Born in Himeji, Japan, in 1940 to traditional innkeeper parents, his interest in fashion developed at an early age through reading his sister's magazines. Aged 18, following the wishes of his parents, he attended the University of Kobe to study literature. Dissatisfied and bored with the course, he left for Tokyo Bunka Fashion College - against his parents' wishes - where he was one of the first male students to be admitted.