Takemi Tsuruta was born and raised in Oakland California. All throughout his life he has been involved with creative outlets ranging from the musical and performing arts to the visual fine arts. Takemi received his BA from UC Davis in Studio Art and a MFA from Bowling Green State University with a focus in 3-D Studio Art. In 2009, he accepted a teaching position at Diablo Valley College where he remained until 2022 teaching ceramic art. In 2017, Tsuruta accepted a position with the city of Walnut Creek as the Program Coordinator for their youth and adult ceramics program. More recently, Takemi relocated to Omaha to focus on his private studio practice