Profile No. JA-119

Masato Honda

Alto saxophone, soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, flute, EWI — Japanese — B: November 13, 1962, Nakamura, Kochi, Japan

Last updated October 21, 2026

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Masato Honda playing soprano saxophone, 2020. CC BY 3.0 — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Masato_Honda,_2020.png

Masato Honda (本田雅人) is a saxophonist, flutist and wind-synthesizer player who spent seven years in the front line of T-Square, played in the saxophone section of the Cowboy Bebop band The Seatbelts, and has led his own fusion groups and big band since 1998. He was born on 13 November 1962 in Nakamura, a town in Kochi Prefecture on Shikoku that is now part of Shimanto.

He grew up in a rural area with little live music around. In a 2020 interview with Billboard Japan he said he began on piano, moved to the recorder, and settled on the saxophone because it looked like the easiest of the instruments on offer. In his teens he was more interested in singing, songwriting and arranging, first in Japanese folk and then in the fusion sound that folk backing bands were drifting toward, with Kazumi Watanabe, Lee Ritenour and Larry Carlton among his early favourites.

At Kunitachi College of Music in Tokyo, he has said, the curriculum at the time was classical only, and jazz and pop session work came afterward. In his first year he became the first leader of the school's student big band, the Newtide Jazz Orchestra, and in 1983 he won the 14th Yamano Big Band Jazz Contest. His earliest credit on Discogs predates his graduation: saxophone on Act 13 (Invitation, 1984) by the singer Naomi Akimoto. He graduated in 1985 and joined Nobuo Hara and His Sharps & Flats the same year.

Through the late 1980s and early 1990s he was a first-call studio saxophonist in Tokyo. Discogs credits him on Hiroshi Sato's Aqua (1988) and Touch the Heart (1989), Toshiki Kadomatsu's Legacy of You (1990) and the Horii Katsumi Project's Summer's (1990) and Sky Cruisin' (1991), among many others. In that period he also formed the band Witness with the guitarist Jun Kajiwara and Masaharu Ishikawa. Kajiwara stayed on his side for decades and is the guitarist on What Is Fusion (2001), Assemble a Crew (2004) and the 1998 B.B. Station live album.

He first worked with T-Square as a session player on T-Square Live featuring F-1 Grand Prix Theme (1990). In 1991 he became a full member, taking over the saxophone chair from Takeshi Itoh: Discogs credits both men on alto saxophone and EWI on the live album Farewell & Welcome (Sony, 1991), which marked the changeover. His first studio album with the band was New-S (CBS/Sony, March 21, 1991), on which he is credited on saxophone, EWI and synthesizer programming and wrote the opening track, "Megalith." He stayed through Human (1993), Solitude (1994), Miss You in New York (1995), B.C. A.D. (1996) and Blue in Red (1997), with the bassist Mitsuru Sutoh and the drummer Hiroyuki Noritake as his rhythm section. He left after Blue in Red, and a live album, Farewell & Welcome Live 1998, followed. He returned as a guest in the 2020s, playing on Wish (2022), the live album Welcome Back, Masato Honda! (2023), Vento de Felicidade (2023) and the 45th Anniversary Celebration Concert (2024).

Leaving T-Square gave him room for his own records. Growin' (A-Pro C&C, 1998) came first, followed by Carry Out (JVC, July 23, 1999), his first album for JVC, which Wikipedia describes as a record on which he played every instrument and wrote every song. Illusion (JVC, 2000) went in a different direction: an acoustic quartet in which he plays alto saxophone beside the drummer Shuichi "Ponta" Murakami, the bassist Vagabond Suzuki and the pianist Masahiro Sayama, with Honda writing and arranging all of it. He followed it with Real-Fusion (JVC, August 23, 2000) and the live set What Is Fusion (JVC, April 21, 2001), recorded with Noritake on drums, Tomohito Aoki on electric bass, Kajiwara on guitar and Keiji Matsumoto on keyboards.

The big band came in 1998 as well. B.B. Station (the name is written Masato Honda B.B.Station on its records) recorded Live at Roppongi Pit Inn for Village Records, with Eric Miyashiro among its four trumpets, and in 2007 it backed the vocalist Marlene on Jazz'n Out (RCA), a set of standards that includes "Sing Sing Sing" and "Tennessee Waltz." In 2002 he formed the quartet Four of a Kind with the pianist Satoru Shionoya, the bassist Tomohito Aoki and the drummer Takashi Numazawa, which made Four of a Kind (JVC, January 23, 2002), the live Live at Blue Note Tokyo and Osaka Blue Note (August 21, 2002) and 2 (October 21, 2004). Assemble a Crew (JVC, July 21, 2004) is the record where he plays most of the horn parts himself, on saxophone, EWI, flute and trumpet. Between 2005 and 2006 he fronted a second project, Masato Honda with Voice of Elements, which made an album for Kang & Music with Noritake, Matsumoto and Sutoh in the band. In 2004 Four of a Kind played the JVC Jazz Festival in Seoul, he played the Bangkok Jazz Festival in December 2005, and in November 2012 B.B. Station shared a Montreux Jazz Festival Japan in Kawasaki bill with the saxophonist David Sanborn.

