Rev. Kurai was born in Mie Prefecture in Japan and moved to Los Angeles with his parents when he was five years old.  As the son of a Buddhist priest, he was raised amidst traditional Japanese culture and customs.  His father, Reverend Shuyu Kurai, played the Bon daiko (the drum used in Bon dancing) every year during the temple's Bon festival.

In 1975, Rev. Kurai joined Kinnara Taiko, a local Japanese American taiko group.  Three years later, he began teaching taiko to the children at his temple and formed Sozenji Taiko.  While studying Japanese and Zen Buddhism in Japan in 1980-83, Rev. Kurai became a member of the Japan Folkloric Dance Study Group led by Takeko Sudo.  During this period, he studied and performed folk dances and hayashi (the musical accompaniment to dance) at recitals sponsored by the Japanese Ministry of Culture.  He often traveled to remote villages to learn from local folk preservation societies.  He also participated in conferences and workshops conducted by the All Japan Taiko Federation, which consists of 150 taiko groups.

After returning to Los Angeles in 1983, Rev. Kurai resumed leadership of Sozenji Taiko and also joined L.A. Matsuri Daiko Aiko Kai.  He is presently the director of The Taiko Center of Los Angeles and is the artistic director of Kishin Daiko, based in the East San Gabriel Valley Japanese Community Center in West Covina.  Rev. Kurai teaches taiko at a number of different locations, including the the Japanese American National Museum, Monterey Park, Redondo Beach, and Montebello.

In Spring 1999, Rev. Kurai will teach taiko at UCR through the Department of Music.