Japanese startup for art by people with disabilities

Japanese startup for art by people with disabilities

Fumito Matsuda (2nd from R), co-CEO of Heralbony Co., a Japanese start-up commercializing artwork by people with disabilities, and his elderly brother Shota (4th from R) pose for a photo on June 25, 2025, during their visit to meet Iwate Gov. Takuya Tasso (C) at the Iwate prefectural government office in Morioka in the northeastern Japan prefecture. The brothers visited the office to tell the governor that the company won the Gold prize in the "Glass: The Lion for Change" category of the Cannes Lions Awards.

Japanese startup for art by people with disabilities

Japanese startup for art by people with disabilities

Fumito Matsuda (L), co-CEO of Heralbony Co., a Japanese start-up commercializing artwork by people with disabilities, and his elderly brother Shota pose for a photo on June 25, 2025, during their visit to the Iwate prefectural government office in Morioka in the northeastern Japan prefecture. The two visited the office to tell Iwate Gov. Takuya Tasso that the company won the Gold prize in the "Glass: The Lion for Change" category of the Cannes Lions Awards.

Japanese startup for art by people with disabilities

Japanese startup for art by people with disabilities

Fumito Matsuda (L), co-CEO of Heralbony Co., a Japanese start-up commercializing artwork by people with disabilities, and his elderly brother Shota pose for a photo on June 25, 2025, during their visit to the Iwate prefectural government office in Morioka in the northeastern Japan prefecture. The two visited the office to tell Iwate Gov. Takuya Tasso that the company won the Gold prize in the "Glass: The Lion for Change" category of the Cannes Lions Awards.

Japanese startup for art by people with disabilities

Japanese startup for art by people with disabilities

Fumito Matsuda, co-CEO of Heralbony Co., poses for a photo with artwork created by the disabled in Morioka, Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Jan. 24, 2023. Matsuda established the company to commercialize such works in 2018 with his twin brother Takaya, aiming to support artists with disabilities through business.

Japanese startup for art by people with disabilities

Japanese startup for art by people with disabilities

Fumito Matsuda, co-CEO of Heralbony Co., poses for a photo with artwork created by the disabled in Morioka, Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on Jan. 24, 2023. Matsuda established the company to commercialize such works in 2018 with his twin brother Takaya, aiming to support artists with disabilities through business.

Nippon Startup Awards recipient

Nippon Startup Awards recipient

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (C) poses for a photo along with members of Heralbony Co., which sells artworks created by intellectually disabled people, during a Nippon Startup Awards ceremony held at the premier's office in Tokyo on June 2, 2022. The Iwate Prefecture-based company received a Jury Award.

Company selling artworks created by disabled

Company selling artworks created by disabled

Takaya Matsuda, president of Heralbony Co., poses for a photo in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward on Dec. 26, 2019. His company, based in Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, sells artworks created by intellectually disabled people.

Forum to discuss words related to "disabled"

Forum to discuss words related to "disabled"

Takaya Matsuda, president of Heralbony Co., an Iwate Prefecture-based company selling artworks created by intellectually disabled people, stands beside a bulletin board at the building housing the Japan Federation of Bar Associations in Tokyo on Feb. 25, 2020. A forum was held at the building the same day to discuss the appropriateness of words related to "disabled," with the bulletin board posting a message from the event's organizers, advocating for their usage to be reviewed.