The 2008 album Across the Groove (RCA) paired him with an American rhythm section: Bob James on grand piano and keyboards, Nathan East on bass, Harvey Mason on drums and Mike Miller on guitars, with Honda on saxophones, flute, flugelhorn, trumpet, keyboards and guitar and also composing, arranging and producing. James returned on Solid State Funk (Sony, December 23, 2009), where the bassist Tetsuo Sakurai is among the rhythm section. Saxes Street (GRP/Universal, June 24, 2015) is his most recent studio album on Discogs.

Outside the fusion catalogue he has an unusually long session credit list, with 228 appearance credits on Discogs. Those include Naoya Matsuoka (alto saxophone on five tracks of Dance Upon a Time, Warner, 1992), with Jimsaku (Wind Loves Us, Polydor, 1993, where Toshiyuki Honda is also credited on saxophones), on Ponta Murakami's own Welcome to My Life (JVC, 1998), on Kazumi Watanabe's Jazz Impression (EWE, 2009), and on Dynamogenic (King, 2020) by the drummer Senri Kawaguchi. The same listings carry pop and rock sessions for Mariya Takeuchi, Kome Kome Club, Aiko, Ai Otsuka and Ado, anime and television scores including Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Kids on the Slope and Sound! Euphonium, and game soundtracks such as Gunstar Heroes (1993) and Rockman X (1994).

His best-known work outside T-Square is the Cowboy Bebop soundtrack. Discogs credits him on saxophone on the first original soundtrack album (Victor, May 21, 1998) and on the later Future Blues (2001), and lists him as a member of The Seatbelts, the band led by the composer Yoko Kanno that made the jazz and blues score.

He teaches as a visiting professor at Showa University of Music in Kawasaki, and previously held a post as professor of saxophone and jazz at Kunitachi. He is still touring at 63. B.B. Station played two Big Band Night shows at Blue Note Tokyo on July 26 and 27, 2019, and he played a sold-out "Autumn Special Jazz-Fusion Night" at Teatro Giglio Showa for the Kawasaki Jazz festival on November 7, 2020. In 2025 he appeared on trumpeter Eric Miyashiro's album Blue Horizon, and listings show him booked for JAZZ-FUSION SUMMIT 2026 at Kanadevia Hall in Tokyo on November 1, 2026, and for a Yokosuka concert with Miyashiro and the trombonist Eijiro Nakagawa on January 16, 2027. He is not to be confused with the saxophonist Toshiyuki Honda, the pianist Takehiro Honda or the drummer Tamaya Honda.

Honda is a fusion player first. Discogs files nearly all of his own releases under the Jazz genre, most of them with the Fusion style, and two of his JVC albums carry the word in the title. His records lean on dense written horn arrangements, layers of EWI and synthesizer, and technically demanding saxophone lines; the nickname used for him in Japan is "hyper sax player," a reference to his technique. A reviewer covering a 2019 Blue Note Tokyo show described the music as catchy and pop-minded but technically tricky, with special praise for the T-Square rhythm section of Sutoh and Noritake.

He has been candid about where his jazz sits. In the 2020 Billboard Japan interview he said he rarely plays traditional or swing jazz himself, because he did not grow up with it, though he enjoys it when invited, and that he wants to reach listeners beyond his core audience. The records bear that out: Illusion and Jazz'n Out are his two nods to acoustic and big-band jazz, and most of the rest lean on electric bass, synthesizers and funk rhythms. He plays soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxophones, flute and the EWI, and on his own albums often adds trumpet, flugelhorn, keyboards or guitar. He used the Akai EWI through his T-Square years and moved to the NuRAD wind synthesizer around 2021; a customised version led to the limited NuRAD R2 model released in 2025.

His credits are weighted toward pop, anime and game music as much as toward jazz, which is the reason his place in the jazz catalogue rests on the fusion records, B.B. Station and T-Square rather than on the session work.

Key Recordings

Carry Out (1999, JVC VICJ-60392) - His first album for JVC, and the one Wikipedia describes as an all-himself record. Spotify - Carry Out Listen · Buy
Illusion (2000, JVC VICJ-60553) - The acoustic quartet date with Ponta Murakami, Vagabond Suzuki and Masahiro Sayama. Spotify - Illusion Listen · Buy
Real-Fusion (2000, JVC VICJ-60653) - The first of two JVC albums with the genre in the title. Spotify - Real-Fusion Listen · Buy
What Is Fusion (2001, JVC VICJ-60736) - The live album with Noritake, Aoki, Kajiwara and Matsumoto, including his T-Square-era "Megalith." Spotify - What Is Fusion (Live) Listen · Buy
Assemble a Crew (2004, JVC VICJ-61209) - The record where he plays saxophone, EWI, flute and trumpet himself. Spotify - Assemble a Crew Listen · Buy
Across the Groove (2008, RCA BVCJ-34035) - Made with Bob James, Nathan East and Harvey Mason, with Honda on the horns, keyboards and guitar and writing the music. Discogs - Across the Groove Buy
Saxes Street (2015, GRP UCCJ-2126) - His most recent studio album on Discogs, on the GRP jazz imprint. Spotify - Saxes Street Listen · Buy
New-S (1991, T-Square, CBS/Sony CSCL-1691) - His first studio album with the band, opening with his "Megalith." Spotify - New-S Listen · Buy
Miss You in New York (1995, T-Square, Sony SRCL 3330) - A mid-period T-Square album. Spotify - Miss You In New York Listen · Buy
Cowboy Bebop original soundtrack (1998, Victor VICL-60201, Yoko Kanno and The Seatbelts) - Honda is one of the four saxophonists credited on it. Spotify - Cowboy Bebop Original Soundtrack Listen

