15th
Introduction to the sanshin
Question: What’s a sanshin?
Welcome to the wonderful world of the 三線 (sanshin), which literally translates to “three strings” and is considered to be the backbone of traditional Okinawan music. Made up of basically a long neck and a snakeskin body, the instrument is said to have derived from the Chinese sanxian during the 16th century. However, there are those who believe that the sanshin may have been born out of south-east Asia because of its even closer resemblance to instruments in Thailand and Vietnam. Trade between the Ryukyu Kingdom and Thailand was frequent during the 15th century, and the large snake skins used for the sanshin could have been imported to Okinawa along with the Thai rice used in making awamori. Regardless, a Chinese birth seems to be the more commonly accepted history.
(From left to right: Japanese shamisen, Chinese sanxian, Thai ping, and the Okinawan sanshin.)
Anyways, the sanshin of today comes in a variety of forms—wartime sanshin made from empty cans, imitation snakeskin sanshin made from plastic, and traditional sanshin made from large snake skins imported out of south-east Asia. You can find any of these for purchase almost anywhere on Okinawa, and you can hear them being played almost anywhere on the islands. The sanshin is truly an integral part of Okinawan culture.
