Junshi Murakami

What is your name / where are you from?
Junshi Murakami from Tokyo, Japan.

How did you start playing the harp?
When Irish musicians started to visit Japan, I was exposed to traditional Irish music and I was hooked. First, I rang a fiddle teacher but he didn’t answer. On the same list, there was also the phone number of a local harp teacher so I rang again, and he picked up the call. That’s how it all started and shortly after that, I moved to Ireland to find out more about the Irish harp.

What does the harp mean to you?
I keep playing the harp to figure out what it means to me. I’ve met so many people through playing the harp so it feels almost like my life itself. I can express myself best by playing the harp so it’s like a voice for the singer, a brush for the artist, a pen for the poet, and a shovel for the farmer.

What do you like most about Lá na Cruite | Harp Day?
I have a fond memory of playing with my students at Lexicon Dún Laoghaire on Lá na Cruite 2019 just before I moved back to Tokyo. It’s a celebration of the instrument and the day of friendship beyond ages, genders, and nationalities.