Shamisen (三味線) 1865 - 1885

This is a *shamisen*, a traditional Japanese lute, probably made by Shigemoto Isohachi. The *shamisen* has a long neck, and a body covered front and back with stretched skin, traditionally cat or dog. The neck is made of wood, as is the body, which gives the instrument its resonance. It is played with a plectrum—that paddle-like implement you see resting on the body—and the instrument is used as accompaniment to many forms of Japanese theatre. The making of a *shamisen* demands exceptional skill. It is an instrument played across classes in Japan. It requires a number of different specialists, and involves the skinning of animals, the preparation of wood, and the carving of ivory. In the case of this *shamisen*, we see all these different forms of labor brought into one beautiful and sonorous whole.