HAWAII’S UTA-SANSHIN MASTER GRANT “MASANDUU” SADAMI MURATA: AN INCREDIBLE STORY ABOUT IDENTITY

By Jodie Chiemi Ching

A typical night at Grant "Masanduu" Sadami Murata's house consists of a group of his uta-sanshin students gathered on his covered lanai for their weekly practice. Uta-sanshin, the art of singing while playing the Okinawan three-stringed lute, is practiced four days a week, each night with a different group of students. They sit on folding chairs and line up on one side of a couple of low folding tables – so the students can see the right and left hands of their sensei – where students place their binders filled with lyrics to songs they are working on. Grant and his wife, Chikako, sit across from their students. Face-to-face instruction with no musical notes has been the foundation of the teaching style of Afuso-Ryu classical Okinawan music for more than 400 years. 

From 6 o'clock p.h. (pau hana time after work) until about 8 or 8:30 in the evening, you can hear Okinawan classical or minyo music from Grant's corner house in Aina Koa, Honolulu. It's not unusual for a neighbor to stop and listen or just wave a hello to the sensei and his group. 

At the end of practice, the master known as Masanduu Sensei will announce, "Otsukare sama deshita," to which the students will reply, "Arigatou gozimasu" or "Ippei nifwe deebiru" ("thank you" in Japanese or Okinawan). And the students put their sanshin into their cases with latches closing with a clack-clack-clack, place them in their cars and come back to Sensei's lanai to potluck. Out come noodles, onigiri, chicken wings, poke and more. Small coolers filled with beer and hard seltzers. Some libations – Okinawan distilled alcoholic drink known as awamori, whiskey, shochu -- contributed by students come out from Grant's makeshift bar. It's time to relax and talk story. If Tom Yamamoto, a student and teacher, brings his ukulele, there's also a little casual music jam known in Hawaiian as kani kapila. 

Grant is happy to have all the credentials of being a certified master of uta-sanshin, among Hawaii's most respected in the Japanese and Okinawan performing arts community, and the only foreign-born judge of certification exams in Okinawa for the Afuso style of classical Okinawan music. Under his leadership, the school has spread to other Hawaiian islands such as Maui and Kauai, as well as Los Angeles. Many of these students have performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City, a milestone for Afuso Ryu and Okinawan performing arts reached in 2019. 

But nothing can beat the twinkle in Grant’s eyes when he is connecting with people through music, stories and food -- whether it's on the lanai of his corner house in Aina Koa, Honolulu, on the grand stages of the Tokyo Imperial Theatre or at Carnegie Hall, performing alongside his mentor the late Grandmaster Choichi Terukina (1932-2022) – a National Living Treasure of Japan. 

How did he get here? Grant spent nearly 40 years living up to the words of his sensei. It was under Choichi's mentorship that Grant became a master of uta-sanshin and founder of Afuso Ryu Choichi Kai USA in Hawaii and Los Angeles. 

Choichi Sensei always impressed upon his students that as performing artists, they should not just be hanabi (fireworks). Showing your talent might be spectacular for a while, but eventually, it will fizzle out and die.

"Instead, be a tree," he stressed. To learn and pass the invaluable philosophy, wisdom and knowledge of Seigen Afuso (1785-1865), founder of Afuso-Ryu, is to continue a legacy indefinitely like a tree growing and flourishing with many branches and leaves until there are new seeds to be planted.

Students of Choichi apply this philosophy of community to life outside of the dojo, cultivate their inherent beauty to make the world a better place and spread the musical tradition. Grant has continued to plant trees of his own with Afuso-Ryu Choichi Kai USA. It is the largest Afuso-ryu organization outside of Japan. 

His story begins with his adoption at birth. 

A Chosen Son

When Clarence and Judith Murata adopted their infant son in 1962, they never imagined he would become one of Hawaii's most respected leaders in the local performing arts community. As a young child, Grant's paternal grandmother, Margaret Hanayo Murata, encouraged Grant's desire to explore Japanese, and soon after, Okinawan cultural arts.

According to Grant, his Japanese American adoptive parents showered him with much love and affection. Worried his son might one day get teased for being adopted, Clarence Murata said to him, "Other parents, when they have babies, they gotta take home what they get. But we chose you to be our son." 

Sure enough, in elementary school, when a girl pointed out to Grant that he was adopted. He told her, "Yeah, your parents had to take you home. But mine chose me!" After getting called into the principal's office, Grant's father went in to defend his son saying that he wanted to make sure his son knew that being adopted was as special and wonderful as he was. 