Full Discography

Masato Honda (本田雅人) - Full Discography

Japanese saxophonist, flutist, EWI player and composer. Born 13 November 1962, Nakamura (now Shimanto), Kochi. Discogs artist 296777.

Name variations on record: Honda Masato, M. Honda, 本田雅人, 本田雅人.

Group affiliations: T-Square (member 1991 to 1997, guest from 2022), The Seatbelts, Four of a Kind, Masato Honda B.B.Station, State Of The Rhythm.

Leader (own-name releases)

Album	Year	Label	Personnel	Notes	Listen	Buy
Growin'	1998	A-Pro C&C Corp., APCP-1026	Masato Honda (saxophones)	Ten tracks, including "Smack Out", "Joy", "Condolence" and a "Sonata No.18 for the Favorite Saxophone Repertories". CD.	Spotify	Amazon
Carry Out	1999	JVC, VICJ-60392	Masato Honda (saxophones and all other instruments, per Wikipedia)	Released 23 July 1999. Eleven tracks, from "Calling the Sun" to "夏の終わりに".	Spotify	Amazon
Real-Fusion	2000	JVC, VICJ-60653	Masato Honda (saxophones)	Released 23 August 2000. Ten tracks, including "Step Up Action", "Grand Blue" and "Tokyo Train".	Spotify	Amazon
Illusion	2000	JVC, VICJ-60553	Masato Honda (alto saxophone, composer, arranger, producer), Masahiro Sayama (piano), Vagabond Suzuki (acoustic bass), Shuichi Murakami (drums)	Released 21 January 2000. Ten tracks, including "Little Finger", "Last Clear Stream" and "Swing". Wikipedia bills it as a collaboration with Ponta Box. 3-panel Digipak.	Spotify	Amazon
What Is Fusion	2001	JVC, VICJ-60736	Masato Honda (saxophone, EWI), Jun Kajiwara (electric guitar), Keiji Matsumoto (keyboards), Tomohito Aoki (electric bass), Hiroyuki Noritake (drums)	Live album, released 21 April 2001. Nine tracks, including "Joy", "Megalith" and "Traffic Jam".	Spotify	Amazon
Cross Hearts	2001	JVC, VICJ-60838	Masato Honda (saxophones)	Released 24 October 2001. Eleven tracks, including "Parallelogram", "K2" and "Techno Mambo".	Spotify	Amazon
The Best and More	2002	JVC, VICJ-60895	Masato Honda (saxophones)	Compilation of tracks from his first albums, thirteen tracks.	Spotify	Amazon
Crowded Colors	2003	JVC, VICJ-61093	Masato Honda (saxophones; producer, composer, arranger)	Released 21 May 2003. Ten tracks, including "Eye Power = 10.00", "Slow Wave" and "Retro Cat".	Spotify	Amazon
Assemble a Crew	2004	JVC, VICJ-61209	Masato Honda (saxophone, EWI, flute, trumpet, synthesizer programming), Jun Kajiwara (guitar), Keiji Matsumoto (keyboards), Tomohito Aoki (bass), Hiroyuki Noritake (drums), Ogimi Gen (percussion), Satoshi Sano (trombone), Shiro Sasaki (trumpet)	Released 21 July 2004. Ten tracks, including "Athlete", "Orange" and "Yellow Bird".	Spotify	Amazon
Across the Groove	2008	RCA, BVCJ-34035	Masato Honda (alto and soprano saxophones, flute, flugelhorn, muted trumpet, keyboards, guitar), Bob James (grand piano, keyboards), Nathan East (bass), Harvey Mason (drums), Mike Miller (electric and acoustic guitars)	Released 24 September 2008. Ten tracks, including "Captain Giovanni", "Heart of Zipangu" and "My Ballad". Honda composed, arranged and produced; recorded and mixed by Geoff Gillette.	not found	Amazon
The Best and More II	2008	Victor Entertainment, VIC PMDCD-9219	Masato Honda (saxophones)	Compilation, fourteen tracks, including a new recording of "Tomorrow Is Another Day" in an a cappella version.	Spotify	Amazon
Solid State Funk	2009	Sony, SICL-224	Masato Honda (saxophone), Bob James (piano, keyboards), Keiji Matsumoto (piano, keyboards), Satoru Shionoya (piano), Jun Kajiwara and Yuji Toriyama (guitars), Tetsuo Sakurai and Gregg Lee (bass), Hiroyuki Noritake and Hideo Yamamoto (drums)	Released 23 December 2009. Ten tracks, including "Funky Monsters", "Laughter of Dragon" and "Walk the Walk".	not found	Amazon
Saxes Street	2015	GRP, UCCJ-2126	Masato Honda (saxophones; composer, arranger, producer)	Released 24 June 2015. Eight tracks, including "Seven", "Sax Street" and "See You Tomorrow".	Spotify	Amazon

