theatre in Kyoto to watch a Kabuki performance on Dec. 5, 2022. It is a year-end custom for them to watch the show to improve their traditional shamisen three-stringed instrument and dancing skills.

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Maiko at Kabuki theater in Kyoto

Japanese "maiko" traditional professional entertainers visit Minamiza Theatre in Kyoto to watch a Kabuki performance on Dec. 5, 2022. It is a year-end custom for them to watch the show to improve their traditional shamisen three-stringed instrument and dancing skills.

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Maiko at Kabuki theater in Kyoto

Japanese "maiko" traditional professional entertainers visit Minamiza Theatre in Kyoto to watch a Kabuki performance on Dec. 5, 2022. It is a year-end custom for them to watch the show to improve their traditional shamisen three-stringed instrument and dancing skills.

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Maiko at Kabuki theater in Kyoto

Japanese "maiko" traditional professional entertainers visit Minamiza Theatre in Kyoto, western Japan, to watch a Kabuki performance on Dec. 5, 2022. It is a year-end custom for them to watch the show to improve their traditional shamisen three-stringed instrument and dancing skills.

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Japan-S. Korea exchange festival in Seoul

Musicians play Tsugaru shamisen, a traditional three-stringed musical instrument deriving from Aomori Prefecture, northeastern Japan, at the annual Japan-South Korea exchange festival in Seoul on Sept. 25, 2022.

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Shamisen player Fumiyoshi with Ron Carter

(From R) Japanese shamisen player Fumiyoshi, famed jazz bassist Ron Carter and Kanji Yamanouchi, consul general of Japan in New York, perform the Japanese folk song "Kojo no Tsuki" (the Moon over the Ruined Castle) at Carnegie Hall in New York on Oct. 17, 2021.

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Shamisen player Fumiyoshi with Ron Carter

Japanese shamisen player Fumiyoshi (R) has a session with famed jazz bassist Ron Carter at Carnegie Hall in New York on Oct. 17, 2021.

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Japan - Music Teacher playing a Shamisen

Japan - Music Teacher playing a Shamisen (or Samisen). The alcove behind her is called the tokonoma and is the pride of the house Date: 1932

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Pilgrimage route developed in 2011 disaster-hit Sanriku area

Yukio Koma, a "shamisen" Japanese three-string musical instrument player, poses for a photo in March 2015. Koma, hailing from Iwate Prefecture, came up with the idea of creating a pilgrimage road along the 2011 disaster-hit Sanriku coast area, northeastern Japan, covering dozens of temples on a route of about 330 kilometers. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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American aspires to fulfill childhood dream as geisha in Japan

Dressed in kimono and wearing traditional Japanese hairstyle for women, American geisha Kimicho is pictured before attending a party in Tokyo on Jan. 11, 2017. She joined a Tokyo geisha house Yoshinoya in 2015 and performs dance and shamisen while working as a translator and coordinator for foreign customers. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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American aspires to fulfill childhood dream as geisha in Japan

Dressed in kimono and wearing traditional Japanese hairstyle for women, American geisha Kimicho is pictured before attending a party in Tokyo on Jan. 11, 2017. She joined a Tokyo geisha house Yoshinoya in 2015 and performs dance and shamisen while working as a translator and coordinator for foreign customers. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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FEATURE: Shamisen faces crisis head-on as cat skins fall from favor

A woman plays a shamisen during a performance of the "Nagauta Samon-kai" at Uchisaiwaicho Hall in Tokyo on Dec. 16, 2016. The three-stringed instrument is facing a crisis amid a backlash over its use of cat and dog skins to cover its body and a decline in craftsmen able to carry on its manufacturing traditions. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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FEATURE: Shamisen faces crisis head-on as cat skins fall from favor

Sakichi Kineya (2nd from R) plays the shamisen during a performance of the "Nagauta Samon-kai" on Dec. 16, 2016. The three-stringed instrument is facing a crisis amid a backlash over its use of cat and dog skins to cover its body and a decline in craftsmen able to carry on its manufacturing traditions. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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FEATURE: Shamisen faces crisis head-on as cat skins fall from favor

