Details
I named this shamisen “Kishō” (紀章) after the architect Kurokawa Kishō. He made incredible creative designs and I hope your shamisen will make you feel creative and build musical worlds without borders, too.
The instrument is in very good condition and has a gentle sound – I think this makes it very versatile for a wide range of settings. It shall definitely make you happy for many, many years to come.
Kishō is a beautiful shamisen with a medium-sized neck (chuuzao), typically used for Jiuta playing style. The most obvious difference to a Minyo style shamisen (which also has a medium-sized neck) is the lack of an azuma sawari, a mechanism to easily adjust the instrument’s buzz on the big string.
Wood:
The instrument is made from karin wood – an established choice for beginner instruments.
Accessories and Skins:
The instrument comes with a orange doukake with small flower elements and a red neo. Also included in the package are a set of fresh strings, a tenjin cap, and a dougomu.
The dou is skinned with Hibiki – the newest generation of synthetic skins with a warm tone that’s closer to the sound of natural skins than any of its predecessors.
Hibiki skin is extremely durable and robust. In comparison to natural skin, you don’t have to worry about humidity or sudden rain when playing the shamisen outdoors (you’ll still want to try to avoid both to protect the wood though). This means, you won’t need to use a washi bag to protect your shamisen’s skin.
Neck:
This neck is 28,5 mm wide and 29,5 mm high at the top and widens slightly towards the dou. The fingerboard is 27,75 mm wide at the narrow end. Its hatomune – the part where the neck enters the sound box – ends in a sharp edge that makes it possible to play up to position 20 and slightly beyond on this instrument.
Itomaki:
The itomaki (tuning pegs) are made from ebony wood and have a very balanced size that makes tuning comfortable and easy.
More:
The tsukigata (the curved end of the tenjin) is in perfect condition, and the instrument’s wood has the typical reddish shade of karin wood. The neck is crafted in mitsuori style: It can be separated into three parts. This makes travelling with the shamisen very easy – even if you have to get by with light and small luggage.
All you need to add to your set to start playing are a koma, a bachi and a yubisuri. Depending on the style you intend to play and your personal preferences, you want to pick a certain kind of koma and bachi. Yubisuri come in different sizes, and I didn’t want to deprive you of the difficult yet fun choice between all the wonderful colors. You might also consider getting a fujaku strip (position marker) to orient yourself along the neck. It’s also possible to mark individual positions, though. I recommend not marking all positions at once but picking out those you need for the song at hand and then gradually extending the amount of markings (and maybe taking off old ones because your hands and ears learned their location already). I made a detailed video about marking positions, if you want to know more about that. Check it out here.
If you need help with picking the right additions to this set, don’t hesitate to send a message and we will find the perfect match for you together.
If you have any further questions, reach out and send me a message and I’ll be happy to help.