The Japanese shamisen originated from the Chinese instrument sanxian (Chinese: 三弦).[6][7][8][9] The sanxian was introduced through the Ryūkyū Kingdom (Okinawa) in the 16th century, where it developed into the Okinawan instrument sanshin (三線) from which the shamisen ultimately derives.[6][7][8][9][10] It is believed that the ancestor of the shamisen was introduced in the 16th century through the port city of Sakai, near Osaka.[8]