Tanimura Shinji was born in Kawachinagano, Osaka on Decemeber 11, 1948. He was exposed to music by his mothers shamisen playing and his sisters high school folk dancing at a young age. He spent his late elementary and junior high school years being one of the only overweight kids in his school. In junior high he began writing poetry and learning guitar. There weren't any instruction manuals in these days, so he had to practice by ear while listening to records and the radio and trying to figure out the notes.