A man plays a shamisen during a performance of the "Nagauta Samon-kai" at Uchisaiwaicho Hall in Tokyo on Dec. 16, 2016. The three-stringed instrument is facing a crisis amid a backlash over its use of cat and dog skins to cover its body and a decline in craftsmen able to carry on its manufacturing traditions. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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FEATURE: Shamisen faces crisis head-on as cat skins fall from favor

Shamisen players from the "Nagauta samon-kai" troupe perform at Uchisaiwaicho Hall in Tokyo on Dec. 16, 2016. The three-stringed instrument is facing a crisis amid a backlash over its use of cat and dog skins to cover its body and a decline in craftsmen able to carry on its manufacturing traditions. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Traditional Japanese music gaining popularity

TOKYO, Japan - Musical duo Yoshida Brothers -- Ryoichi (L) and Kenichi -- play the Tsugaru shamisen, a three-stringed Japanese banjo, during a recent performance at the French Embassy in Tokyo. The brothers, who dress in traditional ceremonial attire when performing, are rising stars in the traditional Japanese music scene.

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(2)Japan Week celebrated at Aichi Expo

NAGAKUTE, Japan - Shamisen (three-stringed banjo) players give a performance with a Katsushika Hokusai ukiyo-e in the background as part of events to mark Japan Week at the 2005 World Exposition in Aichi Prefecture on June 7. (Kyodo)

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Women singing and playing the shamisen,a japanese balalaika

A scene of two young women wearing Tayu-style kamishimo while practicing singing and shamisen. One woman checks the book placed on the book stand with a family emblem and tassel, and the other woman plays the shamisen with a plectrum to tune the instrument.==Date:unknown, Place:unknown, Photo:unknown, (Credit:Nagasaki University Library/Kyodo News Images) [Cabinet Number16‐8‐0]

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Maiko,a dancer,and ohayashi,a musical band

A woman dances with a fan in her right hand. To her left is a woman playing the shamisen, and to her right a woman with a snare drum and another with shimedaiko (drums).==Date:unknown, Place:unknown, Photo:unknown, (Credit:Nagasaki University Library/Kyodo News Images) [Cabinet Number16‐5‐0]

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Practicing the koto and shamisen

Three young women practice singing and playing instruments in a breezy corner room facing the garden. A woman plays the shamisen. The other sings, and the other plays the koto. By their side, a tobacco tray is placed, with a scroll hanging to their back. Near the ceiling hangs a picture, a calligraphy frame and a clock.==Date:unknown, Place:unknown, Photo:unknown, (Credit:Nagasaki University Library/Kyodo News Images) [Cabinet Number16‐11‐0]

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Dance lesson

Young girls in furisode (long sleeved kimono) are dancing and playing musical instruments. One dances with a fan, one plays the koto, and the other plays the shamisen. It is a dramatized photo of a lesson in traditional arts.==Date:unknown, Place:unknown, Photo:unknown, (Credit:Nagasaki University Library/Kyodo News Images) [Cabinet Number12‐43‐0]

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Dancing women

Three young women dance to the music of the shamisen wearing hats adorned with flowers. Two wear striped kimonos and Japanese socks and the other wears sandals in the style of a yakko (valet). They all wear towels around the neck. The music may be Hanagasa Ondo. In the background are seen sake barrels, but this is a dramatized photograph taken outside.==Date:unknown, Place:unknown, Photo:Ogawa Kazumasa, (Credit:Nagasaki University Library/Kyodo News Images) [Cabinet Number6‐35‐0]

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Girls having afternoon tea

The caption reads lunch in the afternoon in English, but this is a photo of snack time. Four girls sit around a long brazier, smoking a pipe, pouring and drinking tea, and reading. Rice cakes are placed in the center with a shamisen (three-stringed instrument) hanging on the wall.==Date:unknown, Place:unknown, Photo:Ogawa Kazumasa, (Credit:Nagasaki University Library/Kyodo News Images) [Cabinet Number6‐34‐0]

