Japan Artisans Showcase Olympic Collection Under Virus Cloud

Tokyo, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 15th Apr, 2021 ) :Craftsman Kimiaki Kono was hoping the Tokyo Olympics would be a chance to win new fans for Japan's lute-like shamisen, but the pandemic has left things on a sour note.

"I want people around the world to know about this instrument," the 62-year-old told AFP at a Tokyo workshop where he builds the three-stringed shamisen, used in Japanese art forms such as kabuki theatre.

"We would have hosted a great number of visitors in Japan with the opportunity of the Olympics."So the decision to bar overseas spectators left him "very disappointed".

But he is hopeful that a special Tokyo 2020-branded shamisen he has created will still attract interest from foreign enthusiasts when it goes on sale online alongside other traditional crafts from across Japan.