It’s a typical scene at Grant “Masandu” Murata’s house in Aina Koa, Honolulu. There’s a group of his students in uta-sanshin (singing while playing the Okinawan three-stringed lute) gathered on his lanai for weekly practice. The students sit in a row so they can see the hands of their sensei (teachers), Murata and his wife, Chikako, who sit across from their students. This face-to-face instruction with no musical notes has been the foundation of the teaching style of Afuso Ryu classical Okinawan music for over 400 years.
Grant Murata (right) performing minyo (folk music), 1984. Photo courtesy Grant Murata
From pau hana at 6 p.m. until about 8 p.m., you can hear Okinawan classical or minyo (folk) music from Murata’s house, which is walking distance from his alma mater, Kalani High School. It’s not unusual for a neighbor to stop and listen or wave hi to Murata and his group.
At the end of practice, Murata will say, “Otsukare sama deshita” to thank them for their hard work. Students reply, “thank you” in Japanese (“Arigatou gozimasu”) or Okinawan (“Ippei nifwe deebiru”). They put their sanshin away in their cars and come back with their potluck dishes.
Out come noodles, musubi, chicken wings, poke, and more. It’s time to relax and talk story. And if student/teacher Tom Yamamoto brings his ukulele, there’s also a little kanikapila.
“Sensei has always inspired me to constantly improve in my learning and teaching skills,” says Yamamoto. “He pushes me to attain higher levels of uta-sanshin, whether it’s increasing my repertoire of songs or taking the next level of certification. I like to believe that he recognizes my abilities, which I assume is why he lets me teach the beginner classes, even if I don’t have the teaching certification, and also allows me to perform alongside him and the other sensei at various performances. I sincerely appreciate his dedication to his students and the knowledge that he has passed down to all of us. Aside from learning songs to perform, we are taught history and experiences related to each song.”
Murata is a certified master of uta-sanshin but didn’t know that he was Okinawan for most of his life. He was adopted and raised by local Japanese parents. Yet, his ancestral DNA guided him on the path to become the first and only uta-sanshin master outside of Okinawa to judge the certification exams for the Afuso Ryu Gensei Kai held in Okinawa annually.
Listing his accomplishments would fill pages, but Murata is most fulfilled by the branches of his tree that are flourishing with young students, many who travel to Okinawa to pursue vigorous training and certifications and have students of their own.
His hope for all his students is that they take on their own students and experience teaching young ones or family members, even if it’s just one student.
Whether it’s on his lanai or on the grand stages of the Tokyo Imperial Theatre or Carnegie Hall – performing alongside his mentor and a National Living Treasure of Japan, the late Grandmaster Choichi Terukina – nothing can beat the twinkle in Murata’s eyes when he’s connecting with people through music, stories, and food.
Grant Murata, late Grandmaster Choichi Terukina, and Kenton Odo at the Kennedy Center. Photo courtesy Grant Murata
“My love for sanshin grew after my love for Unchinanchus (Okinawans), their culture and their sharing heart,” says Murata. “It is their willingness to share and how they welcomed me into their community and their hearts that rubbed off on me.”
Hero image by Brad Goda
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