A special version of a traditional stringed Japanese musical instrument has been created to support reconstruction efforts in two separate regions.
The version of the three-stringed sanshin bears hopes for the reconstruction of the main hall of Shuri Castle in Okinawa Prefecture and municipalities in the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture.
A fire hit the castle in 2019, while the peninsula suffered a major earthquake and heavy rains and flooding in 2024.
The special sanshin was unveiled during a ceremony in Okinawa’s Naha City on Saturday.
Work to create the instrument began last December. It was made from timber used to rebuild the castle’s main hall.
A craftsman in Okinawa applied lacquer to the instrument. Another in Ishikawa used a metal powder-sprinkling decoration technique to paint on its neck a mountain range, the sea and snowflakes, symbolizing the landscape of the Noto Peninsula.
The body of the instrument is wrapped with decorative textiles, made from traditional fabrics woven in the two prefectures.
An Okinawa-based sanshin maker, Nakamine Miki, helped produce the instrument. He said during the ceremony that it represents the integration of techniques from Okinawa and Ishikawa, adding that he hopes its sounds will reach many people.
The instrument was used to perform a piece of music normally played in celebratory events in Okinawa.
The chairperson of an Ishikawa-based group of Wajima-nuri lacquerware artisans, Sakaguchi Akio, said he is very happy because he felt support from many people when craft workers in both prefectures teamed up to complete the instrument.
AloJapan.com