A History
The Three String has a vibrant and heartbreaking history spread out over the last 700 years. Originally created in China, it found it’s way to the Ryukyu Kingdom, and then onto Japan. Each move making changes in form and materials, but still maintaining the basic foundation of the instrument.
Note: I am no historian, if you have more accurate info please let me know
Chinese Sanxian
Photo Credit : Dr. Meierhofer
The original three string from China is called the Sanxian, which translates as well to Three String. The first known appearance of the Sanxian is from a stone sculpture in the late 1200s. The next appearance would be found in Ming Dynasty documents in the 1300s.
The construction of the Sanxian is very similar to the later Okinawan Sanshin, both having a python snake skin drum as the resonator, one long fretless neck, and three strings. The Sanxian is also played with an animal horn. The Sanxian lacks the decorative body wrap that the Sanshin has, and is quite a bit longer at 122cm compared to the Sanshin’s 80cm.
Ryukyuan Sanshin
After centuries of war, the Ryukyu Kingdom was united and soon became a Tributary state of China in the 1400s. This allowed for the Ryukyu Kingdom to have trade between China and other Chinese Tributary states. It was in this time that the Sanxian found its way to the Ryukyu islands and the Ryukuans took it and evolved it’s design into the shorter Sanshin. It would become a staple for the culture of the Ryukyu royal courts. Being an active trade partner with China allowed for the gathering of all the materials needed for the construction of the Sanshin including the Python skin necessary for the Drum.
Japanese Shamisen
Photo Credit : Wolcott, Katherine
The Ryukyu Kingdom maintained a period of peace from the 1400′s to the early 1600′s when the Shogunate of Japan decided to invade the Ryukyu islands forcing the royalty to surrender. Japan did not have a trading relationship with China at this point, and sought to use the Ryukyu Islands as an intermediary for a trade relationship. So for all public appearances, the Ryukyu Kingdom would remain an independent tributary state of China and maintain all trade agreements while secretly being under Japanese Rule. This would last until the Meiji Restoration in 1868 when the Ryukyu Kingdom was officially integrated into Japan and become the Prefecture of Okinawa.
During this period the Sanshin would find it’s way to mainland Japan. The Japanese took the main concepts of the design with having three strings, a drum and fretless neck. The drum would instead be made out of animal skin, and instead of the animal horn pick, they would make a wider ivory tipped wood pick.
The main musical difference between the Shamisen and the Sanshin and Sanxian is the noticeable buzz when playing the bass string.
Okinawan Kankara Sanshin
The next evolution of the three string would come in 1945 during WW2. The Okinawa islands became a major strategic area for Japan and for the US to get into Japan. Rising tensions and agressions led the U,S, invading Okinawa resulting in the Battle of Okinawa which had over 150,000 Okinawan civilian casualties. With their homes and culture in pieces and their island occupied by the U.S., the survivors were put into detention camps until the U.S. decided what to do with them. It was in these camps that the Okinawan people created the Kankara Sanshin. With little material to work with, they used thrown out cans and pots as the main drum of the instrument and fitting in wood for the neck. It was these instruments that gave the Okinawan people caught between the military might of mainland Japan and the U.S. some semblance of hope in the coming years.
References
https://www.britannica.com/art/sanxian
http://www.uchinanchu.org/uchinanchu/history_early.htm
Handbook of the Ryukyuan Languages: History, Structure, and Use
http://chicagookinawakenjinkai.blogspot.com/2011/02/kankara-sanshin-built-of-necessity.html
