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Used Shamisen

Street Singers (Ukiyobushi), Shamisen Player and Singer

Street Singers (Ukiyobushi), Shamisen Player and Singer

By Takahashi Hiroaki (Shotei)

Located in Middletown, NY

Watanabe Shozaburo, 1936. Woodblock in colors on handmade mulberry paper, Koban 182 x 120 mm, full margins. With the Shôtei artist seal in red ink, upper right. Signed "Shotei" and t...

Category

Early 20th Century Used Shamisen

Materials

Watercolor, Handmade Paper, Woodcut

Shamisen II Signed and Numbered Print Macabre Illustration

Shamisen II Signed and Numbered Print Macabre Illustration

By Joao Ruas

Located in Draper, UT

João Ruas “Shamisen II” Limited edition giclée fine art print Description This is Shamisen II, a

Category

2010s Used Shamisen

Materials

Black and White, Archival Pigment

K31 Old Japanese Painting Art, Skeleton Playing the Shamisen, Framed
K31 Old Japanese Painting Art, Skeleton Playing the Shamisen, Framed

K31 Old Japanese Painting Art, Skeleton Playing the Shamisen, Framed

Located in Niiza, JP

5-10mm plywood): 10cm x 50cm x 115cm, 8kg Skeleton Playing the Shamisen, Japanese Painting, Framed

Category

20th Century Japanese Used Shamisen

Materials

Acrylic, Wood, Paper

Japanese Children in Traditional Dress  Playing Shamisen - Woman Artist
Japanese Children in Traditional Dress  Playing Shamisen - Woman Artist

Japanese Children in Traditional Dress Playing Shamisen - Woman Artist

Located in Miami, FL

East meets West in this charming illustration where a female American Illustrator paints a scene of two jovial Japanese youths in a semi-Japanese style. Clara Miller Burd was a brill...

Category

Early 20th Century American Realist Used Shamisen

Materials

Watercolor

Metal Sculpture Of Japanese Musicians On Marble Base
Metal Sculpture Of Japanese Musicians On Marble Base

Metal Sculpture Of Japanese Musicians On Marble Base

Located in Los Angeles, CA

musicians playing the koto (lap harp), shamisen (banjo), and shakuhachi (flute), each rendered in an

Category

Late 20th Century Brutalist Used Shamisen

Materials

Metal

Impressionist Oil Painting of Woman in Kimono, Signed Karin Schaefers
Impressionist Oil Painting of Woman in Kimono, Signed Karin Schaefers

Impressionist Oil Painting of Woman in Kimono, Signed Karin Schaefers

$545Sale Price|31% Off

H 26 in W 21.5 in D 2.5 in

Impressionist Oil Painting of Woman in Kimono, Signed Karin Schaefers

Located in Trenton, NJ

impressionism and Japanese iconography. A seated woman in a pink kimono holds a shamisen, rendered in soft

Category

Late 20th Century Unknown Anglo-Japanese Used Shamisen

Materials

Canvas, Wood

"Candy Seller" Japanese Woodblock on Rice Paper
"Candy Seller" Japanese Woodblock on Rice Paper

"Candy Seller" Japanese Woodblock on Rice Paper

By Utagawa Yoshiiku

Located in Soquel, CA

Uzaemon as the Candy Peddler Uzumatsu. He is playing a stringed instrument (the shamisen) to attract

Category

1860s Edo Used Shamisen

Materials

Ink, Rice Paper, Woodcut

Japanese Decorative Art Openwork Iron Partition
Japanese Decorative Art Openwork Iron Partition

Japanese Decorative Art Openwork Iron Partition

$7,648

H 100.4 in W 139.77 in D 1.58 in

Japanese Decorative Art Openwork Iron Partition

Located in Marseille, FR

ceremony, one of which is playing the shamisen like Japanese prints and serving as a room divider, note

Category

Mid-20th Century French Art Deco Used Shamisen

Materials

Iron

Vintage Handpainted Silk Japanese Geisha Screen With Ricepaper Backing
Vintage Handpainted Silk Japanese Geisha Screen With Ricepaper Backing

Vintage Handpainted Silk Japanese Geisha Screen With Ricepaper Backing

$595Sale Price|65% Off

H 47.25 in W 72 in D 3 in

Vintage Handpainted Silk Japanese Geisha Screen With Ricepaper Backing

Located in Waxahachie, TX

by bamboo trees. Little details, a shamisen, or Japanese guitar, a rice paper scroll, a Geisha

Category

1970s Japanese Edo Used Shamisen

Materials

Silk, Wood

Antique Austro-Hungarian Silver and Enamel Cigarette / Card Case
Antique Austro-Hungarian Silver and Enamel Cigarette / Card Case

Antique Austro-Hungarian Silver and Enamel Cigarette / Card Case

Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne

Japanese ladies playing traditional Japanese instruments, the koto (13 stringed zither) and the shamisen (3

Category

20th Century Slovenian Used Shamisen

Materials

Silver, Enamel

Japanese Beauties Enjoy a Full Moon
Japanese Beauties Enjoy a Full Moon

Japanese Beauties Enjoy a Full Moon

By Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III)

