Katsuko Teruya began studying kutuu (Okinawan koto, a stringed instrument), at the age of 18 under master Nae Kochi of the Naha Koyokai in Japan. Katsuko moved to Hawai’i in the mid-1950s, and earned a Senior Teaching Certificate in 1965. In 1975 she established the Hawai’i chapter of the Teruya Shokyoku Kenkyukai. She has served as lead kutuu player in concert for some of the most respected ensembles and schools in Okinawa, Hawai’i and California, including Yoshino Majikina Dance and Music Festival, Nakasone Seifu-Kai, and Kaneshiro Okinawan Dance School. She received a Certificate of Commendation from Nomura-ryu Ongaku Koyokai in 1984. Now based in Los Angeles, Teruya has been teaching kutuu for more than 20 years.