the only words that came to mind were, “I can’t believe it.”
Soon after, all I could do was weep.

My connection with Kazuhito Yamashita was so long-standing and profound that the word “meeting” hardly does it justice.
Even before I was born, my parents were associated with the Nagasaki Guitar Music Academy, which was founded and led by his father, Mr. Tōru Yamashita.

In that sense, Kazuhito Yamashita was someone who had been close to me since before my birth.

As we came from the same region, I attended his recitals many times from early childhood.
One performance, in particular, remains vividly etched in my memory: a recital held in a very small space within the Nagasaki Guitar Music Academy, a room that seated no more than forty people.
It felt as though the music was not simply being played, but rather welling up from within the guitar itself.
That sensation left a profound and lasting impression on me.

In general discourse, Kazuhito Yamashita is often described as a “solitary” or “reclusive” guitarist.
However, the man I knew from childhood was warm and approachable—more like an older brother who always spoke to me kindly.
When I was in elementary school, he even visited my family home on several occasions.

Each autumn, during the Kyushu Guitar Festival held annually in Nagasaki, I would eagerly play the guitars displayed in the lobby.
Almost without fail, Kazuhito Yamashita would come over to listen, and he would always say to me:

“Masahiro, you play the guitar very well.
Listen to more orchestral music—and become even better.”

When I was in fifth and sixth grade, he served as a juror at the Kyushu Guitar Music Competition and listened to my performances.
He also attended my debut recital thirty-five years ago.
The memory of going out together afterward to a post-concert gathering remains deeply precious to me.

山下和仁さんと。
少年時代の益田正洋

Shortly before I left Japan to study at the Juilliard School, I happened to run into him by chance at the Nagasaki Central Post Office.
I felt an unusually intense aura of concentration and noticed a man seated at a table, completely absorbed in writing a letter.
It was Kazuhito Yamashita.

When I greeted him, he looked at me momentarily with a puzzled expression and asked, “Who are you?”
When I replied, “It’s Masahiro,” his face lit up.

“Oh, it’s been a long time! If you have time, let’s go have some tea.”

We talked for about an hour.
I believe I shared with him my anxieties about studying abroad and my frustration at feeling tense and unable to improve as I wished.
I hardly remember any specific advice he gave me.
Yet I clearly remember how strangely light my heart felt afterward, as though I had returned to my childhood.

After graduating from Juilliard and returning to Japan to live in Tokyo, I attended several more of his recitals.
The impression was exactly the same as when I was a child.
Music seemed to pour forth from his entire being.
What he envisioned was always an orchestra itself—and he expressed it with a single guitar.
The formidable technique and mental strength that supported this vision were extraordinary.
He was, in the truest sense, an artist.
On more than one occasion, I found myself unable to stop my tears after his performances.

On one occasion, when I was fortunate enough to join him at a post-recital gathering, I timidly asked him,
“What kind of practice do you usually do?”

His answer was enigmatic:

“I’ve decided that I no longer practice.”

At the time, I was bewildered.
But later, I came to think that for a musician who had already mastered the guitar so completely, this was not a rejection of effort, but a transition to something beyond what we ordinarily call “practice.”
I wish I could have asked him one day what he truly meant.

For me, Kazuhito Yamashita was—and will remain—an eternal ideal as a guitarist.
The works I have kept in my repertoire since childhood are almost all pieces that captivated me through his recitals and recordings.

The Variations on “If I Were a Fern”, which I included on my debut CD, was the very piece he performed when he won the Paris International Guitar Competition at the youngest age in its history.
Among his many performances, those that left the deepest impression on me were Britten’s Nocturnal and Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s Sonata, especially the profound lyricism of its second movement.

As a performer, I have always valued the idea that any piece of music should be made to sound noble and meaningful.
This belief comes from my firsthand experience of how even the simplest music can be elevated into art of immense scale—something I learned through Kazuhito Yamashita’s playing.

It goes without saying that Kazuhito Yamashita was a singular guitarist who proved that the phrase
“the guitar is a small orchestra”
is not merely a metaphor, but a truth.

My own goal as a performer is to elevate the guitar’s standing as a legitimate instrument of classical music.
With his passing, I feel an overwhelming sense of loss—as if the quiet support behind that goal has suddenly vanished, leaving an indescribable emptiness.

One day, I had hoped to perform with him, to share a stage and experience that aura within the same space.
That dream can never be fulfilled.

And yet, the music he showed us—and the life he lived—will continue to resonate within me.

With my deepest respect and gratitude.

The most significant change in guitar making since the 20th century was the modification by Ramirez III, who extended the scale length to 664mm.

By enlarging the body, he achieved rich volume and a soft, lustrous tone, completing the captivating classical guitar known as the Ramirez tone.

Segovia, in particular, cherished this guitar developed by Ramirez III and played it until his death. Currently, since his son, the fourth generation, passed away young, Ramirez III’s daughter, Amalia Ramirez, is at the helm.

The Ramirez guitar used in the November 14, 2021 concert is from the transitional period of these various reforms, with the following specifications: Scale length: 665mm, Top: Spruce, Back and sides: Jacaranda (no inner spruce).

