Nagahama’s Last Silk Workshop Spins Shamisen and Koto Strings

Jul 08, 2026 | News On Japan

shi - Silk thread production for strings used in shamisen and other traditional Japanese instruments has reached its peak in Nagahama, Shiga Prefecture.

In the Oto district of Nagahama, located in northern Lake Biwa, workers are extracting thread from cocoons softened in boiling water and winding it onto wooden frames.

Thread produced in the area has been used for traditional instruments such as the koto and shamisen since the Edo period. Around 1955, about 70 households were involved in the work.

Production has since declined because of population aging and the spread of synthetic fibers, leaving only one workshop still carrying on the craft.

Even so, the distinctive tone produced by raw silk remains strongly popular among musicians.

The work will continue until around mid-July, and the wound thread will be shipped to a local traditional instrument factory.

Source: YOMIURI

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