Animal-based materials have long been used in Japanese traditional instruments.
For example, shamisen skins have traditionally been made from dog or cat skin, while ivory has been used for plectrums, and horsehide is used on instruments such as the kotsuzumi and otsuzumi drums in Noh music. These materials affect not only the sound, but also the way the instrument feels and how it is made.
Today, however, it is becoming harder to keep using exactly the same materials as in the past.
There are several reasons. International trade in ivory is tightly restricted in order to protect wild elephants. Japan relies heavily on imports for the dog and cat skins traditionally used on shamisen, making a stable supply difficult. Some people are also uncomfortable with the use of animal skins in musical instruments.
Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs has also identified materials such as ivory, dog and cat skins, and horsehide for traditional drums as increasingly difficult to obtain.
Because of this, researchers and craftspeople are looking for alternatives.
For the shamisen, for example, research is being carried out on plant-based materials that can reproduce some of the qualities of animal skin. But producing a similar sound is not enough. Shamisen skin is slightly moistened and softened before being stretched tightly over the body of the instrument. Any replacement material also needs to work with the traditional methods used by instrument makers.
The same applies to ivory plectrums. Hardness alone is not enough. Researchers also need to consider flexibility, how the material feels in the hand, and how easily it can be shaped and finished. Musicians and instrument makers are involved in testing these alternatives.
This is what makes the issue difficult.
Changing the material may also change the sound or the way the instrument feels to play. But if musicians and craftspeople depend only on materials that are becoming harder and harder to obtain, there may eventually come a point when the instruments themselves become difficult to make.
If the sound and overall playing experience can be preserved as much as possible, using new materials does not necessarily mean abandoning tradition. It can instead be a natural way to keep the instrument alive for future generations.
Preserving a tradition does not always mean using exactly the same materials forever.
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, “List of Tools and Raw Materials Reported as Difficult to Obtain for the Transmission of Traditional Performing Arts”
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, “Survey on Tools and Raw Materials Used in Traditional Performing Arts”
- University of Tsukuba, Wood Materials Engineering Laboratory, “Development of Sustainable Materials for Japanese Traditional Instruments”
- Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, “Research on Practical Alternatives for Materials Used in Cultural Heritage Preservation”
- Ministry of the Environment, “Regulations on Domestic Ivory Trade”
