The Shamisen
The samisen is the most popular Japanese musical instrument. It is a stringed, guitar-like instrument that is played during Bunraku plays. It comes in 3 different types, which are the hose-zao (thin-necked), naka-zao (medium-necked), and futo-zao (thick-necked). The futo-zao produces the deepest, most powerful sound out of all the 3 different types. The samisen had no fixed pitch, and primarily being an accompaniment, it was tuned to blend with the voice of the singer.
The Samisen Player
The responsibility of the shamisen player is to complement the chanter's recitation by "playing the strings of the heart." Through the different sounds of the 3 different types of shamisen, the audience should receive vibes that match the moods of the play's different characters. Because of this main responsibility, the focus of the shamisen player is more to express the emotions of the story than on musicality. He must also be in perfect harmony with the chanter in order to master the extremely difficult techniques used to express human (puppets') emotions through musical tones all while setting the pace and timing of the play.
The audience members of a Bunraku play are said to leave touched by the music of the shamisen, especially the futo-zao's deep tones express emotions in such a way that people can almost feel the emotions themselves that are supposed to be felt by the puppets of the play.
The samisen players were typically born into a Bunraku background. Their lessons began early for children who showed potential for samisen playing. By the time they were seven or eight, if they demonstrated proficiency, they would be enrolled as a pupil of an established samisen player. The actually instruction, however, was given by older pupils. These teachings consisted of blows and harsh words. This style of teaching served to weed out people who did not have what it took to be a samisen player. This training often drove young men into other professions.
Image from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:THOM_Japanese_Samisen.jpg
The audience members of a Bunraku play are said to leave touched by the music of the shamisen, especially the futo-zao's deep tones express emotions in such a way that people can almost feel the emotions themselves that are supposed to be felt by the puppets of the play.
The samisen players were typically born into a Bunraku background. Their lessons began early for children who showed potential for samisen playing. By the time they were seven or eight, if they demonstrated proficiency, they would be enrolled as a pupil of an established samisen player. The actually instruction, however, was given by older pupils. These teachings consisted of blows and harsh words. This style of teaching served to weed out people who did not have what it took to be a samisen player. This training often drove young men into other professions.
Image from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:THOM_Japanese_Samisen.jpg