[1] His mother, Teiko Ono, was a dancer and his father, Yuji Ito, was a designer and composer.

Ito won an Obie Award for his scores during the 1960-1961 off-Broadway season; the productions included Brecht's In the Jungle of Cities, King Ubu, and Three Modern Japanese Plays.

In 1963, he composed the score for the Broadway production of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

Ito wrote Watermill which was first performed by the New York City Ballet in 1971.

[2] Ito also performed and composed for Jean Erdman's Theater of the Open Eye.