Co-leader and group releases

Album	Year	Label	Co-billed with	Notes	Listen	Buy
Live at Roppongi Pit Inn (as Masato Honda B.B.Station)	1998	Village Records, VRFL 0019	Big band: Masato Honda and Hiroshi Sugano (alto saxophones), Ryoji Soyama and Tadashi Sakamoto (tenor saxophones), Kazuki Nagashima (bass saxophone), Eric Miyashiro, Tadayuki Iwata, Tomoyuki Yasuda and Tsuyoshi Koyama (trumpets), Akimune Kimura, Atsushi Goto, Hidetaka Yamawaki and Tatsuya Miyashita (trombones), Takeshi Fuse (piano), Jun Kajiwara (guitar), Tomohito Aoki (bass), Hiroyuki Noritake (drums)	Ten tracks, including "Theme for B.B.S.", "Condolence", "Fair Affection" and "Megalith".	not found	Amazon
Four of a Kind	2002	JVC, VICJ-60886	Four of a Kind: Satoru Shionoya (piano, keyboards), Tomohito Aoki (electric bass), Takashi Numazawa (drums); Honda on alto, tenor, soprano and baritone saxophones, trumpet and flute	Released 23 January 2002. Nine tracks, including "Fast Track", "What's Going On" and "Egret".	not found	Amazon
Live at Blue Note Tokyo and Osaka Blue Note (as Four of a Kind)	2002	JVC, VICJ-60968	Satoru Shionoya (piano, keyboards), Tomohito Aoki (electric and fretless bass), Takashi Numazawa (drums); Honda on alto saxophone and flute	Released 21 August 2002. Seven tracks. Live.	not found	Amazon
2 (as Four of a Kind)	2004	JVC, VICJ-61239	Satoru Shionoya (piano, electric piano, synthesizer, percussion), Tomohito Aoki (electric bass), Takashi Numazawa (drums); Honda on alto, soprano, tenor and baritone saxophones, flute and clarinet	Released 21 October 2004. Ten tracks, including "Get Up 'n' Go", "Dubai" and "Jerash".	not found	Amazon
Masato Honda with Voice of Elements	2006	Kang & Music, KACD 0631	Voice of Elements; Hiroyuki Noritake, Keiji Matsumoto and Mitsuru Sutoh credited as performers	Eleven tracks, including "4P Layers", "Bop Factory" and "Mandrake".	Spotify	Amazon
Jazz'n Out (Marlene meets Masato Honda B.B.Station)	2007	RCA, BVCJ-34032	Marlene (vocals); B.B.Station including Masato Honda and Shuuichi Kuwata (alto saxophones), Kazuhiko Kondo (baritone saxophone), Masakuni Takeno and Yuta Yoneda (tenor saxophones), Shinji Akita (piano), Jun Kajiwara (guitar), Kiichiro Komobuchi (bass), Setsu Fujii (drums)	Released 25 April 2007. Ten tracks, including "Sing Sing Sing", "Tennessee Waltz" and "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You". Honda produced and directed.	not found	Amazon

With T-Square (guest and member)

Masato Honda was a session player on the band's 1990 live album, a full member from 1991 to 1997, and a guest from 2022. Rows below are the releases on which Discogs lists him; he is credited individually on Live "Farewell & Welcome" (alto saxophone, EWI), New-S (saxophone, EWI, programming), Human (woodwinds, brass, EWI, voice, synthesizer programming) and Miss You in New York (saxophone, EWI).

