TOYAMA -- Why not try your hand at shamisen, a three-stringed traditional musical instrument? It's available now at a reasonable price and in a unique form -- a paper DIY kit.
The product was developed by a shamisen shop in Toyama. Nearly all of its parts are made of paper, except for the strings. While there are some shamisen that feature a body made of paper, this product is distinctive because even its neck was crafted from paper.
This paper invention will go on display this month in Paris at the Japan Expo, the biggest event in Europe that introduces Japanese culture.
The paper shamisen was invented by Takuya Hamatani, the 46-year-old representative of Shamisen Rakuya. Hamatani, a shamisen lover, opened the shop five years ago and has been engaged in activities to promote the instrument.
Regular shamisen are priced at 100,000 yen or more, a figure he thought was too expensive for beginners and children to try.
Given that, three years ago he came up with the "Shamisen Box," whose body is made of cardboard. By making repeated improvements to the product, he developed the "Kami no Shamisen Tezukuri Kitto" (Paper shamisen handmade kit), priced at 3,980 yen before tax.
Once assembled, the shimsen measures about 66 centimeters long and weighs about 240 grams. It has earned a good reputation for its soft sound.
"I hope it will provide an opportunity for people overseas to try shamisen," Hamatani said.
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