Uraha
Japanese Shamisen Tuner
Only for iPhone
Free · Designed for iPhone. Not verified for macOS.
iPhone
The shamisen tuner that records your own instrument as a tuning reference. Version 4.0 rebuilds the tuner around the way you actually work.
Why a shamisen-dedicated tuner?
The shamisen's distinctive tone — shaped by its percussive attack, rapid decay, rich harmonic overtones, and the characteristic sawari buzz — makes it notoriously difficult for general-purpose digital tuners to detect accurately. Uraha is purpose-built and optimized specifically for the shamisen.
Why choose Uraha?
■ Record Your Own Shamisen — Recorded
No two shamisen sound alike. Record your instrument at its perfectly tuned pitch, then play that recording back before every performance to tune your strings to it — not a generic reference pitch, but the character of your own instrument. Hear each take before you keep it, add a quick memo, and swipe away any you no longer need. Found in no other shamisen tuner app.
■ [New in Version 4.0] The Whole Tuning on One Screen
Choose your key and tuning from two pickers, then work across the three strings side by side. Each string shows its note, its octave and its exact frequency, and keeps a check mark once you have held it in tune — so you can see at a glance how far through the instrument you are. Hold a string in tune for a second and Uraha advances to the next one on its own.
■ [New in Version 4.0] A Tuner That Measures the Right String
The needle now reads against the string you selected, not simply the nearest note. Play the wrong string, or catch an overtone instead of the fundamental, and Uraha tells you so rather than reporting a confident match.
■ Ear Tuning with Authentic Shamisen Tone
Uraha plays a synthesized tone that closely recreates the resonance and timbre of a real shamisen, so you can tune by ear the way musicians have for centuries. One tap sounds a string; hold to repeat it. Fine-tune the timbre to match your own instrument and preference.
■ Digital Tuner Optimized for Shamisen
Calibrated specifically for the shamisen's pitch range and harmonic structure, Uraha detects the fundamental pitch far more reliably than conventional chromatic tuners — use it alongside ear tuning for precision you can see and hear.
■ Instrument-Type Presets
Fine-tune the synthesized tone for Tsugaru shamisen, nagauta, jiuta, and more, then save up to three configurations as presets — ideal if you own multiple instruments or switch between genres.
■ Full Support for All Three Traditional Tunings
Hon-choshi, Ni-agari, and San-sagari — accurate reference pitches for every standard shamisen tuning, one tap away.
■ Saved Tunings with Memos
Save a key and tuning together with a note — the song, the piece, the player — and call it straight back from the saved list. Ideal for teachers tracking students' setups or performers managing multiple pieces.
■ Accessible by Design
Every primary control — record, play, save, tune — includes VoiceOver labels, and the app fully supports both Light and Dark Mode.
Who is Uraha for?
Anyone who has struggled to tune a shamisen with a standard tuner; players of Tsugaru shamisen, nagauta, jiuta, or other specific styles; those who play multiple instruments or switch between genres; performers who need to match pitch with others in an ensemble; and anyone who needs reliable, repeatable tuning at rehearsal or on stage.
A tuner built for the shamisen, by a shamisen player. Uraha supports your performance.
Ratings & Reviews
- This app has not received enough ratings or reviews to display an overview.
■ The Tuner, Rebuilt
Your key, your tuning and all three strings now live on one screen. Each string carries its note, octave and frequency, and earns a check mark once you have held it in tune, so you can see how far through the instrument you are. Uraha moves to the next string on its own.
■ It Measures the String You Chose
The needle now reads against your selected string rather than the nearest note, so playing the wrong string — or catching an overtone — no longer reports a match.
■ Tabs Named for What They Do
Generated and Recorded: the app makes the pitch, or you recorded it. Tune and Settings follow.
■ Keys Now Start at 一本
The key list runs 一本 (A) up to 十二本. If you used 一本, 二本 or 三本 before, they now sound an octave lower — matching the pitch-pipe order players expect.
■ Every Note Shows Its Octave
C4, E4, C5 — so a key number and an octave number can never be mistaken for each other.
The developer, 株式会社OHANA, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Not Collected
The developer does not collect any data from this app.
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
- Provider
- OHANA INC.
- Size
- 30.2 MB
- Category
- Music
- Compatibility
Requires iOS 26.1 or later.
- iPhone
Requires iOS 26.1 or later. - Mac
Requires macOS 26.1 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later. - Apple Vision
Requires visionOS 26.1 or later.
- iPhone
- Languages
- English and Japanese
- Age Rating
4+
- 4+
- Copyright
- © OHANA Inc.
