Shamisen skin on the verge of extinction

What is it about?

This article explores a cultural preservation project in Japan led by members of the Society for the Preservation of the Sound of Traditional Japanese Musical Instruments for the Next Generation. The project aims to sustain the material culture of the shamisen, a traditional Japanese lute. The raw materials used in the making of this musical instrument today are mostly imported and considered endangered for different reasons. I apply the concept of non-scalability to the discussion of musical sustainability and cultural extinction. Non-scalability can be used as a conceptual tool to determine and reveal problems—for example, layers of disjuncture between perspectives on loss—inherent in a cultural preservation project. It also can help one think critically about the position from which discussions are made on the stakes of different preservation agendas.

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