Around 1562, the sanxian was introduced by trading ships into two geographical areas of Japan, the cities of Sakai and Osaka and the port of Hakata in Kyushu. The shamisen derives from the sanshin (a close ancestor from the southernmost Japanese prefecture of Okinawa, and one of the primary instruments used in that area), which in turn evolved from the Chinese sanxian, itself deriving originally from Central Asian instruments. In kouta ("short song") and occasionally in other genres the shamisen is plucked with the fingers. As in the clawhammer style of American banjo playing, the bachi is often used to strike both string and skin, creating a highly percussive sound. The sound of a shamisen is similar in some respects to that of the American banjo, in that the drum-like skin-covered body, or dō, amplifies the sound of the strings. In most genres the shamisen is played with a large weighted plectrum called a bachi, which was traditionally made with ivory or tortoise shell but which now is usually wooden, and which is in the shape of a ginkgo leaf. The dō is made from Chinese quince, mulberry or zelkova wood. The sao is made from one piece of wood, often divided into two or three pieces so that it can be disassembled to be carried compactly. The three basic types are " hosozao" ("narrow neck"), which is used for Nagauta " chuzao" ("middle-sized neck"), which is used for Tokiwazu, Kiyomoto and Shinnai and " futozao" ("thick necked"), used for Gidayu.
long, but of different thicknesses depending on the type of shamisen. The most prized wood used in making a shamisen is koki, a very hard imported kind of rosewood, but rosewood, walnut and mulberry are also used. There may also be a cover on the head of the instrument, known as a tenjin. The upper part of the dō is almost always protected by a cover known as a dō kake, and players often wear a little band of cloth on their left hand, to facilitate sliding up and down the neck. The lowest passes over a small hump at the "nut" end so that it buzzes, creating a characteristic sound known as sawari (This is a little like the "buzzing" of a sitar, which is called jawari). The three strings are traditionally made of silk, or, more recently, nylon.
On the skin of some of the best shamisen, the position of the cat's nipples can be seen. The skin is usually from a dog or cat, but in the past a special type of paper was used and recently various types of plastics are being tried. Its drum-like rounded rectangular body, known as a dō, is covered with skin in the manner of a banjo, and amplifies the sound of the strings. The shamisen is similar in length to a guitar, but its neck is much slimmer and without frets. A Japanese man playing a shamisen while another sings.