Grant's love for cooking was also fostered from a young age. "Every Friday, I would have to catch the bus home and I would help my grandma cook. I remember her steak and lemon meringue pies. And since it only took one Meyer lemon to make a pie, my dad used to point to the lemon tree and say, 'Look, on da tree get five pies!’" Grant said, laughing. 

Clarence was kept busy shuttling young Grant to numerous lessons: Japanese and Okinawan dance, koto and sanshin. From age 12, Grant tagged along with Hawaii's Issei and Kibei-Nisei musicians. This Hawaii-born Yonsei was so fascinated by the Japanese and Okinawan culture, he listened and watched the elders, soaking up their stories, dialect, and mannerisms like a sponge. 

His love for bon dance led him to Henry Masatada Higa, one of many sensei who would support Grant who was so eager to learn anything and everything from his elders. At age 19, Grant began teaching sanshin and also started a group called Sansei Minyo Kenkyuu Kai. A few years later, on a trip to Hawaii from Okinawan, Choichi Terukina made an effort to meet Grant. He had heard of Grant's reputation as a sanshin musician and wanted to meet him. In 1983, Grant became the grandmaster’s student.

Starting Afuso Ryu Choichi Kai

Grant’s choice to pursue the art of uta-sanshin came with some challenges. Kenton Odo, one of Grant’s first students, said his sensei did not know he was Okinawan at the time and took “flack” for not having that heritage.

“Yet he still wanted to play the music in the worst way,” Kenton said. He added that he was inspired that his teacher grew up speaking English at home, but learned to read and write Japanese and speak Uchinaaguchi, the Okinawan language, without any formal lessons. 

When Grant became Choichi Terukina’s student in 1983, he also committed himself to catalyzing the Afuso Ryu uta-sanshin movement in Hawaii. Today, the Afuso Ryu “family” includes more than 200 former and current students, three shihan (master instructors) and more than 100 mago-deshi (descendant students) – all hold hard earned certifications from the main Afuso Ryu organization in Okinawa.  

In November 2018, Grant held the first-in-Hawaii solo performance by a master uta-sanshin performing artist as a rite of passage directed by the grandmaster. He was encouraged by a former consul general of Japan to hold his performance that year to align with the 150th anniversary of the Gannenmono, or “first year people” -- pioneers who traveled to Hawaii in the first year of the Meiji era in 1868 and became Hawaii’s first Japanese immigrants. 

“It is amazing to reflect on how far we have come since the Gannenmono set foot on these islands into the unknown,” Grant wrote to attendees. “Fear from uncertainty can turn into commitment and then perseverance. My journey into the unknown started when I decided to learn the Afuso style of uta-sanshin when it was non-existent in Hawaii.” 

Hundreds came to celebrate Grant’s milestone performance that included classical and folk style uta-sanshin with dance and storytelling – marking another step in the rise of the Afuso tradition in Hawaii. 

A personal turning point was triggered in 2011, when Grant’s seven-year-old son was diagnosed with severe encephalitis. Due to the severity of the condition, the medical team’s prognosis was that he would make only a partial recovery and experience limited independence after rehabilitation. It was likely that he would be a highly dependent invalid, unable to walk or to talk and require a special wheelchair and bed. 

Grant shared the bad news with his teacher over the phone. In a story published on the Asia-Pacific Journal website, the conversation went like this:

“The doctor gave us a really down to earth analysis of this boy,” Grant said. “Either we're going to lose him, or he's not going to get much better, and we just have to live with it.’ 

When Choichi asked how the son contracted the illness, Grant said he had no idea. Choichi then replied in Japanese, “That’s not an illness.” 

“What the hell you mean?” Grant said. “You're looking at a kid like this. Nothing is registering. He has to be fed by a tube. At the beginning when we talked to him, he could look at us, so we knew he was aware, but after the second month, there was no response. He was in a coma at that time. I didn’t voice it, but I thought to myself, ‘What the hell does he know about this kind of shit?’ You know.”

Coincidentally, Choichi was planning to perform in Hawaii and told Grant to sit tight and focus on the healing of his son. Choichi was more than just a teacher to Grant; he was like a father. Accordingly, Choichi promised, “The ancestors will not let him die.” 

Soon after Choichi arrived in Honolulu with his wife and sister-in-law, they all piled into Grant’s white Lexus sedan and headed to the hospital to visit Grant’s son. 

When they arrived, everyone entered the room except for Mrs. Terukina’s sister who waited outside. The sister was a kaminchu, or spiritual practitioner and asked Grant for permission, in Okinawan, to touch the son’s body. After he agreed, she touched his head and body. 

When her hands came down to his lower back, she said that there was something in his stomach. Grant said it was a feeding tube. She said the boy would be fine, but that they should change the position of his bed. 