Album	Year	Actual leader	Notes	Listen	Buy
Live Featuring F-1 Grand Prix Theme	1990	T-Square	Session saxophone, before he joined.	Spotify	Amazon
Live "Farewell & Welcome"	1991	T-Square	Honda and Takeshi Itoh both credited on alto saxophone and EWI.	not found	Amazon
Megalith	1991	T-Square		not found	Amazon
New-S	1991	T-Square	Released 21 March 1991, CBS/Sony CSCL-1691. His first studio album with the band; opens with "Megalith".	Spotify	Amazon
Refreshest	1991	T-Square And Friends		not found	Amazon
Truth	1991	T-Square		not found	Amazon
Truth (1991 New Version)	1991	T-Square		not found	Amazon
Chaser	1992	T-Square		not found	Amazon
Impressive	1992	T-Square		not found	Amazon
Megalith	1992	T-Square		not found	Amazon
Harmony	1993	T-Square & Royal Philharmonic Orchestra		not found	Amazon
Human	1993	T-Square	Released 21 April 1993, Sony SRCL 2613.	Spotify	Amazon
Solitude	1994	T-Square And Friends		not found	Amazon
Twilight In Upper West (幕末高校生メインテーマ曲)	1994	T-Square & Munich Symphonic Orchestra		not found	Amazon
夏の惑星	1994	T-Square		not found	Amazon
Miss You In New York	1995	T-Square	Released 21 September 1995, Sony SRCL 3330.	Spotify	Amazon
Takarajima = 宝島	1995	T-Square With Munchen Symphony Orchestra And City Of London Wind Ensemble		not found	Amazon
Welcome To The Rose Garden	1995	T-Square		Spotify	Amazon
B.C. A.D.	1996	T-Square		not found	Amazon
Blue In Red	1997	T-Square		not found	Amazon
Gravity	1998	T-Square		not found	Amazon
Brasil	2001	T-Square		not found	Amazon
F-1 Grand Prix World	2001	T-Square		not found	Amazon
Truth 21century	2001	T-SQUARE plus		not found	Amazon
Classics	2006	Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Plays T-Square		not found	Amazon
T-Square 35th Anniversary The Box More	2013	T-Square		not found	Amazon
Crème De La Crème～Édition Spéciale～特別篇＠The Square～T-Square "1978～2021"作品集	2021	T-Square		not found	Amazon
Wish	2022	T-Square		not found	Amazon
Vento De Felicidade = しあわせの風	2023	T-Square		not found	Amazon

Other credits (sideman, guest, session and soundtrack)

Chronological list of every other release on which Discogs lists Masato Honda as a performer, as a guest, or on a compilation or soundtrack. Credits on these releases range from a single saxophone track to a full section part. Releases that Discogs files as unofficial are included where they carry his credit.