Located in Burbank, CA

air of mystery. The seated woman on the right is perhaps a geisha, as we see a shamisen lying next to

Category

1840s Edo Used Shamisen

Materials

Woodcut, Mulberry Paper

Recent Sales

Japanese Plectrum Musical Picks
Japanese Plectrum Musical Picks

Japanese Plectrum Musical Picks

Located in Seattle, WA

Japanese hardwood plectrum (bachi) for a shamisen. The shamisen is a traditional three stringed

Category

1930s Japanese Used Shamisen

Materials

Wood

Japanese Salt and Pepper Shakers
Japanese Salt and Pepper Shakers

Japanese Salt and Pepper Shakers

Unavailable

H 0.5 in W 3 in D 0.25 in

Japanese Salt and Pepper Shakers

Located in Cookeville, TN

Offering this pair of Japanese salt and pepper shakers. Made to look like a Shamisen these tiny

Category

20th Century Japanese Chinese Export Used Shamisen

Materials

Sterling Silver

Wunderkammer,  The Dance of the Skeletons, by Tanomura Chokunyu (1814-1909)
Wunderkammer,  The Dance of the Skeletons, by Tanomura Chokunyu (1814-1909)

Wunderkammer, The Dance of the Skeletons, by Tanomura Chokunyu (1814-1909)

Located in PARIS, FR

skeletons dancing, while a third one, seated in the background, plays a shamisen, a traditional Japanese

Category

Late 19th Century Art Nouveau Used Shamisen

Materials

Paper

Bachi

Masayuki NagareBachi, 1984

Unavailable

H 43.5 in W 16.94 in D 11.13 in

Bachi

By Masayuki Nagare

Located in New York, NY

Japanese Shamisen lute, instilling the work with great ritualistic significance. For Nagare, the bachi is

Category

20th Century Used Shamisen

Materials

Granite

Very Large Japanese Bronze Ferry Boat Okimono by Seiya
Very Large Japanese Bronze Ferry Boat Okimono by Seiya

Very Large Japanese Bronze Ferry Boat Okimono by Seiya

Unavailable

H 11.5 in W 38.5 in D 13.5 in

Very Large Japanese Bronze Ferry Boat Okimono by Seiya

Located in Christchurch, GB

bijin clutching her hat whilst holding a shamisen, aside her is an elderly lady leaning forward upon a

Category

19th Century Japanese Meiji Used Shamisen

Materials

Bronze

Yoshitoshi, Ukiyo-e, Thirty-two Manners and Customs, Beauty, Shamisen, Enjoyment
Yoshitoshi, Ukiyo-e, Thirty-two Manners and Customs, Beauty, Shamisen, Enjoyment

Yoshitoshi, Ukiyo-e, Thirty-two Manners and Customs, Beauty, Shamisen, Enjoyment

By Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

Located in London, GB

in the mid-19th century, practices her shamisen, a traditional Japanese instrument similar to a

Category

Late 19th Century Other Art Style Used Shamisen

Materials

Handmade Paper, Mulberry Paper, Washi Paper, Pigment, Woodcut

Pair of Austrian Cold Painted Bronze Japanese Figures Shamisen and Geisha
Pair of Austrian Cold Painted Bronze Japanese Figures Shamisen and Geisha

Pair of Austrian Cold Painted Bronze Japanese Figures Shamisen and Geisha

Located in Big Flats, NY

Pair of antique Austrian cold painted bronze Japanese figures depicting musician shamisen player

Category

Early 20th Century Austrian Used Shamisen

Materials

Bronze

Large Pair of Japanese Bronze Musician Sculptures Meiji Period
Large Pair of Japanese Bronze Musician Sculptures Meiji Period

Large Pair of Japanese Bronze Musician Sculptures Meiji Period

Located in Lambertville, NJ

A pair of male and female Japanese Meiji period figures of musicians playing a shamisen with finely

Category

1880s Asian Meiji Used Shamisen

Materials

Bronze

Pair of 1950s Japanese Sanshin Lithographs
Pair of 1950s Japanese Sanshin Lithographs

Pair of 1950s Japanese Sanshin Lithographs

Located in New Windsor, NY

three stringed instruments called Sanshin or Shamisen. Matted, glazed and framed in simple gilded wood

Category

1950s Japanese Japonisme Used Shamisen

Materials

Cherry

A Tokyo School bronze okimono depicting a walking geisha
A Tokyo School bronze okimono depicting a walking geisha

A Tokyo School bronze okimono depicting a walking geisha

Located in Milano, IT

against the wind, her robes gently folded and folded, while holding a shamisen in her arms. The geisha

Category

Late 19th Century Japanese Used Shamisen

Materials

Bronze

Nagara Pleasure Quarter, Kanazawa
Nagara Pleasure Quarter, Kanazawa

Nagara Pleasure Quarter, Kanazawa

By Kawase Hasui

Located in Burbank, CA

. Somehow the gurgling of the water and the sensuous sounds of the shamisen are full of sorrow. The low

