Souzoku

What Souzoku does

Souzoku (仙台相続の窓口 / 仙台 Inheritance Window), operated by the Aoba-no-Mori Group (あおばの杜グループ), is a Sendai-headquartered Japanese professional services firm specializing in inheritance, estate settlement, and lifetime planning. Founded in 2012 and led by representative Hideyuki Takahashi (高橋英之), the firm fields 30+ staff including multiple licensed judicial scriveners (司法書士) and administrative scriveners (行政書士), organized across three legal entities (judicial scrivener corporation, administrative scrivener corporation, and operating company 株式会社あおばの杜) and operating from offices in Sendai and Tokyo.

Service offerings are organized as tiered fixed-fee plans covering inheritance registration (from ¥143,000), complete procedure plans combining real estate and financial asset settlement (from ¥220,000), full estate settlement under the 'まるごと' product at 1.1% of estate value (minimum ¥495,000), estate renunciation support (¥44,000-88,000), will creation (¥220,000-440,000 based on estate value), and family trust design (from ¥330,000, tiered down to 0.11% above ¥1B). Adjacent modules include adult guardianship, business succession, pre-death planning, and various licensing and registration services.

The go-to-market is sales-led and direct-to-consumer: free initial consultations, 90-minute in-person or Zoom sessions, Saturday availability, and a toll-free intake line (0120-31-9959). Acquisition channels center on the firm's SEO-optimized Japanese website, YouTube channel, free seminars, and Google reviews, with a primary customer base of Miyagi Prefecture individual/family clients handling post-death procedures or pre-death planning. The firm handles 700+ consultations annually, coordinates with reciprocal local partners (tax accountants, lawyers, land/housing investigators, social insurance labor consultants) for one-stop delivery, and serves remote clients via mail-based execution. It has been recognized as a 健康経営優良法人 2024 (Excellent Health Management Corporation) by the Japan Health Conference.

Name

Souzoku

Legal name

仙台相続の窓口（ あおばの杜グループ）

Website

https://aoba-souzoku.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Souzoku is a Sendai-headquartered Japanese succession and estate planning firm (Aoba-no-Mori Group) providing fixed-fee inheritance registration, will creation, family trust, and estate settlement services to 700+ individual/family clients annually across Miyagi Prefecture and remote Japan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Estate Planning and Inheritance Legal Services

NAICS

Trusts, Estates, and Agency Accounts (52592), Title Abstract and Settlement Offices (541191)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Estate Administration & Probate Services (FSAAANAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Estate & Probate Administration Services (FSAEAKAD)

Keywords

• Inheritance legal services
• Estate planning
• Judicial scrivener services
• Will creation support
• Family trust design

Headquarters

HQ city

Sendai

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Professional Services - Fixed-Fee Legal Services: Professional services firm charging fixed fees for each discrete legal/administrative service. Services include estate registration (inheritance transfer/登记), estate renunciation support, will creation, family trust design, and comprehensive estate settlement. Fees are determined by service type and complexity (e.g., number of properties, estate value, number of heirs). Additional per-item charges apply for excess documents, additional properties beyond plan limits, or complexity factors. The firm also offers a comprehensive 'まるごと' (full-service) package billed as a percentage of total estate value (1.1%+) with a minimum of 495,000 yen.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Souzoku (仙台相続の窓口), operated by the Aoba-no-Mori Group, is a Sendai-headquartered legal services firm specializing in inheritance and estate planning. It sells fixed-fee service plans covering inheritance registration (property title transfer), estate settlement for savings and securities, full estate settlement packages, inheritance renunciation support, will creation, and family trust design. Services are delivered by licensed judicial scriveners and administrative scriveners through in-person, phone, Zoom, and mail-based consultations, with one-stop coordination across external tax, legal, real estate, and HR specialists.