1984: Act 13 - Naomi Akimoto = 秋本奈緒美
1985: Jet Finger - Atsushi Yokozeki
1986: Key Of Gold - Yoco Obata With Look Out
1987: Alive And Well - Tatsuhiko Yamamoto
1987: Get The Black - Shady Dolls
1988: A Lie - Jadoes
1988: Aqua - Hiroshi Satoh
1988: Blow Session - Naoyuki Fujii
1988: Foxy Eyes - Yoshiaki Miyanoue
1988: Montage - Chiyono Yoshino
1988: Moon Light - Sidevision
1988: Transfusion - Yuji Toriyama
1988: Vocu - Kanako Wada
1989: C'est La Vie - Megumi Shiina
1989: Café 1984 - Keiko Kimura
1989: Double Face - Tomohito Aoki
1989: Fuck Off Die - Devils
1989: Half Moon - Kiyomi Suzuki
1989: More Thrill - Shady Dolls
1989: Touch The Heart - Hiroshi Sato
1990: Angel Touch - Cindy
1990: Clear - Ken-ichiro Kikuchi
1990: Colors Of Love - Tomoko Fujita
1990: I Must Change My Life & Love For Me - Toshiki Kadomatsu
1990: It's Just Only Rock'n Roll - Devils
1990: Japaneska - The Boom
1990: Legacy Of You - Toshiki Kadomatsu = 角松敏生
1990: Love Somebody - Twiggy
1990: Matière = マチエール - 井上昌己 = Shoko Inoue
1990: Melody Go Round - Masahiro Andoh
1990: Misato･bornIV 愛と感動の超青春ライヴ - Misato Watanabe
1990: Odoru Ponpocorin - TF Production
1990: Parasail～シュールホワイトのテーマ - 角松敏生
1990: Princess Princess - Princess Princess
1990: Silhouette '90 - Mami Imazu
1990: Summer's - Horii Katsumi Project
1990: あなたが宇宙〜By My Side〜 - 日高のり子
1990: フェイント勝ちね = Feint Gachine - Mika Chiba = 千葉美加
1990: 天使の気持ち - Cindy
1990: 矩形波倶楽部 - Kukeiha Club
1991: All Is Vanity - Toshiki Kadomatsu
1991: Crocodile Tears - Bad Messiah
1991: Galaxy Girl - Toshiki Kadomatsu
1991: Higher Self = ハイヤー・セルフ - Kyosuke Himuro = 氷室京介
1991: Jessica - Ribbon
1991: Les Filles = レ・フィーユ - Qlair = クレア
1991: No One Sees No One Hears No One Speaks - Pearl
1991: Points-3 - Amii Ozaki = 尾崎亜美
1991: Pop The Top! - Miho Morikawa
1991: Sky Cruisin' - Horii Katsumi Project
1991: Solid Brass - Yoichi Murata
1991: この駅から･･･ - Toshiki Kadomatsu
1991: 冬の予感 - 藤田朋子
1992: 1992 Nouvelle Vague - Seiko Matsuda
1992: Cute = キュート - Mikiko Noda = 野田幹子
1992: Dance Upon A Time - Naoya Matsuoka
1992: Docile - Yumi Tanimura
1992: Freestyle - 森川美穂
1992: Jade - Jimsaku
1992: No Exit = 出口なし - Junko Miyagi = 宮城純子
1992: Nudist - Yoko Oginome
1992: Perfect Selection Gradius 第2章 - コナミ矩形波倶楽部
1992: Quiet Life = クワイエット・ライフ - Mariya Takeuchi = 竹内まりや
1992: R753 - Ribbon
1992: Sanctuary - Qlair
1992: Somos Diferentes - Orquesta De La Luz
1992: Sound Locomotive - Motoaki Furukawa
1992: あるがままに - 角松敏生
1992: ヌーベルヴァーグ -G.S.M. Taito 7- = Nouvelle Vague -G.S.M. Taito 7- - Zuntata
1993: A Time For Love - Seiko Matsuda
1993: Alquimist - Carlos Toshiki
1993: Dancin’ To Solid Brass - Solid Brass
1993: Gunstar Heroes = ガンスターヒーローズ - NON
1993: KM 93.11 - dip in the pool
1993: Neo History = ネオ・ヒストリー - Junko Ohashi = 大橋純子
1993: Solid Brass II - Yohichi Murata
1993: Wind Loves Us - Jimsaku
1993: どんなに打ちのめされても - 橘いずみ
1993: 恋人になりたい = Koibito Ni Naritai - 遠藤響子 = Kyoko Endo
1993: 海へたどりつくルート = Route For The Sea To Follow - 近藤千鶴 = Chizuru Kondo
1994: Beach Hippies - Brand New Omega Tribe = BNOT
1994: Beyond The Light... - To Be Continued
1994: Impressions = インプレッションズ - Mariya Takeuchi = 竹内まりや
1994: Make Merry - Yuzo Hayashi
1994: Puff - Sara Hamamoto
1994: Rockman X - Alph Lyla with Toshiaki Ohtsubo
1994: The First Question Award - Cornelius
1994: Try This At Home - Various
1994: 別冊モダチョキ臨時増刊号 - モダンチョキチョキズ
1994: 心田 - 倫永亮
1995: Hadaka De Aimashou = 裸であいましょう - Cano Caoli
1995: Wind Climbing - Aki Okui
1995: 両想いのススメ - Gen Taneichi = 種市弦
1995: 禁じられた生きがい - Yasuyuki Okamura
1996: Double Edge - Yohichi Murata Solid Brass
1996: H2O - Kome Kome Club
1997: What's Bop? - Yoichi Murata Solid Brass
1998: Cowboy Bebop - The Seatbelts
1998: Cowboy Bebop = カウボーイビバップ - Yoko Kanno = 菅野よう子, The Seatbelts = シートベルツ
1998: Cowboy Bebop: No Disc - The Seatbelts
1998: Cowboy Bebop: No Disc = カウボーイビバップオリジナルサウンドトラック2 No Disc - Yoko Kanno = 菅野よう子, The Seatbelts = シートベルツ
1998: Live At Roppongi Pit Inn - Masato Honda B.B.Station
1998: Welcome To My Life - 村上"ポンタ"秀一
1998: 永遠 - Origa
1999: 999.9 (Four Nine) - Various
1999: F-Zero X Guitar Arrange Edition - Ryuichi Katsumata, Taro Bando
1999: Historia De La Luz - Orquesta De La Luz
1999: Soul Lovers - Soul Lovers
1999: Voices Under The Water / In The Hall - Toshiki Kadomatsu
1999: ふわり - Megumi Hayashibara
2000: Experience - Tomohito Aoki
2000: Memories Of Bill Evans (A Tribute To Bill Evans) - Various
2000: New Age Channel - Soul Lovers
2001: Cowboy Bebop: Future Blues - The Seatbelts
2001: Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' On Heaven's Door (O.S.T. Future Blues) - The Seatbelts
