Yoshiko Murakami

Photo: Naoko Kitaue

Yoshiko Murakami

Born in Ehime Prefecture, Yoshiko Murakami currently serves as a Planning and Production Manager at Naha Cultural Arts Theater NAHArt. She has resided in Okinawa since 2002. Murakami has held her current position since the theater’s inauguration in 2021. Murakami has overseen projects such as the 2021 local performing arts program Tsunagu, the 2022 historical play The Surrender of Shuri Castle, the 2023 Donatsuban kara no utagoe: Okinawa minyo saiseiki no jonetsu (Voices from vinyl: Passion for the golden age of Okinawan folk songs), and the 2024 production Ryukyu shoshima fubutsushishu: Sonosuke no yonda Okinawa (Scenes of life from the Ryukyu islands: Okinawa as composed by Sonosuke). In her personal practice, she has been learning uta-sanshin (songs accompanied by the sanshin) since 1997. She is currently recognized as a designated custodian of multiple important intangible cultural properties: the national government has designated her as such with respect to the Intangible Cultural Property Ryukyuan Dance (sanshin accompaniment); and Okinawa prefecture has so designated her with respect to both Ryukyuan Lyric Drama (sanshin accompaniment) and Okinawan Traditional Music of the Nomura School. Murakami is a master in both Ryukyuan Classical Music of the Nomura School and Ryukyuan Folk Song.