IBASEN’s Philosophy
Our Values
Since its founding in 1590, Ibasen has adhered to the principles of "trust" and "contribution to society" as its family creed. These values have been at the heart of our business for centuries. During the Edo period, merchants from our hometowns of Enshū and Mikawa, including Ibasen, took it upon themselves to rebuild the bridges over the Yahagi River in Okazaki after repeated floods. This was seen as a way to give back to our local community.
Today, while the ways we contribute may have changed—such as fairly distributing company profits among employees and contributing to society through taxes—the underlying philosophy remains unchanged. Trust, built through this long-standing tradition, is the foundation of our business.
We are also committed to offering products that we can be proud of, ensuring that our customers are satisfied. We believe that consistently delivering quality products strengthens the trust we have cultivated over generations.
Our Motto
The current head of Ibasen, 吉田誠男Nobuo Yoshida (the 14th generation), lives by the motto "貫日精誠震天下", a seven-character phrase from an ancient Chinese classic. Translated into Japanese, it means: "By living sincerely and diligently every day, one can achieve great things that shake the world." In modern terms, it can be interpreted as: "good works and perseverance can move heaven and earth."
Even during times of turmoil in ancient China, wise individuals encouraged people to live with honesty and integrity, believing that such a life could lead to remarkable achievements. Incidentally, Nobuo's name includes the character 誠 (sincerity), reflecting this philosophy.
TOKI UNABARA
The story of the birth of the world city "Edo"
Author: Masao Yoshida
From the afterword:
In 2020, our company celebrated its 430th anniversary. A normal company would publish a commemorative magazine that records the company's history on that anniversary. However, our company has no documents from 400 years ago, even if we were to publish a commemorative magazine. According to oral tradition passed down from generation to generation, our founder moved from Iba Village, Enshu (present-day Higashi-Iba-cho, Chuo-ku, Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture) to Edo with Tokugawa Ieyasu and engaged in the development of Edo at that time. (Omitted) So I decided to compile the history of our company as a "novel."
Our online shop page
Amazon
