Toshi Onizuka was born Tokyo, Japan, in 1965. At twenty years old, Toshi began playing guitar. He had no musical background but was inspired by Al DiMeola, Paco De Lucia, and Django Reinhardt and sought to develop his own sound. Toshi realized that in order to achieve this, he would need to teach himself. In 1993 he moved to Seville, Spain where he lived for five years. Toshi spent two of those years performing and touring with the internationally acclaimed Flamenco fusion group Pata Negra. In 1997 he released his first solo CD, Toshi, an effort that featured musicians from Spain and Brazil. Toshi has appeared on the recordings of various artists including the internationally acclaimed singer Gino Vanelli. Toshi's music isn't easily categorized and can't be limited to a specific genre; he prefers to think of it as a truly international sound that knows no borders and has no boundaries. Toshi currently resides in Portland, Oregon.