Shamisen industry in a pinch to protect unique sound integral to Japanese theater

Japan's "shamisen" industry is struggling to preserve the distinctive sound of the three-stringed instrument integral to Japanese performing arts, as it runs into issues of animal ethics and a decrease in players.

The shamisen is a three-stringed lute whose music is the backdrop for Kabuki plays, dances and other traditional performances. However, the banjolike instrument is in danger of being silenced permanently, as the industry faces a dilemma between protecting tradition and protecting animals, whose skins are used as material to bring out the instrument's unique "chin-ton-shan" sound.

Kotaro Tanaka heads Isamiya Hogakkiten, a traditional musical instrument shop in Hamada, Shimane Prefecture, which has also carried out the task of stretching hide over the shamisen's resonating body since the late 1970s. He said, "There is an uneven thickness to animal skin, which gives rise to a depth in the sound. In particular, cat skin has an exquisite balance." However, there was a decrease in supplies in response to opposition by cat lovers and other activists, and in the 1980s, the shop began to depend on imported cat skin. Prices surged as supplies fell, and though the shop used the skin of Southeast Asian dogs as a temporary substitute, these also became difficult to obtain from the standpoint of animal protection.

Synthetic leather tends to produce sounds that are monotonous, and professional players apparently avoid their usage on theatrical stages and in recitals. The shamisen industry strives to keep the tradition alive through endeavors such as a performance held in Kyoto in 2021 which featured shamisen using "washi" paper in place of animal skin.

Masayuki Manabe, a professor in Waseda University's Faculty of Letters, Arts and Sciences who has researched the history of relations between animals and humans, said that Japanese society in the Edo period and Meiji era, or the 17th century to the early 20th century, did not place value on animal protection as much as people do now, and there were even individuals who ate cats amid a food shortage during and after World War II. After society became prosperous following a period of rapid economic growth, the Act on Welfare and Management of Animals, which bans animal abuse, was adopted in 1973. Manabe pointed out that around this time, pets began to be adored as family members. He said, "The usage of cat skin for shamisen became subjected to stronger criticism and measures, such as the establishment of a group of victims united against dealers that capture cats."

The industry also faces the problem of a shrinking market. The number of shamisen manufactured in Japan fell from 18,000 in 1970 to 3,400 in 2017, according to a national federation of traditional instrument shops. A decrease in people who play the instrument as a hobby or for a living, such as during teahouse performances, was a factor behind the plummeting figure. To make matters worse, many musical concerts and theatrical productions in recent years were canceled amid the spread of the coronavirus.

To tackle this predicament, the Agency for Cultural Affairs launched a project in fiscal 2021 to support clubs and groups at high schools and universities engaging in traditional music. Groups eligible for support are able to borrow shamisen instruments free of charge, while professional players are dispatched to instruct students. Financial assistance is also offered to cover venue expenses for student performances.

In 2021, the methods of crafting the neck and bodies of shamisen were selected as techniques eligible for national assistance for the preservation of culture. Junko Yoshida, a senior specialist for cultural properties at the Cultural Affairs Agency, commented, "The shamisen industry has taken a blow amid the coronavirus pandemic, and measures were hurried as risks (of instrument makers' skills disappearing) grew."

As for the shortage of cat skin for the bodies of shamisen, attention has gathered around the skin of kangaroos, whose growing numbers in Australia have made them controversial pests. Tanaka of Isamiya Hogakkiten said, "The sounds of instruments change with the times. However, we will continue research to create shamisen that do not rely on animal skins. I'd like people to know the charms of shamisen, which can express a wide range of sounds, including sounds full of vigor, and mellow, delicate notes."

(Japanese original by Ryohei Masukawa, Osaka Regional News Department)