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Japan-S. Korea festival in Seoul

SEOUL, South Korea - Students of Goshogawara Daiichi High School in Aomori Prefecture play Tsugaru shamisen, traditional three-stringed instruments from the prefecture, at the ''Nikkan Koryu Omatsuri'' (Japan-South Korean Exchange Festival) in Seoul on Oct. 2, 2010. (Kyodo)

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Practicing the koto and shamisen

One can almost hear the sounds of the shamisen lute and koto harp being tuned. The people of the Meiji Period heard these sounds frequently in their living environment. This trio may be rehearsing for a recital in an annex guest room.==Date:unknown, Place:unknown, Photo:unknown, (Credit:Nagasaki University Library/Kyodo News Images) [Cabinet Number96‐84‐0]

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A woman playing the shamisen,and a box brazier

A brazier and bed items are visible. A set has probably been made to look like a room in a traditional row house. The shoji screen on the left is artificial. The set gives the impression that the woman is tuning her shamisen lute.==Date:about 1870, Place:unknown, Photo:unknown, (Credit:Nagasaki University Library/Kyodo News Images) [Cabinet Number96‐64‐0]

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A geiko playing the shamisen

The kimono looks shabby for a geisha at a flower viewing banquet. It is unnatural to place a flower pot directly on the tatami mat of the guest room. The flowers in the pot and vase suggest spring.==Date:unknown, Place:unknown, Photo:unknown, (Credit:Nagasaki University Library/Kyodo News Images) [Cabinet Number96‐18‐0]

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A woman holding a shamisen

This pose is the same as in #4789. The kimono is white and long-sleeved, tinted in the photograph. This is an artificial pose.==Date:unknown, Place:unknown, Photo:unknown, (Credit:Nagasaki University Library/Kyodo News Images) [Cabinet Number96‐13‐0]

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Girls dancing to the shamisen

A full moon over a eulalia field is painted on a three panel byobu screen. The season is autumn. When a dancer pulls up the sleeves with a cord or doffs the upper half of the kimono, the music is probably a lively melody such as haiya or kappore. The dancers are posing.==Date:unknown, Place:unknown, Photo:F. Beato, (Credit:Nagasaki University Library/Kyodo News Images) [Cabinet Number96‐12‐0]

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A girl dancing to the shamisen

A dance performed to the accompaniment of a shamisen lute. There are Hanayanagi, Fujima and other schools of traditional Japanese dance. The women seem to be sisters. The younger is wearing a coat for outings. The older sister is wearing an apron for household activities. A koto harp is placed against the wall.==Date:unknown, Place:unknown, Photo:A. Farsari, (Credit:Nagasaki University Library/Kyodo News Images) [Cabinet Number95‐24‐0]

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A woman writing a letter,and whispering girls

The woman on the left is writing a letter, and the woman in the centre is reading either a letter or a book. A girl is whispering something into the ear of the woman sitting on the right. A shamisen lute is placed against the alcove. Chrysanthemums are arranged in the big vase.==Date:unknown, Place:unknown, Photo:A. Farsari, (Credit:Nagasaki University Library/Kyodo News Images) [Cabinet Number95‐23‐0]

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A girl dancing to the shamisen

Same as #4825, but the koto harp is missing.==Date:unknown, Place:unknown, Photo:A. Farsari, (Credit:Nagasaki University Library/Kyodo News Images) [Cabinet Number95‐22‐0]

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A woman holding a shamisen

The caption says musician. This woman is actually a singer standing with a shamisen lute in front of a partition with plant illustrations.==Date:unknown, Place:unknown, Photo:Usui Shuzaburo, (Credit:Nagasaki University Library/Kyodo News Images) [Cabinet Number94‐37‐0]