Katsunari Sawada

Shamisen is a Japanese musical genre centered on the three‑string, long‑necked lute called the shamisen, plucked with a large plectrum (bachi). The instrument’s characteristic sawari (intentional string buzz) and percussive right‑hand articulation give the music a bright, cutting timbre capable of both delicate lyricism and driving rhythmic power. The genre encompasses multiple traditions and repertoires: art‑music styles such as nagauta (linked to Kabuki theatre), jiuta and kouta (chamber and salon repertories), narrative jōruri accompaniment, and regional folk song (min’yō). A virtuosic modern stream, Tsugaru‑jamisen, features rapid tremolo, dramatic dynamic contrasts, and improvisatory development. Typical tunings (hon‑chōshi, ni‑agari, san‑sagari), use of Japanese pentatonic pitch collections (In and Yo scales), and an aesthetic of ma (expressive space) shape its melodic and formal language.