Tsugaru-jamisen
Aomori-prefecture solo shamisen tradition — the thick-necked futozao played percussively with heavy plectrum strikes.
What it sounds like
Tsugaru-jamisen is a virtuoso solo tradition for the futozao shamisen — the thickest-necked variant of the three-string Japanese lute, struck percussively with a large plectrum (bachi). Tempos are fast, dynamics extreme (full fff to whispered p in a single phrase), and the plectrum strike produces a sound closer to percussion than to plucked string. Some pieces feature vocal accompaniment in folk-song style; others, including most modern concert pieces, are purely instrumental. The technical demands are at art-music level.
How it came about
The tradition formed in Tsugaru (western Aomori prefecture) in the late Edo and early Meiji periods, originally among blind itinerant musicians (bosama) who travelled village to village earning their living by performance. After the Second World War, Takahashi Chikuzan (1910-1998) brought tsugaru-jamisen into the concert hall as solo art music, codifying the modern competition repertoire. The Yoshida Brothers, recording from 1999 onward, pushed the instrument into pop and rock fusion contexts and brought it to a global audience. Agatsuma Hiromitsu extended the experimental side.
What to listen for
On Yoshida Brothers' Rising, the relentless plectrum strikes produce a rock-band energy without any electricity. The acoustic timbre is wholly traditional, but the structural logic borrows from rock. On Takahashi Chikuzan's older recordings, the classical-lyrical side of the tradition is more visible.
If you only hear one thing
Yoshida Brothers' Rising for the energetic entry, then Takahashi Chikuzan's Jongara Bushi for the historical-classical reading.
Trivia
The thick neck and thicker skin of the futozao shamisen produce extreme string tension, which is why the plectrum-strike sound is almost percussive — the instrument is closer to a drum-with-melody than to a guitar.