“Always do our very best to exceed expectations.”

IYOBE Co., Ltd is located in Fukagawa-Senda, slightly tucked away from the main Yotsume Dori street. IOBE at a young age moved to Tokyo and joined the western furniture company, served his time as apprentice for six years. At the time, the entire country of Japan was full of excitement coming from the soon to come Tokyo Olympics and the rapid economic growth. With the strong vision of one day owning his own workshop, he, without sparing time for sleep, improved his skills and made as many more chairs as his peers. With the support of his relatives, he started his own company in 1964.

Although very skillful, he had no knowledge on sales or how to operate a company. He worked diligently to keep is business going and kept on making his own chairs without sparing time for sleep. And now the company has become Japan's one of the most prominent furniture manufacturer that handles anything from upholstery to planning, designing, and manufacturing with over 100 staffs. It has delivered furniture to numerous iconic sites of Japan, such as the House of Parliament, Akasaka Geihinkan, and Tokyo Skytree. In the past, the company also has worked with the upholstery of carriages used during the Emperor's wedding ceremony. In the year 2000, Iyobe received the award for "Modern Artisan."

Surprisingly, his strength lies in his work ethic of "going beyond what is requested." In order to come up with an appropriate yet unique proposal, one must constantly be on the lookout. "I always do my very best to exceed expectations, even if it results in only a slight change." Even when young and poor, Iyobe found time to drop to department stores to learn new designs and sewing techniques from imported furniture. He also commonly traveled overseas to take part in trade shows. As a result, the company now holds license agreements with popular brand’s companies in six different countries and undergoes OEM production.

With the desire to "work in an environment where customers could be seen face to face," the "SOFA STUDIO" was established in 2013. There is no doubt that IOBE and his team's diligent ambition that started locally yet expanded overseas will eventually become the target of aspiration for children around the neighborhoods.