Although many craftsmen were involved in the workshop of Ramirez III, this guitar is believed to have been made by Paulino Bernabe, based on its construction year and detailed workmanship.

Long owned by a collector, it is in miraculously perfect condition, almost like new. It was used in the recording of the 2019 release of Carcassi’s 25 Etudes.

YouTube 2021.11.14 年 Masahiro Masuda plays J.S.Bach Cello Suite @ Tokyo, JAPAN

The first generation thoroughly studied Torres and crafted traditional Spanish guitars using their own unique methods. Hauser II began learning guitar making in 1930 and started producing guitars bearing his own signature after 1952. Just as Hauser I had cultivated relationships with renowned guitarists like Llobet and Segovia, Hauser II deepened friendships with famous guitarists such as Segovia, Bream, and Reinhardt while continuing to build guitars that inherited his father’s materials and construction.

After the second generation passed away, the workshop was passed on to the third generation, and today it is passed down through the generations to his daughter, Katrin Hauser. It is one of the world’s finest classical guitars.

Made in 1971, Top: Spruce, Back and Sides: Jacaranda, Scale Length: 644mm

September 20, 2025

Guitarist Masahiro Masuda’s LINE Official Account is now available.

While I’ve shared updates about my performances on social media and other platforms, I’ve set this up to deliver information more directly to you.

Please tap below to register for the account. I’ll be sharing activity updates regularly!

On Sunday, March 12, 2023, I held a duo concert with tenor singer Jo Nagao at Nippori Sunny Hall. Except for my solo performance (3 songs), the entire program featured Italian art songs arranged by Masahiro Masuda (Donizetti, Bellini, Rossini, Donizetti, Cimarosa).

The concert was sold out. All the effort putting together guitar arrangements from piano scores paid off. Below is the program performed that day. Digest videos (YouTube) and Masahiro Masuda’s arrangements (piascore) are also now available. Please check them out.
Purchase My Arrangements → Here

●Stefano Donaudy (1879-1925) → Digest Movie

・Freschi luoghi, prati aulenti (Fresh Lands, Fragrant Meadows)

・Perché dolce, caro bene (Why, Sweet, Dear Love)

・Spirate pur Spirate (Blow, Blow)

・Vaghissima sembianca (Most Elegant Appearance)

・Quelle Labbra non son Rose (Those Lips Are Not Roses)

●Vicenzo Bellini (1801-1835)

・Malinconia Ninfa gentil (Melancholy, Gentle Nymph)

・Il fervido desiderio (The Fervent Desire)

・Ma rendi pur contento (Make Him Happy)

・Vaga Luna (O Elegant Moon)

・Vanne o Rosa fortuana (Go, O Fortunate Rose)

●Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868)

・La Promessa (The Promise)

・Il Rimprovero (The Rebuke)

・La Gita in Gondola (The Gondola Ride)

●Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848)

・Amore e Morte (Love and Death)

・Me Voglio fa na casa (I Want to Build a House)

●Pietro Cimara (1887-1967)

・Fiacco la neve (The Snow Falls)

・Nostalgia (Longing)

Performed by Jo Nagano (Tenor) & Masahiro Masuda (Guitar)

Venue: Nippori Sunny Hall (March 12, 2023)

Performed by Jo Nagano (Tenor) & Masahiro Masuda (Guitar)

Recorded at Nippori Sunny Hall, Tokyo JAPAN

Equipment:

Microphone：Neumann TLM49 Stereo Pair, Neumann KM184 Stereo Pair

Camera: Fujifilm X-H2S, X-T4, Sony FDR-AX700*2, FDR-AX45

Recorder: Zoom F6 Recorded and Edited by Masakazu Okano

Manuel Ramírez’s foremost disciple, he worked in his master’s workshop until Manuel’s death in 1916. He then established his own workshop and became renowned as Spain’s foremost guitar maker.

One could say Torres created the modern guitar, Manuel developed it into a classical instrument, and Santos added a distinctly Spanish flavor.

It is said that the Manuel Ramirez guitar used by the young Segovia was made by Santos. Furthermore, the guitarist who premiered the Concierto de Aranjuez, Rejino Sainz de la Maza, owned and cherished five Santos guitars.

This guitar is a work from Santos’s late period, 1939, yet it remains in miraculously perfect, completely original condition, having never undergone restoration. Santos Hernández 1939 (7)

This is one of the world’s finest instruments, used on the CD “Bach on Guitar 3” (Unaccompanied Cello Suites Vol. 1.1), released for the 30th anniversary of his debut in 2021, and on the CD “Bach on Guitar 4” (Unaccompanied Cello Suites Vol. 1.2).

Románilhos names each guitar individually. The guitar used by Masahiro Masuda is named “La Pluma” (The Feather), inspired by a quill pen his wife gifted him for his birthday around the time this guitar was completed.

Since 2008, it has served as his main guitar, used in most recitals and CD recordings.

1986 Top: Spruce, Back and Sides: Rosewood, Scale Length: 650mm