The Spirit of Japan: A Collection of Famous and Popular Shamisen Pieces
The shamisen is the quintessential traditional Japanese instrument.
Of course, it’s used to perform classic pieces, but it’s also a highly versatile instrument that shines in solo performances of intense songs and in collaborations with rock bands—traditional yet packed with showmanship.
In this article, we’ll introduce a wide range of songs that feature the shamisen.
We’ve included everything from older works to the latest tracks!
If you’re thinking about starting the shamisen, you might find this helpful—so be sure to read to the end!
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- [Local Songs] Recommended tracks packed with Japan’s nationwide classics and hometown pride
- [Let's Enjoy Japanese Festival Songs!] Songs about festivals. Famous songs related to festivals.
- A classic song that celebrates Niigata. The enduring spirit of our hometown passed down through song.
- [Kyoto Songs] Masterpieces that sing about Kyoto — songs themed on the ancient capital. The enduring heart of our hometown passed down in song.
- [Latest & Classic] Popular! Collection of Japanese-style Vocaloid Songs
- Japanese sign-language songs; sign-language song(s)
- Traditional Japanese Music: Famous Pieces of Gagaku and Kagura. Recommended Traditional Japanese Music
[The Spirit of Japan] Shamisen Masterpieces and Popular Songs (21–30)
Thank youYoshida Brothers
The Yoshida Brothers fuse the traditional Tsugaru shamisen with contemporary sounds like rock and electronica.
Among their repertoire, this piece stands out for its particularly gentle, warm tones that resonate deeply in the heart.
Many were surely moved when it was featured alongside a story of gratitude to the parents who supported the brothers, in BS Asahi’s special program celebrating their 15th anniversary.
This work is included on the acclaimed album “FRONTIER,” released in May 2003.
When you want to express thanks to someone dear, why not let its warm timbre echo your feelings?
Paradise Has No BorderKen Shimura × Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra
This is a song that Ken Shimura and Hiromitsu Agatsuma collaborated on with Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra.
It was featured in a 2016 KIRIN “Hyoketsu” commercial and became a hot topic.
The opening is a skit-style segment featuring the grand entrance of the Bakatonosama (Fool Lord), but around 35 seconds in, a stunning live performance starts as a surprise.
The dynamic energy characteristic of Skapara resonates with the lively tones of the shamisen.
-EN-Hiromitsu Agatsuma
A work by Hiromitsu Agatsuma that vividly captures the unique fervor and pleasant tension of Japanese festivals through the Tsugaru shamisen.
The fiercely strummed shamisen melodies layered with drum rhythms that seem to shake the earth create a driving energy that stirs the listener’s soul.
This track is the title piece from the acclaimed album “En” released in August 2006.
Infused with the theme of connecting people and sound—“en,” or bonds—it unfolds a truly breathtaking soundscape.
Wouldn’t it be perfect as a companion for tasks that require focus or for instantly lifting your spirits?
It's the cat, it's the cat.Unknown
Known as “Occhokochoi-bushi” or “Neko ja Neko ja,” this is a popular folk song that spread from the Edo period into the Meiji era.
One verse depicts a wife, on the verge of being caught cheating, claiming that the man she’s hiding is actually a cat, while her husband responds by picking apart the lie in detail.
Although it’s a traditional popular song with roots in the Edo period, its content includes a humorous “pursuit of a lie,” so it is often performed with the light, playful feel of the shamisen.
It is also a lively piece frequently used as entrance music by rakugo storytellers.
deep seaNobuya - NIYA -
This is a piece by Tsugaru shamisen artist NIYA, who hails from Yagishiri Island in Haboro, Hokkaido.
The track is included on the mini-album VersuS.
You could say it’s a collaboration between the shamisen and contemporary rhythm instruments.
The rhythm makes a strong statement, but that powerful beat seems to further accentuate the fiercely strummed timbre of the Tsugaru shamisen.
It’s a work that offers a glimpse into NIYA’s pursuit of new possibilities for the Tsugaru shamisen, including collaborations with DJs and wind ensembles.
spring rainMomose Nagano
Also known as “Uguisu-yado no Ume” (The Nightingale’s Plum), it features lyrics by Hanamori Shibata, a retainer of the Hizen Ogi domain, and became popular in Edo around the Kaei era (1848–1854).
It is unclear who set it to melody, but it is said to have been Okatsu, a courtesan of Maruyama.
As a celebrated hauta piece, it is still widely sung today.
Old PineKineie Association Tokushima Branch
“Oimatsu” is a quintessential Nagauta piece, composed in the late Edo period by the fourth Kineya Rokuzaburō.
Because “old pine” symbolizes longevity, it has long been cherished as a celebratory work suitable for festive occasions.
It’s a single piece that distills the charm of Nagauta—expansive, elegant, and refined.