The next day was a performance day. About 2:30 p.m, Grant received a call from a frantic relative at the hospital. She was in shock. It took her a while to get the words out to Grant: “He’s talking!”

The relative recounted that while she was watching over him, she had turned her back for a moment to do something when she heard, “Auntie, I’m thirsty, Can I have some water?”

Before this, Grant’s son had not spoken a word in two months and doctors also predicted that his speech would be the last of his abilities to return to normal. It was a miracle. 

In the days following, Grant’s son’s health progressed. He was able to walk, talk and eagerly ate his father’s home cooking. 

Mrs. Terukina and her sister told Grant that, now, it was time for him to seek out his roots and find his birth mother. This was a transformative time in Grant’s life and a new desire to answer the question “Who am I?” was born.

Who Am I? 

I come from more than one mother,

More than one culture,

More than one ancestral land I call my home.

What’s in your blood matters less than what’s in your heart.

Up until Grant’s divorce and his son’s illness, for about 30 years, he remained unaware of his Okinawan lineage. He was raised by Japanese-American Sansei parents, and never wondered why he so passionately gravitated toward Okinawan culture: as a 13-year-old, he wanted to practice Okinawan dance and play sanshin; he loved listening to Issei and asking them questions; he even took to Uchinaaguchi (Okinawan language).

Mrs. Terukina asked him “Who are you?” to urge him to seek out his birth parents. Grant always resisted seeking out his birth parents because he didn’t feel it was appropriate to do so when he had been raised with so much affection by his adoptive parents.

The starting point for Grant's search for his mother began at the Hawaii State Family Court to see if they had his adoption records. He was told that a letter would have to be sent to the address they had on file, from over 30 years ago, to his birth mother to receive her permission to release his records to him. After feeling that the Family Court was of no help, he contacted an organization called the "Adoption Circle of Hawaii." They acknowledge Grant's frustrations with Family Court and also pointed out that in the "old days" there were typically a lot of mistakes on adoption paperwork.

One night, the name of his birth mother was finally revealed to Grant. He recalls an evening when the electricity went out, "There was a blackout, and while I sat in the dark with my parents, I asked my dad if he had any information about my birth mother." At first, Clarence denied he had any idea who Grant's birth mother was. So Grant just went to his room to rest, and a few moments later, his father came to his room and handed his son a small crumpled piece of paper. Written on the paper was the name "Darlean Tamayoshi." 

Grant decided to contact the Hawaii United Okinawa Association to inquire about Darlean Tamayoshi. Since the spelling of  "Darlean" wasn't the more common "Darlene," he was advised to try calling one of the club's members Darlean Kiyokane. Her mother's name was Jean Chiyoko Tamayoshi. Grant was able to get Mrs. Tamayoshi's phone number and gave her a call. He asked if she had a daughter Darlean. Mrs. Tamayoshi wanted to know why, so Grant told her that she might be his birth mother. Mrs. Tamayoshi denied the possibility profusely. But, before hanging up, she asked for Grant's birthdate. 

When Darlean heard about the news, she knew Grant had to be her son, but it took a while for her to be ready. Grant also admitted to her that he wasn’t sure he’d ever get to a place where he could call her “Mom.” However, the two began a relationship that included a shared joy for Okinawan culture. They talked about how many times (maybe hundreds) they must have been in the same room when there were events or club meetings at the Hawaii Okinawa Center in Waipio. Darlean even started to take Okinawan dance lessons and became more involved in the Okinawan community. These choices were now made with a new purpose enriched by a new bond. Darlean said that April, the month she gave birth to Grant, had now become a joyful month after what used to be many annual recurrences of sadness.  

Perhaps this aspect of Grant Murata’s life is the reason why he has the unique ability to treat people like family. His love languages vary from serving you homemade food at his home to telling it straight to your face that you’re not acting with honor or respect. People close to him know that he can get his feathers ruffled sometimes, but it comes from his belief that he wants what’s best for his students, he wants what’s best for the performing arts community and that he will waste no time in planting as many seeds as he can in his lifetime. He can be sure there might be a few good trees to carry on his legacy that was planted by his sensei (Choichi Terukina) who’s legacy was planted by his sensei (Haruyuki Miyazato) – first rooted centuries ago, and moving into future generation, perhaps centuries into the future. 

Root to Rise!