Category

1920s Showa Used Shamisen

Materials

Handmade Paper, Woodcut

Japan Antique Geisha Bijin Photo Album of Beauties Album 1890, 26 Photographs
Japan Antique Geisha Bijin Photo Album of Beauties Album 1890, 26 Photographs

Japan Antique Geisha Bijin Photo Album of Beauties Album 1890, 26 Photographs

Located in South Burlington, VT

in Military dress and flag + Geisha playing shamisen string instrument Original paper covered

Category

Late 19th Century Japanese Meiji Used Shamisen

Materials

Paper

Zataku by Saburo Inui for Tendo Mokko, 1960s
Zataku by Saburo Inui for Tendo Mokko, 1960s

Zataku by Saburo Inui for Tendo Mokko, 1960s

Sold

H 13.39 in W 47.64 in D 29.93 in

Zataku by Saburo Inui for Tendo Mokko, 1960s

By Saburo Inui

Located in Sammu-shi, Chiba

toward the bottom, just like the "bachi" of a shamisen. The form of the legs that bends and swells inside

Category

1960s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Used Shamisen

Materials

Teak

Sterling Silver Shamisen Japanese Guitar Pin / Brooch
Sterling Silver Shamisen Japanese Guitar Pin / Brooch

Sterling Silver Shamisen Japanese Guitar Pin / Brooch

Located in Washington Depot, CT

Vintage sterling silver pin shaped as a shamisen Japanese guitar. Features a large oval cabochon

Category

20th Century Used Shamisen

Materials

Sterling Silver

Large Japanese 6-panel byôbu 屏風 (folding screen) with Edo genre painting
Large Japanese 6-panel byôbu 屏風 (folding screen) with Edo genre painting

Large Japanese 6-panel byôbu 屏風 (folding screen) with Edo genre painting

Located in Amsterdam, NL

leisure, enjoying red bream, and watching a dance performance set to shamisen music. In the forefront, the

Category

Early 19th Century Japanese Used Shamisen

Materials

Metal, Gold Leaf

Snowy Night 'Korea'
Snowy Night 'Korea'

Snowy Night 'Korea'

By Paul Jacoulet

Located in Myrtle Beach, SC

took dancing lessons and studied gidayu (narrative chanting to the accompaniment of shamisen), at which

Category

1930s Showa Used Shamisen

Materials

Woodcut

In the Private Palace Gardens; Seoul, Korea
In the Private Palace Gardens; Seoul, Korea

In the Private Palace Gardens; Seoul, Korea

By Paul Jacoulet

Located in Myrtle Beach, SC

took dancing lessons and studied gidayu (narrative chanting to the accompaniment of shamisen), at which

Category

1940s Showa Used Shamisen

Materials

Woodcut

A Downpour at Metalanim, Ponape, East Carolines
A Downpour at Metalanim, Ponape, East Carolines

A Downpour at Metalanim, Ponape, East Carolines

By Paul Jacoulet

Located in Myrtle Beach, SC

accompaniment of shamisen), at which he attained almost professional-level proficiency. Under Terukata Ikeda

Category

1930s Showa Used Shamisen

Materials

Woodcut

Satsuma, Tea Caddy, Meiji Period, Antique Japanese Porcelain, Japanese Ceramics
Satsuma, Tea Caddy, Meiji Period, Antique Japanese Porcelain, Japanese Ceramics

Satsuma, Tea Caddy, Meiji Period, Antique Japanese Porcelain, Japanese Ceramics

By Satsuma

Located in London, GB

shamisen player is accompanied by joyful dancers; some cover their faces with their fans as young boys look

Category

Late 19th Century Japanese Meiji Used Shamisen

Materials

Ceramic, Porcelain

Utamaro I Kitagawa Ukiyo-E Japanese Woodblock Print 18th Century, Shamisen
Utamaro I Kitagawa Ukiyo-E Japanese Woodblock Print 18th Century, Shamisen

Utamaro I Kitagawa Ukiyo-E Japanese Woodblock Print 18th Century, Shamisen

By Kitagawa Utamaro 1

Located in London, GB

the shamisen under the bloom of cherry blossoms. The three stringed lute known as the shamisen was

Category

Late 18th Century Japanese Edo Used Shamisen

Materials

Paper

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Used Shamisen For Sale on 1stDibs

On 1stDibs, you can find the most appropriate used shamisen for your needs in our varied inventory. Finding the perfect used shamisen may mean sifting through those created during different time periods — you can find an early version that dates to the 19th Century and a newer variation that were made as recently as the 21st Century. On 1stDibs, the right used shamisen is waiting for you and the choices span a range of colors that includes beige, black and brown. There have been many interesting used shamisen examples over the years, but those made by Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III) and Paul Jacoulet are often thought to be among the most thought-provoking. Artworks like these of any era or style can make for thoughtful decor in any space, but a selection from our variety of those made in woodcut print, paper and crayon can add an especially memorable touch.

How Much is a Used Shamisen?

A used shamisen can differ in price owing to various characteristics — the average selling price for items in our inventory is $2,075, while the lowest priced sells for $608 and the highest can go for as much as $10,000.