Izumi began learning koto in 1977 and became a licensed koto master in the Ikuta Guild Miyagi stream in 1986. Izumi studied with Japan's leading teachers, including the late Sawai Tadao, and is currently studying under Kimura Reiko, Sakata Seizan, Fukuda Teruhisa and Kikuhara Kouji. Izumi has won many music awards including 1st Prize in The Great Wall of China International Music Competition. She was a founding member of Orchestra Asia Japan and is currently a member of the off-shoot chamber ensemble ORA-J. ORA-J has been hailed by composers, musicians, performers and Arts critics alike as "A Creative Group of a high artistic level producing works of New Music". Under their Artistic Director, composer - MIKI Minoru, ORA-J regularly performs in Tokyo and throughout Asia and Europe. Izumi specialises on the large contemporary 21-stringed koto, and has recently formed a duo with shakuhachi player Anne Norman.