Takashi Shimizu was born in Yokosuka. Having started playing the violin at the age of 6, he won a Japanese violin competition just 3 years later. The same year he made his television debut, playing with the NHK Symphony Orchestra for the wedding celebration of H.I.M. Prince Hitachi.

He first became the focus of public attention in his country at the age of 17 when, after winning 3 prizes in national competitions, the year culminated in his winning a scholarship to study under Jascha Heifetz at the University of Southern California. He also studied with Michele Auclair and Yfrah Neaman. After winning many top prizes in the international violin competition such as "Jacques Tibaud" (Paris), "Carl Flesch" (London), where he also won outright the Beethoven Sonata Prize, "Tchaikovsky" (Moscow), "Granada", "Queen Elizabeth" (Brussells) name but few, he has been appeared with many leading Orchestras: the London Symphony, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, the Halle Orchestra, City of Birmingham Orchestra etc.

He has made number of recordings, notably 2 CD album of Brahms, Saint-Saens and Wieniawsky Concertos with the London Symphony Orchestra, also complete Bach Solo Sonata and Partita, complete Ysaye Solo Sonatas. He is a member of faculty at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music.