The makers of this ancient instrument were near to closure. But could it get a new lease of life?
Katsuhiro Otaki confesses he can’t play a note on the shamisen, a three-stringed instrument whose sound has been the backdrop to Japanese traditional theatre for centuries.
But tens of thousands of men and women who do know their way up and down a shamisen neck have Otaki to thank for their exquisite instruments, hand-crafted by three generations of his family.
Continue reading...from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2FgnLTm
