Trouvère Quartet was formed in 1987 with Japan's top saxophone players-Nobuya Sugawa, Shin'ichiro Hikosaka, Yasushi Arai and Yasuto Tanaka. The Quartet has been the prizewinners in numerous competitions including the second prize at the Tokyo International Music Competition in 1992 as well as the Fifth Japan Brass Academy Award. The members are also frequently in demand as concert soloists in their own right.
 In 2000, Trouvère Quartet was invited to Holland for the Commemoration of 400 Years of Dutch-Japanese Relations. The Quartet has released 12 CDs for Toshiba-EMI and others. Among the albums, that released in 2001,"A Homage to Marcel Mule" received the National Arts Festival Grand Prize.
 Year 2002 makes the 15th anniversary from their foundation. Especially, their original pieces - "LE QUATTRO STAGIONI di TROUVÈRE" and "Rhapsodie sur <<CARMEN>> de BIZET" and "The Planets by Trouvère" - are highly acclaimed.