Shamisen

The shamisen or samisen (Japanese: , literally "three taste strings"), also called sangen (literally "three strings") is a three-stringed musical instrument played with a plectrum called a bachi. The pronunciation in Japanese is usually "shamisen" (in western Japan, and often in Edo-period sources "samisen") but sometimes "jamisen" when used as a suffix (e.g. Tsugaru-jamisen).
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Noun
1. a Japanese stringed instrument resembling a banjo with a long neck and three strings and a fretted fingerboard and a rectangular soundbox; played with a plectrum
(synonym) samisen
(hypernym) stringed instrument

Japanese 3-string lute, like a long-necked, fretless banjo with parchment strtched across the front; plucked with a heavy ivory plectrum.