tˈuː mˈʌnθs bᵻfˌoːɹ hɪz ɡɹˌædʒuːˈeɪʃən ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti tˈuː, kˈɛn lˈɛft ðə næɡˈɔɪə ˈɪnstɪtˌuːt ʌv tɛknˈɑːlədʒi, wˌɛɹ hiː wʌz ɐn ˈɑːɹkɪtˌɛkt mˈeɪdʒɚ, tə dʒˈɔɪn ˈɛlˈɑːɹkˈɛnsˈiːl æt ðə ɹᵻkwˈɛst ʌv hɪz tʃˈaɪldhʊd fɹˈɛnd tɛtsˈuːjə.
Two months before his graduation in 1992, Ken left the Nagoya Institute of Technology, where he was an architect major, to join L'Arc-en-Ciel at the request of his childhood friend Tetsuya.