His quartet's members were Toshiya Etō(vl), Akeo Watanabe(Vl), Kimiyo Matsuura(Va) and Hideo Saito(Vc), who would lead the Japanese classical music scene in the coming years.
He graduated from this school and then continued his studies at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia under the great violinist Efrem Zimbalist.
Etō Toshiya came back Japan in 1961, and continued his artistic performance and teaching.
He taught at Toho Gakuen School of Music from 1963, and Akiko Suwanai and Yayoi Toda were known as his students.
He was a member of the Japan Art Academy and then became head of the Toho Gakuen School of Music before he died at the age of 80 on June 23, 2008.