2001: Future Blues - Yoko Kanno, The Seatbelts
2001: 幻想水滸伝音楽集 - 難波弘之, 野獣王国
2002: Cowboy Bebop CD Box - The Seatbelts
2002: Four Of A Kind - Four Of A Kind
2002: Introducing - Four Of A Kind
2002: Live At Blue Note Tokyo And Osaka Blue Note - Four Of A Kind
2002: Ray Parker Jr. With State Of The Rhythm - Ray Parker Jr. With State Of The Rhythm
2002: 秋そばにいるよ - Aiko
2003: Summer 4 Rhythm - Toshiki Kadomatsu
2004: 2 - Four Of A Kind
2004: Cowboy Bebop: Tank! The! Best! - Yoko Kanno & Seatbelts
2004: Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex O.S.T. 2 - Yoko Kanno
2004: Message En Rouge + Anniversaire - Carole Serrat
2004: Songs And Melodies - Soul Bossa Trio
2004: 疾風乱舞－Episode II－ - Da Pump
2005: Boy Meets Girl - Dream
2005: Cowboy Bebop: Tank! The! Best! - Yoko Kanno & Seatbelts
2005: The Selection Of Salt - Satoru Shionoya
2005: 夢の中のまっすぐな道 - Aiko
2006: Angel Heart Original Soundtrack = エンジェル・ハートオリジナル・サウンドトラック - Taku Iwasaki = 岩崎琢
2006: Chronochroma - Nozomu Kumagai
2006: Fine - Kaori Kobayashi
2006: Wild Arms Music The Best -Rocking Heart- - Michiko Naruke
2007: Bmg魂 apr.2007 - Various
2007: Castle In The Air - Castle In The Air
2007: Cosmicolor - m-flo
2007: Ever - Jun Kajiwara
2007: Jazz'n Out - Marlene Meets Masato Honda B.B.Station
2007: Time - Arashi
2007: ジルデコ - JiLL-Decoy association
2008: 3rd - Battle Jazz Big Band Conducted By Osamu Yoshida
2008: Across The Groove - Fourplay Featuring Masato Honda
2008: Love Letter - Ai Otsuka
2008: 鉄腕バーディー Decode Original Soundtrack - 菅野祐悟
2009: Evangelion Wind Symphony 01 - Shiro Sagisu
2009: Jazz Impression - Kazumi Watanabe
2009: My Dear Musiclife - Tetsuo Sakurai
2009: Napple Tale 怪獣図鑑 - Yoko Kanno
2009: Pandora Hearts Original Soundtrack 1 - Yuki Kajiura
2009: Pandora Hearts Original Soundtrack 2 - Yuki Kajiura
2009: 男と女2 -Two Hearts Two Voices- - Junichi Inagaki
2011: In And Out - Takashi Masuzaki
2011: Stone Cold - FictionJunction
2012: Ask DNA (Cowboy Bebop -Knockin'On Heaven's Door-) = Ask DNA (カウボーイビバップ -Knockin'On Heaven's Door-) - Seatbelts
2012: Kids On The Slope (Original Soundtrack Plus More & Rare) - Various
2013: Lyrics - Takeshi Nakatsuka
2013: Tokio Covers - Hiroshi Takano
2014: The World! Evangelion Jazz Night =The Tokyo III Jazz Club= - Shiro Sagisu
2015: Sound! Euphonium Original Soundtrack: Memories of Music - Akito Matsuda
2015: Universal Sound Message June & July 2015 - Various
2015: ハートクチュール = Heart Couture - Chay
2016: 20世紀の逆襲 - 上坂すみれ
2016: Activeraid 2nd O.S.T. - 中川幸太郎
2016: Eye - Nakatsuka Takeshi
2016: SEDAR - Sedar Chin
2017: Iterations - Jonathan Lundberg
2017: Sea Is A Lady 2017 - Toshiki Kadomatsu
2017: Square Enix Jazz -Final Fantasy- = スクウェア・エニックスジャズ ―ファイナルファンタジー― - Eijiro Nakagawa, Ryu Kawamura
2017: TVアニメ『ACCA13区監察課』オリジナルサウンドトラック "Smoke And Mirrors" = ACCA Jusan-ku Kansatsu-ka Original Soundtrack "Smoke And Mirrors" - 高橋諒
2018: 17才が美しいなんて、誰が言った。 - JUNNA
2018: Breath From The Season 2018～Tribute to Tokyo Ensemble Lab～ - Toshiki Kadomatsu
2018: The Games -East Meets West 2018- - Minoru Mukaiya
2019: Acoustic Weather Report 2 - Acoustic Weather Report
2019: Area - Dezolve
2019: Don't Stop Me Now ~~Cornerstones EP~~ - Chikuzen Satō
2019: ラジオな曲たち II - 南佳孝
2020: Dynamogenic - Senri Kawaguchi
2020: Gundam Song Covers 2 - 森口博子
2020: 蓮の花がひらく時 - 柴田淳
2021: Cowboy Bebop: Soundtrack From The Netflix Series - Extended - Y.K. & Seatbelts
2021: In My World - Maoki Yamamoto = 山本真央樹
2021: Re:Sense - King & Prince
2021: どぉなっちゃってんだよ - 岡村靖幸
2022: Gundam Song Covers 3 - Hiroko Moriguchi = 森口博子
2022: Inherit The Life - Toshiki Kadomatsu
2022: Unforgotten Saga - Izumi Hirotaka & Friends
2022: 東京SNG - Shingo Katori
2023: Cowboy Bebop LP-Box - The Seatbelts
2023: Parade - 中塚武
2023: Rockman X Arranged - Alph Lyla and Toshiaki Ohtsubo
2023: U30 Contract - Takashi Utsunomiya Anthology 1992-2023 - Takashi Utsunomiya
2024: A Night In New York - Asako Toki
2024: Magic Hour ～Lovers At Dusk～ - Toshiki Kadomatsu
2024: Tiny Scandal - Toshiki Kadomatsu
2024: Tonight / Half Moon - Yumi Tanimura
2024: 残夢 - Ado
2025: Adoのベストアドバム - Ado
2025: Blue Horizon - Eric Miyashiro
2025: Forgotten Shores - Toshiki Kadomatsu
2025: Super Mario RPG Original Sound Box = スーパーマリオRPG Original Sound Box - Yoko Shimomura
2025: Super Mario RPG Original Soundtrack - Yoko Shimomura
2026: Tank! Extended - Yoko Kanno & The Seatbelts
n.d.: Mazda/Next Veículos - Japão Contemporâneo - Various
n.d.: 天地無用!魎皇鬼のクリスマス = TenchiMuyo! Ryo Oh Ki Christmas Album - Various

