I was born on March 13 1959 in Osaka, Japan.

I studied the piano for a few years, from when I was 4 years-old.

I loved classical music when I was a young boy .

And I began to study classical Guitar when I was 15 years old.

I was introduced to Scott Joplin's Ragtime music when I was a high school student.

I was in a Tokyo Record shop looking through the classical records and I came across an Edward Power Biggs recording.

I knew of him as an organist of classical music but this record was different.

It was " E. Power Biggs plays Scott Joplin."

I bought the record knowing nothing of Ragtime or Scott Joplin.

I wanted to play the Joplin tunes on guitar. But I couldn't transpose them.

A funny story: I was 15 at the time and really didn't understand the difference between classical and classic ( in Japan this mistake is still made ) so I thought Ragtime

was classical music from America.

I wanted to study classical music more thoroughly and so I studied at the Japan Guitar Music Academy, in Tokyo.

In 1994, I wrote a book called "Ragtime for Guitar".

This book is a collection of Scott Joplin rags, Waltzes and March tunes.

Eight of these I arranged in the 1980's for the Japanese Magazines "School Guitar" and "Guitar Music". The nine other tunes I added for this book.

I have two Studios, one in Osaka and one in Kobe.

I was in the Kobe Earthquake of JAN.1995. But I had little damage.

I donated the money for the Red Cross which was helping the earthquake victims, from my book profits.