Masataka Hirayama passed away quietly February 23, 2026 at 85 years old. He was a long time Judoka of Hawaiian Judo. He began Judo in the 1950s on the island of Hawai’i (Big Island) and paralleled the beginnings of what is now USJF. From the 1970s to the 1990s he did outreach and committee work with Kodokan and Hawaiian Judo. He also served as a Judo Coach at Aiea High School. Services are pending.
