Roy Sakuma vividly remembers sitting in his friend’s car on the way to the beach when he first heard Herb Ohta’s (better known as Ohta-San) ukulele rendition of the song “Sushi” play on the radio.
He was 16 years old, and upon hearing it, he became fascinated with wordless melody.
“I just felt this incredible feeling, listening,” Sakuma said. “Every single day when there was a radio on, I would just wait for that song to come on. I just wanted to hear it over and over.”
Thus, Sakuma, whose ukulele studio celebrated 50 years of business on March 18, first discovered his passion for the four-stringed instrument.
Soon afterward, Sakuma’s friend showed him an advertisement for ukulele lessons taught by Ohta, and he excitedly scheduled an appointment to enroll. Throughout the 18 months Sakuma spent under Ohta’s tutelage, he would consistently practice every day for about eight to 10 hours, a ritual that he said changed the course of his life.
Prior to discovering the ukulele, Sakuma had been struggling to cope with recent diagnoses of mental illness in two of his close family members and one of his closest friends. However, he described learning to play the ukulele as a way to calm the emotions brought on by his difficult past.
At the end of his lessons, Ohta invited Sakuma to begin teaching at his studio, where he discovered that his true calling was in teaching.
“All desires to perform, to become a virtuoso on the ukulele, went out the door,” Sakuma said. “All I wanted to do was teach, and that really was the start of how we got into our studio.”
Sakuma opened his first ukulele studio in Kaimuki, across the street from the municipal parking lot in 1974. The following year, he opened a second studio in 1975. By 1986, there were two others in Kaneohe and Mililani.
Throughout his career, Sakuma also instructed youths who grew up to become award-winning artists including Paula Fuga and Jake Shimabukuro. He also went on to create the annual Ukulele Festival Hawaii, which ran from 1971 to 2022, in an effort to perpetuate love for the ukulele.
“It actually started because back in the late ’60s, the ukulele was collecting dust in people’s homes,” Sakuma said. “And as we’ve seen (its popularity) grow and grow, now there are ukulele festivals all over the world.”
Sakuma’s wife, Kathy Sakuma, has been by Sakuma’s side since before he opened his first studio, helping him to teach and run his business over the years. She attested to her husband’s unwavering love for the instrument, and his dedication to perpetuate the joy it brings.
“Whether he’s teaching kids or adults, he’s like a kid teaching,” Kathy said.” He just loves it so much, and he’s so excited about it that it transfers to his students.”
Gina Tomasa, a current administrative assistant for Sakuma’s studios, and a former student and teacher said that her experiences working with Sakuma and his wife have not only helped her grow as a person, but have also allowed her to witness how the ukulele can bring people together.
“I just love what they stand for,” Tomasa said. “People would have a frown on their faces, but you start playing music with them and they just light up, they leave a little happier than when they walked in.”
While there were no festivities held to officially celebrate the studio’s anniversary, Sakuma said in a written statement that he celebrates the milestone each day that he gets to teach and promote the instrument he loves.
“To touch the lives of so many people, we just have so many wonderful memories,” Sakuma said. “Those are the things that are very, very special and dear to us, and even to our current staff of instructors as they continue to spread the joy of the ukulele.”
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Linsey Dower covers ethnic and cultural affairs and is a corps member of Report for America, a national service organization that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues and communities.
