プログレッシブ和英中辞典(第4版)の解説
しゃみせん【三味線】
a samisen; a three-stringed Japanese banjo ((複 ～s, ～es))
説明
A samisen is a banjo-like musical instrument which is played by plucking its three strings with a plectrum called a bachi. A samisen consists of a long slim neck of hardwood, a rounded rectangular body, and a taut drum-like head covered with an animal skin, or, more recently, a synthetic material. This instrument plays an essential part in Japanese traditional performing arts such as Kabuki, Noh, ningyo joruri (the puppet theater), and min'yo, or local folksongs. This instrument is said to have evolved from the sanxian, a Chinese three-stringed lute, which was introduced to Japan by way of the Ryukyu Kingdom (now Okinawa Prefecture).（意訳：バンジョーに似た楽器で，動物の皮または合成皮革を張った胴とさおからなり，三弦を張ってばちで演奏する．歌舞伎・能・人形浄瑠璃や民謡など日本の伝統芸能には欠かせない楽器である．中国の三弦が琉球経由で伝来し，改造されたものといわれている）