Carrying the Sound of the Okinawa Sanshin into the Future:
Yamaha’s Approach to Cultural Preservation through Technology and Dialogue

How We Became Involved in the Cultural Preservation of the Okinawan Sanshin

The sanshin is a traditional musical instrument, one that represents Okinawa. It is estimated that 0.79 sanshin are owned per household in Okinawa Prefecture, and the instrument is widely recognized even outside of the prefecture for its sound. On the other hand, however, there have been ongoing challenges with regards to its manufacturing and distribution.

One important issue, for instance, is the need to differentiate between sanshin made by Okinawan artisans and inexpensive foreign-made sanshin, which account for about 70% of those on the market. The shortage of successors to these artisans and the depletion of Ebony wood, the material used to make sanshin, are also major issues.

Alarmed by this situation, the Okinawa Prefectural Sanshin Craftmen Cooperative Association (Sanshin Cooperative) launched a project aimed at uncovering the characteristics of the sanshin from a scientific perspective.

Also involved in the project are the University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa Prefectural University of Arts, and the Okinawa Prefectural Museum and Art Museum, as well as the Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, which is serving as advisor—all of them providing professional expertise for the project. Yamaha is participating in the project at the request of the Sanshin Cooperative, helping plan and provide technical expertise for their research into musical instruments and sensibility.

What is the value being created by these Okinawan artisans? What are the characteristics of the Ebony wood sanshin, which is so deeply connected with the spirituality of the Okinawan people?

We see the theme of this project as analyzing, from an objective and scientific perspective, the sensibilities that have long been shared intuitively among artisans and performers. In doing so, we uncover the true essence of the sanshin's appeal—an appeal that has been passed down and transformed over generations—and help shape the future of this cultural tradition.

Driven by a Growing Desire to Use Technology to Serve Culture and Society

As a manufacturer of musical instruments, Yamaha has long promoted research on objects (musical instruments) and people (sensibility). Yamaha's role in this project is to use the expertise and capabilities it has accumulated through these efforts to support the technological side of the research.

The tradition associated with sanshin is not something that people believe should be kept preserved and unchanged. Underlying this stance is the attitude of the Okinawan people, cultivated over their long history, of opening themselves up to the outside world and embracing diverse individuals. This is precisely why they are working to solve the issues of the sanshin by bringing in so many experts from diverse fields—making this concerted effort to confront the issue. This stance was something that resonated with us here at Yamaha as well.

In recent years, the sanshin world, much like many others, has been deeply influenced by globalization. As inexpensive foreign-made sanshin flood the market, efforts to explore the value created by Okinawan artisans also serve as an opportunity to reexamine and reconnect with a locally-rooted traditional culture.

This project has provided Yamaha, which typically handles Western instruments, with an awareness of tradition and innovation, as well as the diversity of music cultures. It has also served as an opportunity for us to be more confident in the possibility of contributing to culture and society through technology.

Yamaha's Contribution of Technology and Expertise

This project makes use of Yamaha's diverse technologies and expertise.

It involves measuring a wide variety of components, from materials/elements such as wood, to the sanshin musical instrument itself, the sensory perception involved in the artisans' crafting process, how performers and artisans perceive and express its tone, and more.

Here, we introduce a specific part of the project that we were involved in, to show you how we were able to mobilize all of Yamaha's proprietary technologies, and our involvement in the project.

First, the research into the materials. Here, we used Yamaha's wood analysis technology to measure and analyze various species of wood, in an attempt to identify characteristics important to the materials of the sanshin. The woods analyzed included not only traditional materials, but also Japanese wood not previously used for sanshin, and wood used in Western musical instruments such as guitars and clarinets.

Yamaha's musical instrument analysis technology is also being used to visualize the "behavior" of the sanshin. By measuring and analyzing how differences in the specifications of the musical instrument itself affect sound and vibrations, we are attempting to scientifically clarify the behavior of the sanshin as a musical instrument.

Another key focus of this project, which is deeply connected to local culture, was visualizing the unique craftsmanship skills of the Okinawan artisans. We applied Yamaha's research, for instance, in areas of the craft that involve delicate sensory perception, such as the tension of the skin, using it to analyze and visualize the relationship between these artisans and their craft from both physical and psychological perspectives.

We are also working to build a shared awareness of the sanshin between performers and artisans, regarding aspects such as tone and the physical sensations experienced during a performance. The goal here is to collect and organize the diverse vocabulary used by both performers and artisans, including uniquely Okinawan terms, and compile these into a tool of communication that can bridge the two groups.

These technologies and forms of expertise were originally developed within Yamaha for the purpose of instrument-making. In this project, however, the main focus has been to apply them solely to support the issues faced by the Okinawan sanshin. This project is an unprecedented initiative for Yamaha, as it involves researching instruments that we have not manufactured.

Using Research to Co-Create the Future with Cultural Bearers

Yamaha has never been involved in the manufacturing, teaching, or any other aspect of sanshin, and in that sense cannot be considered a party to the culture. Yamaha was not involved in this project, however, as a simple third party or just as researchers.

Our belief is that research and cultural creation go hand in hand, and that it is important to promote these alongside the cultural bearers—the makers and practitioners of the culture.

We believe that Yamaha's research will become a part of the future of culture. The fruits of this project will be brought to life by the cultural bearers, by those who live and breathe the culture. Only then will the outcomes of this project truly take root in the world. That is why our emphasis has been on co-creation, instead of simply providing the research outcomes.

The key point of this project was the knowledge sharing that was promoted through close discussion and information-sharing, amongst artisans, performers, researchers, and a musical instrument manufacturer—each bringing their own unique perspective.

For instance, insights into the behavior of the sanshin, gained through comparisons with instruments like guitars and drums, were a unique contribution that only we as a musical instrument manufacturer were able to provide.

Exploring the sanshin through various approaches has allowed we at Yamaha to apply our diverse research expertise in new ways—leading to many valuable discoveries along the way. More than anything, this project has given us the rare opportunity not only to reflect on ourselves, but also to reflect on the future of Yamaha.

What We Have Discovered Through Deep Engagement with Local Culture

One of the most valuable takeaways from this project was the realization that there are countless ways Yamaha technologies can be used to contribute to society, and the discovery that the creators and practitioners of local culture welcome our technologies and research.

At the same time, our deep engagement with the sanshin and the people whose livelihoods are built around it, allowed us to realize just how much we typically viewed the world through the lens of musical instruments alone. We were reminded that musical instruments are not just tools, but are deeply embedded in the culture and daily lives of people, and that it is essential to engage in culture while understanding its background and history.

Our research into objects (musical instruments) and people (sensibility) can be used to help solve issues in local cultures. The insights gained from the Okinawan sanshin project are likely to serve as a valuable guide for Yamaha as we explore ways to address social issues and contribute to society through our technologies in the future.

By deeply engaging with the sanshin, as well as performers, artisans, and other makers/practitioners, and engaging with the relationship between musical instruments and people, the history and culture behind it, and the diverse people whose livelihoods are built around it, we have achieved results that have broad applicability, with potential for use in other instruments and fields.

In order to fully explore this potential, it is crucial that we adopt the perspective of co-creating culture with the community, and recognize that research is an activity that shapes the future of culture. We believe that this stance is key to contributing to culture and society through technology.

Moving forward, Yamaha will continue to engage in various activities aimed at the sustainable development of society and culture, as well as the realization of well-being through sound and music.