Born in Kyoto, Japan, on 26 February 1962, where at a young age he learned how to play traditional Japanese drums, he moved to Tokyo in 1982 to join a reggae/dub band that became known as Mute Beat.
[3] In late 1993, he released an album titled Somethin' to Talk About under the name Gota & The Heart of Gold, and helped fellow Simply Red band member Heitor T.P.
Also that year he collaborated with the English musician Mike Oldfield in his album The Millennium Bell, in the track titled "Mastermind" as the drummer.
[4] His album The Best of Gota was released in 2002, and he worked on a joint project with Freemasons member and British producer James Wiltshire called B.E.D.
In March 2008, Yashiki formed the rock band Vitamin-Q along with Masami Tsuchiya, Kazuhiko Katō, Rei Ohara and Anza.