Takeshi Itoh

If you've ever heard "Truth" — that saxophone line that became the anthem of Formula One broadcasts in Japan through the late '80s and '90s — then you already know Takeshi Itoh's voice, even if you never knew his name. As the lead saxophonist and a key composer for T-Square, he helped define what Japanese fusion actually sounds like: impossibly clean tone, melodic lines that stick in your head for decades, and a technical command that never feels like it's showing off. Born in Fukuoka in 1954, he's been quietly operating at the top of the Japanese jazz-fusion world for over 40 years, and the fact that most people can hum his work without knowing who wrote it is somehow both the tragedy and the testament of the man.

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Takeshi Itoh is a Japanese saxophonist, composer, and musician born on March 15, 1954, in Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture. He is best known as a core member of the Japanese jazz-fusion band T-Square, whose official website is tsquare.jp. He studied at Nihon University. Many personal details, including his agency and active period, remain private or unknown.

Name (English)

Takeshi Itoh

Name (Japanese)

伊東たけし

Reading

いとう たけし

Born

March 15, 1954 (age 72)

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Pisces / Horse

Origin

Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan

Active years

1976 -

Occupation

Saxophonist / Composer / Musician

University

Nihon University

Works summary

Appearances

21 (1984–2014)

By year

1984: 2, 1985: 1, 1988: 2, 1992: 1, 1993: 1, 1994: 1, 1995: 1, 1996: 1, 1997: 2, 1999: 1, 2000: 1, 2001: 1, 2002: 1, 2007: 1, 2008: 1, 2014: 1

Debut work

サントリー ホワイト

Filmography / notable works

• Official sitehttps://www.tsquare.jp/
• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%BC%8A%E6%9D%B1%E3%81%9F%E3%81%91%E3%81%97
• Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7678120

Tags

• From Fukuoka Prefecture
• Saxophonist
• Composer
• Musician

Last updated

2026-08-26

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. Works and profile fields sourced from Wikipedia reflect content as of 2026-08-26. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.