Grant Murata today, is 61 years old. For 30 of those years, he had no knowledge of being Okinawan. Yet, for ALL of those years, his ancestral DNA guided him on the path of a master uta-sanshin performing artist. What might have been perceived as quirky or weird has earned him reverence and respect, even among his uta-sanshin master peers in Okinawa. He is 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 will fill pages; the reach of Afuso Ryu is worldwide; and most importantly to Grant, the branches of his tree are flourishing with young students, many who travel to Okinawa to pursue vigorous training and certifications and eventually have students of their own. In fact, he states that his hope for all his students is: “Even if it’s just one person, (my) student should take on (their own) students; experience teaching whether it’s to young ones or family members.”

Tom Yamamoto, a vice-principal at Iliahi Elementary School, has been a student of Grant’s for about three decades. He said, “Masanduu Sensei has always inspired me to constantly improve in my learning and teaching skills, and 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 would 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 for jikata for various performances.  

“It was because of Sensei, that I – and many of our members –  were given the opportunity to learn directly from our sanshin master Choichi Terukina. It's a rare occurrence that anyone living so far away from Okinawa can say that they have trained directly under their master instructor. 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.”

After retirement, Cassie Nakagawa became Grant's student. In recent years, Cassie has earned her first and second level certifications (Shinjinsho and Yushusho). Grant’s teachings have helped her to deepen her bond with her heritage by teaching the stories behind the songs that she learns. She adds, “By the way, he is a great chef. His Okinawan cuisine exposed me to healthier dishes like goya champuru (a bittermelon stir-fry dish), chive tempura and nabera (a dish made from a loofa variety of squash). This inspired Neil and I to grow and cook healthier foods.” 

Another student, Julia Nakasone Okamura is an Okinawan dance instructor whose mother, the late Yoshiko Lynne Nakasone, was one of Hawaii’s premier Okinawan dance instructors and has the largest Okinawan dance academy in Hawaii. Grant is known to push his students out of their comfort zones, Julia shared her experience of being challenged by him, “Getting my sanshin shinjinsho was never on my radar, or in my wildest dreams. I started taking sanshin from Sensei because I wanted to learn more about songs and the meanings of the songs that I dance. I was very satisfied with my sanshin practices, however with Sensei's support and encouragement I took my sanshin learnings to another level. Taking lessons from Sensei has had a positive impact in my life as a performing artist.”’

On November 17, 2018, Grant Sadami “Masandu” Murata held the first-in-Hawaii solo performance by a master uta-sanshin performing artist. He was basically ordered by Grandmaster Terukina Choichi to put on the performance as a rite of passage. That year also happened to be the 150th anniversary of the Gannenmono, or “first year people.” The Gannenmono were pioneers who traveled to Hawaii in the first year of the Meiji era in 1868 and became Hawaii’s first Japanese immigrants. A life-long friend and student, the former Consul General of Japan in Hawaii who worked hard to set the foundation of the Gannenmono celebrations in Hawaii encouraged Grant to hold his solo performance in the anniversary year of the arrival of the Gannenmono. 

In a letter to attendees of the solo performance titled “Hou On Sha Toku” he wrote. “It is amazing to reflect on how far we have come since the Gannenmono set foot on these islands into the unknown. Fear from uncertainty can turn into commitment and then perseverance. My journey into the unknown started when I decided to learn the Afuso style of uta-sanshin when it was non-existent in Hawaii.” 

This first-in-history solo performance in Hawaii is another step up in the rise of Afuso Ryu in Hawaii. Hundreds came to celebrate Grant’s milestone performance that included classical and folk style uta-sanshin with dance and storytelling. 

True to the Afuso legacy of growing branches, Grant’s student Kenton Odo held his solo performance as a master in uta-sanshin in the summer of 2022. This master student also led the coordination of making Choichi Terukina’s dream come true by executing a stage performance at Carnegie Hall in New York City on April 18, 2019. Afuso Ryu students and their friends and family all made the trip to participate on- and backstage. This also marked the 88th birthday of Grandmaster Terukina.  

Grant Murata continues to share his Hawaii Okinawan culture with aloha, wisdom, food and talent with all those fortunate enough to cross his path. Traditional and innovative are some of the hallmarks of Afuso Ryu. Grant’s students’ are not only students who learn, but who teach. Humanity and compassion come from mutual understanding. Perhaps this is why music (and food) are universal languages that Hawaii’s Afuso Ryu students use to communicate by learning AND teaching. Don’t just be a “hanbi”; plant lots of seeds and maybe a few good trees will grow.  

UYA NU MAGUKURU

NASHIGWA KUTU UMUTI USUMIJI YA NUDIN

UMURU MAMANARAN SHIKE NU NAREYA

UYA NUMAGUKURU WASHINNAYO WAGA NASHIGWA

For the sake of my children,

I will drink the briny ocean 

to keep them from life’s bitter swells.

Oh beloved child, love given to your parents’ will come from your children.

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