Also credited as a performer on the Yoko Kanno and The Seatbelts soundtracks Cowboy Bebop (Victor VICL-60201, 21 May 1998) and Future Blues (Victor VIBL-38, 7 November 2001, tracks 2 to 6): Spotify - Cowboy Bebop Original Soundtrack.

Discogs describes Masato Honda Group (artist 5084532) as the saxophone ensemble he usually leads within The Seatbelts, with Shigeo Fuchino, Naruyoshi Kikuchi, Osamu Koike, Masakuni Takeno and Takuo Yamamoto.

Personnel & Collaborations

T-Square - his band from 1991 to 1997 and a guest in the 2020s. Discogs credits him on Live "Farewell & Welcome" (1991), New-S (1991), Human (1993) and Miss You in New York (1995), and he plays on Wish (2022) and Welcome Back, Masato Honda! (2023).
Shuichi "Ponta" Murakami - drummer on Honda's Illusion (2000), and Honda plays alto saxophone on four tracks of Murakami's Welcome to My Life (1998).
Naoya Matsuoka - Honda plays alto saxophone on five tracks of Matsuoka's Dance Upon a Time (Warner, 1992).
Jimsaku - Honda plays alto, soprano and tenor saxophones and flute on Wind Loves Us (Polydor, 1993).
Tetsuo Sakurai - bass on Honda's Solid State Funk (2009); Sakurai also plays bass on Wind Loves Us (1993) and on Senri Kawaguchi's Dynamogenic (2020), both of which feature Honda.
Kazumi Watanabe - Honda plays soprano saxophone on a track of Watanabe's Jazz Impression (EWE, 2009).
Toshiyuki Honda - a different saxophonist who is credited with Honda on Wind Loves Us (1993).
Bob James - grand piano and keyboards on Across the Groove (2008) and piano and keyboards on Solid State Funk (2009).
Harvey Mason and Nathan East - drums and bass on Across the Groove (2008).
Jun Kajiwara, Hiroyuki Noritake, Tomohito Aoki, Keiji Matsumoto - the core of his fusion band on What Is Fusion (2001) and Assemble a Crew (2004).
Satoru Shionoya, Tomohito Aoki and Takashi Numazawa - his partners in Four of a Kind (2002 to 2004).
Eric Miyashiro - trumpeter and flugelhorn player on B.B.Station's Live at Roppongi Pit Inn (1998), and the partner on Blue Horizon (2025) and the Yokosuka concert booked for January 2027.
Hirotaka Izumi - T-Square keyboardist and composer. Both men are credited on Megalith (Columbia, 1992), where Izumi wrote four tracks and Honda one, and Izumi plays piano on "Turning of the Dream" on Honda's Growin' (A-Pro C&C, 1998).
Takeshi Itoh - the T-Square saxophonist he replaced in 1991.
Satoshi Bandoh - T-Square drummer since the end of 2004; both are credited on Vento de Felicidade (2023).
Nobuo Hara - the bandleader whose Sharps & Flats he joined in 1985.
Yoko Kanno and The Seatbelts - Cowboy Bebop (1998) and Future Blues (2001).
Masahiro Andoh - T-Square's founder and guitarist; Honda plays saxophone on four tracks of Andoh's solo album Melody Go Round (CBS/Sony, 1990) and is credited with him on T-Square's Megalith (1992).
Katsumi Horii - keyboardist, composer and leader of the Horii Katsumi Project; Honda is credited on saxophone on its album Sky Cruisin' (Air Records, 1991), and Japanese Wikipedia lists him among the participants on Summer's (1990).
Miku Yonezawa - tenor saxophonist and flautist; she and Honda are both credited on "Blue Horizon," "Catch the Rainbow" and "Spain" on Eric Miyashiro's Blue Horizon (2025).
Luna Watanabe - alto saxophonist and flautist; she and Honda are both credited on "Blue Horizon", "Catch the Rainbow" and "Spain" on Eric Miyashiro's Blue Horizon (2025).
Mitsuru Sutoh - T-Square bassist through Honda's years in the band and a regular in his own groups; Discogs credits him on bass on Growin' (1998), Crowded Colors (2003), Masato Honda With Voice Of Elements (2006) and Saxes Street (2015).
Takashi Masuzaki - guitarist and Dimension leader; Honda plays saxophone on Masuzaki's solo album In and Out (Zain Records, 2011).
Takahiro Miyazaki - his successor in the T-Square saxophone chair in 1998; both are credited on saxophone on "Japanese Soul Brothers," the bonus-disc studio recording on Gravity (1998), alongside Takeshi Itoh.
Yuji Toriyama - Honda plays alto saxophone on Toriyama's Transfusion (CBS/Sony, 1988); Toriyama is one of the guitarists on Honda's Solid State Funk (2009), and both are credited on T-Square's Vento De Felicidade (2023).
Yoshiaki Miyanoue - guitarist; Honda is credited on synthesizer on Miyanoue's Foxy Eyes (Toshiba EMI, 1988).