Concepts
What "tobi" means
Japanese steeplejacks tobi s) who have a clear temperament, demeanor, and appearance.
In the Edo period, steeplejacks ("tobi"s), along with carpenters and plasterers, were called "Hana-no-Sanshoku" (three popular occupations). It is said that "tobi"s were admired by the people of Edo town, because only those who had overcome years of training were allowed to use the name "Tobi", and they played a central role in town firefighting because of their thorough knowledge of the structure of buildings
"tobi"s, who were highly paid at the time, were fashionable, had good taste, and had a refreshing disposition, which played a role in the core image of the tobi’s concept.
Combining tradition and modernity with two concepts,
"To" means metropolis, and "Bi" means beauty.
While Tokyo is one of the most advanced cities in the world, it has inherited a traditional culture that dates back to the Edo period. The beauty of the city is unparalleled in its blend of Japanese and Western, tradition and innovation, technology and sensibility. "tobi" is a furniture brand that embodies the image of Tokyo, a beautiful city that continues to be avant-garde and chaotic. This is the reason why the phrase "Living Design Tokyo" is included in "tobi". The beautiful curves used in many of "tobi" furniture are inspired by the Taiko-bashi Bridge in Edo Nihonbashi.
Inheriting history and technology and
creating a new culture.
raditional Aesthetics of "Shitsurai"
In Japan, there is a culture of arranging furniture for seasonal events and daily events, such as the arrival of guests, etc. This kind of space arrangement and decoration is called "Shitsurai". Although many indoor spaces in modern times have adopted a chair seating style, from ancient times until modern times, floor seating was the predominant style. Traditional "Shitsurai" are based on the behavior of sitting on the floor, which is the origin of the Japanese way of life. We are making furniture to create a new way of chair seating "Shitsurai" lifestyle, which is inspired and is truly suits Japanese aesthetics. And we hope that the modern "Shitsurai" lifestyle of Tokyo will bring new values to the world, as a result.
Craftsmanship in the tradition of Shiba Furniture.
Today, Tokyo is not often thought of as a furniture production center, but Japanese Western-style furniture manufacturing began in the Shiba-Shinbashi and Tamura-cho areas of Tokyo. In 1859, a foreign settlement was established in Yokohama, which triggered the introduction of Western furniture. After the Meiji Restoration, Western furniture spread with the civilization's enlightenment and took root as an industry in Japan.
In the Shiba-Shinbashi and Tamura-cho areas, which are close to government offices and connected to Yokohama by railroad, furniture was repaired and manufactured by craftsmen who inherited the traditional skills of carpentry, shrine carpentry, and the manufacture of armory and palanquins that had been handed down since the Edo period. Furniture produced in this area became known as "Shiba Furniture", a major brand of furniture at the time, and was introduced into many public and commercial facilities, contributing to the spread of Western lifestyles.
Subsequently, land prices soared in the center of Tokyo, which continued to develop as a commercial city, making it difficult to maintain factories, and manufacturers relocated one after another to the Tokyo metropolitan area and surrounding areas. Against this backdrop, furniture makers from the "Tokyo Furniture Manufacture Association", which is the successors of "Shiba Furniture", came together and brought their skills and strengths to create "tobi" brand, in order to realize furniture suitable for both modern lifestyles and traditional Japanese aesthetics.
The one and only space for hospitality.
Tailor-made for one person
Our approach to furniture making is based on the concept of "not one, not a hundred, but ten". It means that we are not an artist who can only make one piece, nor a factory that mass-produces 100 pieces, but a workshop that can make 10 pieces by hand with sensitivity. "tobi" furniture is completely made-to-order, and we create the best and finest furniture to realize the space envisioned by each and every customer. Based on the basic product specifications, we customize the size and color to suit the space in which it will be installed, thereby creating the "best hospitality space" for our customers, from home use for a single product to contract use for multiple products.
High-end furniture made of rare materials.
"tobi" furniture is made of rare, high-quality materials with high hardness, such as ovangkol and ebony, depending on the product. Such materials are difficult to process, but their high specific gravity and oil content make them strong and give them a good texture as a material. The characteristics of these materials also allow for both beautiful shapes and functionality as furniture. This difficult process is made possible by the skill of our craftsmen. Inheriting the tradition of "Shiba Furniture" that began in the early Meiji era, we have been persistently focusing on handcrafts as if turning our backs on the trend of modernization and mass production by machines, and we will create the best furniture for you with the technical skills of our craftsmen who have improved their skills while fulfilling difficult orders required in the commercial center of Japan.
