Yanagawa Shamisen is often called Kyo-Shamisen as people from outside Kyoto Prefecture named it, but local resident did not call it in the same way. However there are many Kyoto residents who call Yanagawa shamisen Kyo-shamisen. They call so in the meaning that Yanagawa shamisen is different from other instruments, being unware that Yanagawa shamisen represents the shape of all kinds of shamisen. They seem to have little understanding that the instrument is one of the valuable cultural heritages in Kyoto.

　The types of shamisen vary more or less according to music genre and such differences delicately influence the tone of the instruments. The shape of Yanagawa shamisen remains very similar of the original form of the instrument which was arranged in a Japanese style after being imported here.

　After shamisen was introduced in Japan, Yanagawa Kengyo arranged of the tuning and composed most of Kumiuta, using Yanagawa shamisen before the Genroku period. Why music by Yanagawa Kengyo have been handed down from generation to generation for about 350 years resulted in the following reasons: Kengyo who were protected by the Todo organization composed shamisen music with local language(Kyoto accent)based on cultural climate of Kyoto. The music has then been accepted by people in Kyoto and has further developed and sophisticated by over 1,000-year history in the process of spreading into households. Cultural and elegant aspects have remained in the tone of Yanagawa shamisen. As Yanagawa shamisen has developed in Kyoto, it is deeply related to traditional arts produced in Kyoto. The instrument is furnished with artistic works such as gold lacquer, gold carving and braid, indicating a composite art produced in a long history.

　Music which has been handed down by Kengyo and their successor in this way gradually started to follow a way to vanish due to changes of family structure after the World War II and the awareness of shamisen players despite of its historical and cultural values. Thus Kyoto Todo-Kai makes every effort to preserve the music of Kyoto's cultural heritage and has fostered players of the younger generation.

　Why the sound of Yanagawa shamisen differs from that of other shamisen instruments is not only because of its shape, but also because of difference in the form of attachments to the instrument--bridge, strings and plectrum. The way of playing the instrument features how to use a left hand with a plectrum.

　The distinctive feature of the Yanagawa shamisen is its unique sound. One aspect of the elegance of the instrument is the beauty of the tone. In order to produce this sound, it is necessary to learn how to use the plectrum through oral instruction.

　

　When compared with other shamisen, the only feature that does not differ is the length of the neck:

　

　

　Players must be careful not to hit the skin with a plectrum. These are useful points to produce good sound of Yanagawa shamisen.

　

　According to the "Kojien" encyclopedia, Todo is an official rank for the blind and means an organization to protect their careers.

　Explaining in detail, Todo is a title for an organization of the blind which existed from the early Muromachi period to 1871(Meiji 4). It is believed the organization was established in early Muromachi period by Biwa(lute)players who narrated the Heike Story in the Kamakura period to secure a right to protect themselves by forming such organization.

　According to the "Todo Daikiroku-zen" (Tsuda's property), conffering an official rank on the blind dates back to in 886 when Hitoyasu-shinno, the Emperor Ninmei'fourth son who become blind in the Heian period, awarded the official ranks of Kengyo and Koto to his close blind servants. Todo originally means performing arts, but gradually started to consider as an organization of blind biwa players. However as the performances became less popular, Todo took on the character of such an organization to support themselves with financial matters.

　The official ranks were divided into 73 in the Edo period and official paid money for the titles according to their ranks. Gratuities from the public were also distributed to the blind officials. Todo developed into an extraterritorial self-governing body under the protection of the Tokugawa shogunate in the Edo period. The manager in chief in Todo was called Shoku-Kengyo and he administered the affairs of states in the headquarters and supervised all the blind throughout the nation via local branches. It is said he ranked with a feudal lord who had 1 million amount of rice. Another Shoku-Kengyo called Soroku was also stationed in Edo from the Genroku period through the Kyoho period(1716-1736), but the rank system was abolished in 1871 by order of the government.

　The year of his birth is unknown, but he died in 1680. The name of a school for biwa-playing minstrel that he belonged to is Oichi.

　Yanagawa Kengyo is the founder of the Yanagawa school of shamisen, which has been inherited to people in Kyoto until now. He was an accomplished shamisen player and had worked for combined shamisen songs in revision, arrangement of tuning and composition.

　The "Shichiku Shoshinshu" published in 1664 says Yanagawa Kengyo, pupil under Yamanoi, was always thinking of playing the shamisen even when waking or sleeping. He was so suited for shamisen playing that he acquired the essence of the art. He handled a plectrum so flexibly to produce good tone, indicating he is out of the ordinary. Thus his performance was known as the Yanagawa style in the public.

　The "Shikido-Okagami" published in 1678 describes there were two blind men "Kaganoichi"and "Johide" in the Sesshu district in Osaka in the early Kanei period(1624-1644). They were so good at playing the shamisen that became popular players among rich or intelligent families after visiting many local places in the nation. They were promoted officials of the highest position for the blind later.

　"Kaganoichi" became Yanagawa Kengyo while "Johide" became Yatsuhashi Kengyo. Yanagawa and Yatsuhashi styles of shamisen music are derived from those title names. There were many masters, whose skills were better than the two masters, among those who received the title of Kengyo and koto. However Yanagawa and Yatsuhashi Kengyo are the ancestors of shamisen.

　According to "Matsu no Ha" published in 1603, 30 songs of shamisen music were designated to be handed down. The 30 songs include each seven "honte-gumi" , "hade-gumi" and"ura-gumi" , eight "hikyoku" which Yanagawa Kengyo revised or composed, and a song composed by Asari Kengyo. Moreover the songs which Yanagawa Kengyo actually composed are believed to be Ura-gumi and Hikyoku songs and Torazawa Kengyo, one of the composers of Honte-gumi, collaborated on the work of Hade-gumi. In either case, there is no doubt of Yanagawa's working something on them.

　Those shamisen kumiuta which Yanagawa worked are still handed down in Kyoto and are played just as they were.

　"Sandaiseki" indicates Yanagawa Kengyo belonged to Myokan school of biwa and became kengyo in 1639 while learning from Fujishita Isaichi. He had a pupil called Shinohara Kinichi, but there is no trace that somebody had practiced playing shamisen under Shinohara. That means a descent of Yanagawa shamisen school has continued irrespective of that of biwa.

　Descent of Yanagawa school is as follows:

　

Yanagawa Oichi(year of appointment 1653)->Asari Shoichi(1656)->Hayasaki Soyoichi(1712)->Nozaki Todaichi(or Fukakusa Kanichi)(1716)->Tanaka Jokun(unknown)->Yasumura Raiichi(1731)->Kawarasaki(Tamiichi)(1776?)->Uehara Kengyo->Katsura Kunoichi(1804)->Fujioka Kengyo(1831)->Furukawa Rosai(1838-1908)->Watanabe Masayuki(1872-1937)->Hagiwara Seigin(1900-1977)

　

　The above-mentioned descent of the Yanagawa school is written in a licence of the Kami sect(except Fujioka Kengyo who belonged to Shimo sect). That of the Shimo sect is the same line of the descent of Koto after the Yasumura Kengyo died.

　

Yasumura Raiichi(1731)->Urasaki Ryoeiichi(1801)->Yaezaki Ikinoichi(1815)->Matsuzaki Tushinichi the first(1823)->Matsuzaki Kokenichi the second(1845)->Matuzaka Harue(1854-1920)->Tsuda Seikan(1882-1946)->Tsuda Michiko