We use 3 kinds of skin for Shamisen.
Most high class and good sound's one is cats skin.
But cost is real expensive. And usually most player use dog's one.
Both kinds of skin are too difficult to keep.
Strettch skin and put on the "Dou" with gulu which is almost same lice-cake.
If not enough to strettch that skin, those Shamisen's sound become real worce.
And to strettching skin is almost limit to break.
If keep it too much warm or too much humid place, as soon as skin will be broken.
Usually, Shamisen make good sounds with new skin only 2 years.

Cat's skin

Shamisen with cat's skin is real Japanese traditional style.
A cat can make only one Shamisen. Use stomach side. And that price become expensive.

Dog's skin

Can make a couple Shamisens sikins a dog. Because to use back side of dogs.
Sound of these skin's Shamisen is stronger more than cat's one. And to be bad sound is soon.
But nowaday, concerthalls, mics, became real good. At the some place and situation dog skin's sound is better.

Plastic.

Many Shamisen's users wanted and riquested taffer, easy keeping skins.
At last, 1980's kind of plastics skins were released. These kind of skins are not break easy. But we had never thought another broblem that is very easy got damage about hot temperature.
Of cource, sound is no good.
Most Shamisen players don't want it, and cost is more expenssive than another kind of skins.

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