{{Short description|Japanese musical instrument}} {{Italic title|reason=:Category:Japanese words and phrases}} thumb|right|Two {{Transliteration|ja|gottan}} The {{nihongo||Hiragana: ごったん|'''gottan'''}}, also known as the {{Transliteration|ja|'''hako shamisen'''}} ("box {{Transliteration|ja|shamisen}}") or {{Transliteration|ja|'''ita shamisen'''}} ("board {{Transliteration|ja|shamisen}}"),<ref name="Johnson2010"/> is a traditional Japanese three-stringed plucked instrument, often regarded as either a relative or derivative of the {{Transliteration|ja|sanshin}}, itself a relative of the {{Transliteration|ja|shamisen}}.
The gottan is primarily performed publicly in the Kyushu region, especially in prefectures of Kagoshima and Miyazaki.
== Overview == The '''gottan''' has been preserved as a form of entertainment since around the 1500s, primarily serving as an accompaniment instrument for traditional folk songs (''min'yō''). It spread widely across various regions of Kyushu as a musical instrument of the common people.
In addition to its use among the general public, it was also played by Buddhist monks and in ''kagura'' rituals at Shinto shrines, making it an integral part of daily life in medieval Kyushu. It is considered one of the representative instruments of the region.
Through cultural exchange with the Ryukyu Kingdom (present-day Okinawa), the gottan has incorporated elements of Ryukyuan music, particularly due to its compatibility with the ''sanshin''. As such, it is regarded as an instrument influenced by Okinawan musical traditions.
Although the number of players and makers has declined in recent years, gottan classes still exist in various parts of Kyushu, such as Kagoshima, Miyazaki, and Fukuoka, in efforts to preserve local identity. Thanks to these efforts, many young performers have taken up the instrument, which continues to be played by people of all ages.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-04-25 |title=鹿児島県・上甑島。島の小さな集落で、幻の楽器の音色に浸る {{!}} ブルータス |url=https://brutus.jp/kamikoshikishima_travel/ |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=BRUTUS.jp |language=ja}}</ref>
==Differences== The major difference between a {{Transliteration|ja|sanshin}} and a {{Transliteration|ja|gottan}} is that the body of a {{Transliteration|ja|sanshin}} tends to be made of a hollowed wooden cavity covered with a type of membrane, whereas the whole of a {{Transliteration|ja|gottan}} – body, neck, and all – is made up of solid wood, usually of a single type, often Japanese cedar.<ref name="Experimental Musical Instruments">{{cite book|title=Experimental Musical Instruments|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KmIIAQAAMAAJ|access-date=6 January 2013|year=1993|publisher=Experimental Musical Instruments|page=35}}</ref>
The {{Transliteration|ja|gottan}}'s musical repertoire is often light and cheerful, including many folk songs.{{citation needed|date=January 2013}} Like the {{Transliteration|ja|shamisen}}, it was used for door-to-door musical busking, known as {{Transliteration|ja|kadozuke}}.<ref name="Ferranti2009">{{cite book|author=Hugh De Ferranti|title=The last biwa singer: a blind musician in history, imagination and performance|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=86EnAQAAIAAJ|access-date=6 January 2013|date=30 May 2009|publisher=East Asia Program, Cornell University|isbn=978-1-933947-13-6|page=38}}</ref>
Often the {{Transliteration|ja|gottan}} is compared to the {{Transliteration|ja|kankara sanshin}}, an Okinawan instrument related to the {{Transliteration|ja|sanshin}}, due to its relative inexpensiveness (made from a used metal can) and ease of construction. The equivalent all-wood Okinawan instrument is the {{Transliteration|ja|ita sanshin}}.<ref name="Johnson2010">{{cite book|author=Henry Mabley Johnson|title=The Shamisen: Tradition and Diversity|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vX4rAQAAMAAJ|access-date=6 January 2013|year=2010|publisher=Brill|isbn=978-90-04-18137-3}}</ref>{{rp|22}}
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Traditional Japanese musical instruments}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gottan}} Category:Japanese musical instruments