Changes

==History==

==History==

The three-stringed instrument is derived from the Chinese ''sanxian'', and served as the basis from which the Japanese [[shamisen]] developed, beginning in the late 16th century. Throughout the early modern period, access to high quality sanshin was limited exclusively to the aristocracy, though it is believed that commoners may have possessed equivalent instruments using tanned paper in place of the more expensive snakeskin. It was only after [[1879]], when the Ryûkyû Kingdom fell and was annexed by Japan, and the aristocracy abolished, that sanshin became more widely available.

The three-stringed instrument is derived from the Chinese ''[[sanxian]]'', and served as the basis from which the Japanese [[shamisen]] developed, beginning in the late 16th century. Throughout the early modern period, access to high quality sanshin was limited exclusively to the aristocracy, though it is believed that commoners may have possessed equivalent instruments using tanned paper in place of the more expensive snakeskin. It was only after [[1879]], when the Ryûkyû Kingdom fell and was annexed by Japan, and the aristocracy abolished, that sanshin became more widely available.

The Chinese ''sanxian'' dates back to the [[Yuan dynasty]] ([[1279]]-[[1368]]), and is most commonly seen in two forms. In northern China, ''sanxian'' tend to have longer necks. The Okinawan sanshin, however, developed out of the shorter-necked ''sanxian'' common in folk traditions in southern China,<ref>i.e. played mainly by the common people, and ignored for the most part by the [[literati]], who revered the ''[[qin]]'' as their musical instrument of choice.</ref> especially [[Fujian]] province, the area which historically interacted much more directly with Ryûkyû. As such, it is believed the ''sanxian'' may have been first (or most significantly) introduced to Ryûkyû by the 36 Min families who traveled to Ryûkyû in [[1392]], and settled there, establishing the community of [[Kumemura]], and setting the basis for the future Ryukyuan scholar-bureaucrat aristocracy.

The Chinese ''sanxian'' dates back to the [[Yuan dynasty]] ([[1279]]-[[1368]]), and is most commonly seen in two forms. In northern China, ''sanxian'' tend to have longer necks. The Okinawan sanshin, however, developed out of the shorter-necked ''sanxian'' common in folk traditions in southern China,<ref>i.e. played mainly by the common people, and ignored for the most part by the [[literati]], who revered the ''[[qin]]'' as their musical instrument of choice.</ref> especially [[Fujian]] province, the area which historically interacted much more directly with Ryûkyû. As such, it is believed the ''sanxian'' may have been first (or most significantly) introduced to Ryûkyû by the 36 Min families who traveled to Ryûkyû in [[1392]], and settled there, establishing the community of [[Kumemura]], and setting the basis for the future Ryukyuan scholar-bureaucrat aristocracy.