HIMARI is the signature standard of OFUTON KOBO: balanced, approachable, and made for everyday floor sleep.
With around 10 cm of loft and a filling that contains 25% wool, it combines steady support with a comfortable balance of breathability and natural warmth throughout the seasons.
For first-time shikibuton users, it is the reassuring choice: versatile, easy to live with, and thoughtfully balanced for every night.
SupportFirm
Soft
Thicknessapprox. 10 cm
— A reassuring first step into the Japanese shikibuton —
SORA is the flagship of the OFUTON KOBO series: a complete upgrade in loft, construction, and natural materials.
With around 12 cm of loft, five layers, and a filling that contains 50% wool, it offers fuller cushioning, more enveloping comfort, and a more substantial sense of support, with enhanced breathability and natural warmth.
Designed for sleepers who value generous loft, layered construction, and a higher proportion of natural wool in their everyday sleep.
Shared by both signature lines · stitched in Japan · every stage certified under J Quality · K2600190003
— STORY —
From a Tokyo cotton shop in 1873 to a Japanese futon maker.
At our own factory in Japan, skilled craftspeople guide every stage with experience and care.
Specialized equipment brings consistency to every seam; practiced hands inspect and finish every futon.
In 1873, the sixth year of Meiji, Takahashi Yōzō opened Takahashi Cotton Shop on a street in Kōtō, Tokyo. That neighborhood shop became the beginning of the family business known today as OFUTON KOBO.
In 1947, during the postwar years, the family turned its focus to cotton futon manufacturing. The business later established its own factory in Oyama, Tochigi, where skilled craftspeople use specialized equipment to prepare, layer, sew, inspect and finish each futon. Every stage remains in Japan.
Across five generations, one purpose has remained: to make dependable Japanese bedding for everyday life. In 2023, OFUTON KOBO marked its 150th anniversary, built on a single craft passed forward with care.
Today, fifth-generation Nakajō Yūsuke carries that standard forward. OFUTON KOBO selects its materials and oversees production at its own Japanese factory, making futons it can recommend to family with confidence.
The same Japan-made shikibuton now reaches customers around the world. More than 150 years, five generations, one purpose: dependable Japanese bedding, made entirely in Japan.
— HERITAGE · SINCE 1873 —
1873 Meiji 6
Takahashi Yōzō opens Takahashi Cotton Shop in Kōtō, Tokyo, the starting point of OFUTON KOBO.
1947 Shōwa 22
In the years after the war, the family turns in earnest to making cotton futons.
Our own factory Oyama, Tochigi
The family establishes its own factory in Oyama, Tochigi, where every futon is still produced today.
One craft across generations
Manufacturing knowledge is refined and passed forward from one generation to the next.
Skilled production equipment and expertise
Skilled craftspeople use specialized equipment to prepare, layer, sew, inspect and finish each futon with consistency.
Made in Japan every stage
Every certified production stage remains in Japan.
The standard J Quality
J Quality verifies that all five stages are completed in Japan · Certification No. K2600190003.
Materials chosen with care
Every material is selected by the family itself, so what fills each futon is never left to chance.
Family business five generations
Five generations have carried forward the same family standard of honest materials and dependable production.
2023 150th anniversary
OFUTON KOBO marks 150 years since its founding in 1873.
The fifth generation Nakajō Yūsuke
Today the craft is carried by the family’s fifth generation, Nakajō Yūsuke.
Around the world direct from Japan
Japan-made shikibuton are now dispatched directly from Japan to customers around the world.
Two signature models HIMARI · SORA
HIMARI 日葵 and SORA 宙 are the two models available from the international store.
— CERTIFICATION —
J Quality certification verifies the Japanese provenance of OFUTON KOBO shikibuton, from material preparation through final production.
∞
J ∞ QUALITY
MADE IN JAPAN
Certified under Japan’s J Quality whole-process standard
Made in Japan · all five certified stages completed in Japan
— CRAFT —
In Japan · Every Stage
From cotton preparation and fiber refinement to sewing, filling, planning and retail, all five certified stages are completed in Japan. It is both a requirement of J Quality and the manufacturing standard OFUTON KOBO has upheld for generations.
1
Cotton prep
Cotton preparation · carding
2
Fiber refining
Fiber refinement
3
Sewing
Sewn at our own factory in Japan
4
Manufacturing
Filling & finishing
5
Planning & retail
Planning · direct retail
J
J Quality member company
Recognized by the Japan Textile Federation · proof of whole-process manufacture in Japan
K2600190003
Manufacturer certification
Futon manufacturer certification no. K2600190003
CO-OP
Co-operative member
Member of the Japan Futon Manufacturers’ Co-operative
5 STAGES
Whole-process certification
Cotton preparation · fiber refinement · stitching · filling · planning & retail — all five stages completed in Japan
— SHIKIBUTON CULTURE —
What is a Japanese shikibuton?
The Japanese futon mattress — a quiet introduction to the bedding loved across Japan
A shikibuton, the traditional Japanese floor mattress, is familiar in homes across Japan. It can be laid on tatami, a breathable bed base, a wooden floor or another suitable surface, then folded, aired or stored after use. This flexibility reflects the Japanese tradition of allowing one room to serve many purposes.
