hiː wʌz bˈɔːɹn ɪn mˈætsuːmˌiː dˈɪstɹɪkt, fjˌuːkəʃˈiːmə, həkˈeɪdoʊ ænd ɡɹˈædjuːˌeɪɾᵻd fɹʌm wˈeɪsdə jˌuːnɪvˈɜːsᵻɾiz dᵻpˈɑːɹtmənt ʌv lˈɪɾɚɹᵻtʃɚ.
He was born in Matsumae District, Fukushima, Hokkaido and graduated from Waseda University's Department of Literature.