Product overview

Souzoku (仙台相続の窓口) operated by あおばの杜グループ is a legal services firm providing inheritance and estate planning services through a portfolio of specialized service plans. The core offerings include: 相続登記プラン (Inheritance Registration Plan) starting at ¥143,000 for real estate name changes; 相続手続一式プラン (Complete Procedure Plan) starting at ¥220,000 combining real estate and financial asset procedures; 相続手続まるごとサポートプラン (Full Support Plan) at 1.1% of estate value (min ¥495,000) for complete estate settlement; 相続放棄サポートプラン (Renunciation Support) at ¥44,000-¥88,000; 遺言作成サポートプラン (Will Creation) at ¥220,000-¥440,000; and 家族信託設計サポート (Family Trust Design) starting at ¥330,000. These services are delivered by licensed judicial scriveners and administrative scriveners through offices in Sendai and Tokyo, offering in-person, phone, online (Zoom), and LINE-based consultations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Inheritance Registration Plan (相続登記プラン / 不動産のみ) Real estate inheritance registration service handling property name change procedures. Includes genealogical document collection, inheritance relationship diagram creation, estate division agreement drafting, and inheritance registration application filing. Starting price ¥143,000, with Light Plan variant at ¥66,000 for simple single-municipality, two-property, under-¥20M, single-heir cases.
• Estate Procedure Complete Plan (相続手続一式プラン) Complete inheritance procedure service combining real estate name change with savings and securities liquidation procedures, designed for estates under ¥20M. Starting price ¥220,000, covering up to 4 heirs and 1 financial institution closure with additional financial institutions at ¥55,000 each.
• Full-Support Estate Settlement Plan (相続手続まるごとサポートプラン / 遺産整理業務) Full estate settlement service handling all inheritance procedures including property, financial assets, securities, life insurance claims, and distribution to heirs. Fees are 1.1% of total estate value with a ¥495,000 minimum. Includes property investigation, estate division, inheritance registration, securities transfer, life insurance claims, distribution to heirs, tax filing advice, property sale/management advice, and secondary succession planning.
• Inheritance Renunciation Support Plan (相続放棄サポートプラン) Inheritance renunciation support service for cases where heirs wish to refuse inheritance of an estate, particularly when debt is involved. Includes advice, genealogical document collection, petition drafting and submission, guidance on court questionnaire responses, and certificate acquisition. Pricing is ¥44,000 for cases handled within the 3-month deadline and ¥88,000 for cases past the deadline, with additional charges for additional persons, creditor notifications, or cases near deadline.
• Will Creation Support Plan (遺言作成サポートプラン) Will creation support service including current state review, advisory proposal, property investigation, genealogical documents, will content advice, witness arrangement, and notarized will execution at notary office. Asset-based pricing: estates under ¥20M at ¥220,000, ¥20M-¥100M at ¥330,000, over ¥100M at ¥440,000. Note: the website listing shows a starting price of ¥55,000.
• Family Trust Design Support (家族信託設計サポート / 民事信託) Family trust (民事信託) design service with consulting for trust scheme planning, beneficiary investigation, property assessment, and tax coordination. Fee tiers by trust asset value: 1.1% for assets up to ¥100M (minimum ¥330,000), 0.55% for ¥100M-¥300M, 0.33% for ¥300M-¥500M, 0.22% for ¥500M-¥1B, 0.11% above ¥1B. Trust contract creation ¥110,000/contract and trust registration ¥165,000/application. Website listing shows a starting consultation price of ¥330,000.
• Comprehensive Pre-Death Planning Service (生前対策まるごとサービス) Comprehensive pre-death planning service covering wills, voluntary guardianship, post-mortem affairs (死後事務委任), life insurance arrangements, and real estate sales advice. Designed for clients who want to organize lifetime planning measures holistically before death.
• Business Succession Support Service (事業承継サポートサービス) Business succession support service for SME owners, covering corporate stock inheritance and business continuity planning, including class share arrangements and coordination with social insurance labor consultants on employee benefits and pensions.
• Property and Commercial Registration Services (不動産登記・商業登記業務) Property registration and commercial registration services covering real estate and corporate filings, provided by the firm's judicial scriveners and administrative scriveners.
• Various Licensing and Permit Services (各種許認可業務) Licensing and permit services for construction, medical corporations, NPOs, and other business types requiring government permits, handled by the firm's administrative scriveners.

Quantifiable outcome

• 700+ annual inheritance and will consultations handled
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Local Tax Accountants (税理士)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerFormal coordination partnerships with local Miyagi-based tax accountants. Tax specialists are introduced to clients requiring inheritance tax filing services and consulted on family trust tax matters. Critical for providing comprehensive one-stop succession services, as the firm handles legal/administrative matters while tax filings require licensed tax professional involvement.
• Lawyers (弁護士)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerReferral and coordination relationships with Miyagi-based lawyers for cases involving litigation, complex legal disputes among heirs, or matters requiring legal representation. The firm coordinates on inheritance disputes that may require court mediation or litigation support.
• Land and Housing Investigators (土地家屋調査士)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartnerships with land and housing investigators for boundary dispute resolution, property surveys, and real estate-related investigation needed in complex estate cases involving land with unclear boundaries. Essential for accurate property valuation and dispute resolution in succession.
• Social Insurance and Labor Consultants (社会保険労務士)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartnerships with social insurance labor consultants for employee benefits and pension-related matters in estate cases, particularly for business owners succession scenarios. Provides integrated support for business succession involving both corporate and personal estate matters.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• 三井住友信託銀行 (Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank): Japan's largest trust bank, providing inheritance administration, trust, and estate settlement services as part of its private banking franchise. Overlaps with Souzoku's full estate-settlement and family-trust offerings at higher-net-worth bracket and far larger scale.
• ベリーベスト法律事務所 (Verybest Law Offices): Major full-service Japanese law firm with a dedicated inheritance and estate practice. Competes with Souzoku on complex succession and family-trust work but at significantly larger scale and broader geographic footprint.

Others

• 日本法令 (Horei): Long-established Japanese legal information and forms publisher, including succession and inheritance document templates. Enables DIY filings that compete with Souzoku's entry-tier registration plans, particularly under the 2024 mandatory inheritance-registration rule.

Direct peers

• そうぞくドットコム (Nature Group / Sozoku.com): National Japanese succession-support platform combining scrivener, tax, and legal referrals. Operates the largest online direct-to-consumer inheritance funnel in Japan and is the closest nationwide direct competitor to Souzoku's one-stop succession offering.

Emerging players

• 弁護士ドットコム (Bengo4.com / Bengososhiki): TSE-listed legal services marketplace offering inheritance-lawyer matching, fixed-fee legal services, and online consultation. Direct overlap in the inheritance-advice funnel; competes primarily via digital lead capture rather than in-person scrivener execution.
• LegalForce: Japanese legaltech company automating contract review and document drafting for in-house legal teams. Adjacent rather than direct: its contract automation technology could one day commoditize portions of routine scrivener document preparation if applied to inheritance filings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@aobanomori/videos
• Xx.com/sendai_souzoku

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Souzoku