Born in Tokyo as the second son of the haiku poet Kyoshi Takahama. He studied piano with Nicolskaya, a Russian émigré, and harmony with Lubienski, a Polish émigré. After dropping out of the preparatory course at Keio University, he went to Paris to study. He became the first Japanese person to be admitted to the Conservatoire de Paris, where he studied composition and music theory under Henri Büsser and others. After returning to Japan, he translated numerous French music theory books. He also engaged in active writing, including authoring his own work, "Lectures on Harmony" (Waseiho Kōgi). Concurrently, he dedicated himself to educational activities as a professor at Tokyo University of the Arts. He introduced French-style composition and music theory to the Japanese music education scene, which at the time was predominantly influenced by German music. Influenced by his father, he also engaged in haiku composition, leaving behind several collections of haiku, including "The Complete Haiku of Tomojiro Ikenouchi" (Ikenouchi Tomojiro Zenkushū). He passed away at the age of 85 due to a cerebral hemorrhage. He was awarded the Chevalier de l'Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur (Knight of the National Order of the Legion of Honour) and the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon (Third Class). He was also recognized as a Person of Cultural Merit. His students included Akio Yashiro, Teizo Matsumura, Hikaru Hayashi, and Akira Miyoshi, among others.