Traditional craft
Sanshin
三線
Okinawa's three-string, snakeskin-covered lute, from Ryukyu court music to folk songs and pop, built by makers across the islands.
Key facts
- Officially recognised
- 7 November 2018
- Type
- Other crafts
- Region
- Kyushu & Okinawa
- Official name in Japanese
- 三線
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 那覇市、宜野湾市、浦添市、糸満市、沖縄市、豊見城市、うるま市、南城市、中城郡読谷村、島尻郡南風原町、島尻郡久米島町、島尻郡八重瀬町、八重山郡竹富町
The sound of Okinawa
The sanshin has three parts: the neck, the body and the tuning pegs. The shape of the neck decides its type, and the seven main types are named after master makers of the Ryukyu Kingdom. The body is covered in snakeskin. It is essential to kumiodori, Ryukyu opera, folk songs and pop. Making one takes delicate skill, and it is not unusual for decades to pass from choosing the wood to finishing an instrument. It is made in Naha, Okinawa city, Uruma and many other places in Okinawa.
Neck, body, fit
- The neck type is chosen; the wood, such as ebony, is cut and filed into shape, then lacquered.
- For the body, snakeskin is nailed over a wooden frame, front and back in two stages.
- Tuning pegs are fitted to the neck.
- The neck is fitted into the body in a step called buate, adjusted carefully because it shapes the tone.
- Strings, bridge and fittings are added to finish.
From court to everyone
The sanshin's prototype came from China in the days of the Ryukyu Kingdom and developed as a court instrument. It then spread widely among ordinary people, and today it is at the heart of Okinawan music, from classical kumiodori to pop.
Good to know
- Try a sanshin lesson or a live folk song bar in Naha to hear it played.
- Ask which of the seven neck types an instrument is, and who it is named after.
Questions travellers ask
What is the sanshin's body covered with?
Snakeskin, stretched over a wooden frame.
How many classic types are there?
Seven main types, named after Ryukyu Kingdom master makers.
Where it comes from
More crafts from the same area
Local foods from the same area
Heritage stories from the same area
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.