Volume 1: Passion for Craftsmanship (Monozukuri)

Q: You launched the first TENGA in 2005. Could you tell us about your background prior to that?

Koichi Matsumoto: Ever since I was a child, I loved making things—I was always crafting something. I wanted to become an artisan or engineer, and by elementary school, I already had a clear desire to work with cars.

After graduating from technical college, I joined an automotive company to fulfill that dream. My first job was at a tuning car repair and sales company handling supercars like Ferraris and Lamborghinis.

Although the work was fulfilling, the collapse of Japan’s bubble economy forced me to leave. I lost my home, so through an architect client I knew, I got a job installing exterior walls. I managed to survive while sleeping in my car. Later, after returning to imported car maintenance, I transitioned to a company specializing in classic car restoration and sales.

Q: What were your daily responsibilities there?

Matsumoto: We would disassemble classic cars down to every individual part and rebuild them from scratch into a complete vehicle. We consulted with each customer to build the car in the exact form they desired. Upon delivery, customers were always profoundly grateful, and that brought me joy from the bottom of my heart.

Creating something with my own hands, having it reach a customer, and seeing their genuine happiness—that simple joy of craftsmanship was something I deeply internalized during this period. I realized: "This is remarkably meaningful work," and discovered the thrill of bringing value to people.

Q: Through classic car restoration, you learned the essence of craftsmanship.

Matsumoto: Exactly. I spent about 12 years as an auto mechanic, and what I gained during that decade was huge. Beyond the joy of pleasing people, I also learned firsthand that sexual desire is a fundamental, deeply essential human drive.

The classic car company I worked for towards the end was in poor financial health. For the latter half of my time there, I barely received a salary and couldn't pay rent for over six months. Yet, wanting to make my customers happy, I worked desperately hard.

Looking back, people might think I was foolish, but I wouldn't be here today without that period. Pushed to my physical and financial limits, when I confronted my core self, I realized how fundamentally vital basic human drives—like appetite and sexual desire—truly are.

Q: That combination of passion for craftsmanship and realization about human desire led to TENGA.

Matsumoto: After various hardships and setbacks, I returned to my hometown in Shizuoka and took a job in used car sales. I still remember the joy of receiving a paycheck after so long. Leveraging my years of mechanic experience, I ranked #1 in sales every single month for three years. Having lived frugally for so long, I was able to pay off my debts and start saving money.

However, as my life stabilized, an overwhelming urge to create something new began welling up inside me. There was no logic to it.

The desire to "create a new product that doesn't exist yet in the world" grew larger every day. It became an urgent conviction: "If I don't move now, if I don't build it now, I never will." I made up my mind: I was going to create something brand new and deliver it to the world.

Volume 2: The Lonely Road of Developing TENGA

Q: In Volume 1, you decided to embark on manufacturing. Did you have the idea of "making cool adult products" right from the start?

Matsumoto: At first, nothing was decided. On my days off, I visited all kinds of retail stores, simply studying products. I walked through consumer electronics megastores, home improvement centers, auto parts shops—everywhere.

The products I saw were high-performing, beautifully designed, and built with extraordinary quality. Most importantly, I felt a strong intent behind them: a clear message of what the product wanted to achieve, who it wanted to make happy, and whose life it aimed to enrich.

After six months of doing this, I walked into a local adult shop one day. The moment I entered the small adult novelty corner in the back, I felt an intense sense of cognitive dissonance.

Q: What kind of dissonance?

Matsumoto: In electronics stores, every product clearly displays its manufacturer name and technical specifications. The branding is distinct, and the design is refined and approachable.

In that adult shop, however, it was completely different. You could see a price tag, but no manufacturer name. Some products had no contact details, no website URL, not even a barcode. In general consumer products, that is unthinkable. It felt as though products were made under the assumption that no one would take responsibility for them. You couldn't use them with peace of mind.

Furthermore, the packaging was covered in explicit illustrations of nude women or young girls, and many items featured overtly graphic anatomical shapes. They were shouting a message loud and clear: "Masturbation is vulgar, obscene, and shady." When I saw that, I thought: "This is completely wrong." Masturbation is a natural, normal act that virtually everyone engages in. Degrading it into something shameful made no sense.

Right then, I made my decision: "This responds to a fundamental human need, so it ought to be offered as a standard consumer product. If no adult product exists in the world as a standard consumer item, I will make it myself." I resolved to create something anyone could buy without shame or guilt—a product that was positive, open, safe, and cool. That whole realization happened within 15 minutes of stepping into that shop.

Q: So it all started from that moment of friction in the adult store.

Matsumoto: When I researched the adult novelty market, surveys showed that 1 in 10 men bought or rented adult videos, and of those, only 1 in 10 bought adult products. That meant only 1 out of every 100 men was buying products. But my immediate thought was: "That means the remaining 99% of the market is wide open."

Automakers and appliance manufacturers compete fiercely, filling every shelf. In contrast, the adult product market was completely untouched—it looked like vast, unplowed, pioneer territory. I didn't want to compete with existing adult novelties; I decided to create a completely new genre: adult items as mainstream consumer goods.

Q: Did you start development while keeping your job in used car sales?

Matsumoto: I quit my job, took my 10 million yen in savings, and began developing on my own. Starting the day after I resigned, I woke up at 6:00 AM and worked until 2:00 AM every single day.

I had to create something new. If I didn't do it now, it would be too late. I had no idea where to start, but I pushed forward with everything I had. It was an intense obsession.

First, I bought every male novelty item on the market—two of each: one to try, one to disassemble. I wrote down every single flaw and improvement point, as well as everything I wanted to achieve: safety, ease of use, superior tactile feel. I decided to make a single product that realized every single improvement on that list.

From there, I made prototype after prototype. Some ideas came from everyday objects. For instance, the flexible Squeeze Tube Cup, where you can manually adjust grip pressure, was inspired by a squeeze bottle from a 100-yen store. The Rolling Head Cup, which massages as you twist it, was inspired by the shape of a toy squeaky hammer. In fact, the very first prototype used part of a 100-yen squeaky hammer.

In product development, even if a prototype takes a month to build, if it feels wrong when tested, it gets scrapped. You build it yourself, and you reject it yourself. That was emotionally grueling. But I realized that buried inside those failed prototypes were valuable clues.

Q: What kept you going during that solitary development period?

Matsumoto: Because I was fiercely determined that "I must make this now" and "I will pour everything into finishing this," I didn't take any side jobs. Developing without an income was extremely tough. Waking up with no office to go to, no feedback from anyone, not knowing if I was making progress or going in circles.

After about a year and a half, I reached my physical, financial, and mental limits. As I wrestled with whether to give up and re-enter normal society, I reached a conclusion: "It's only called a failure if you stop halfway. If you keep going until you succeed, it's not a failure." Looking back, I simply stopped giving myself an exit.

From that point, the tide began to turn. I earned an opportunity to present to a distribution company. Shifting to a relentlessly positive mindset when pushed to the brink was crucial. For the next year and a half, I prepared tirelessly for the launch. In 2005, I founded the company, and on July 7, 2005, we launched the first 5 TENGA Cup models.

Volume 3: The Birth of TENGA and the Future

Q: In Volume 2, we covered the journey up to the launch. What was the reaction after releasing the Cup Series?

Matsumoto: The first items we launched were the five red Cup models (the Standard Series). Back then, in the adult novelty industry, selling 5,000 units a month was considered a massive hit. TENGA sold 1 million units in its very first year.

Furthermore, typical adult novelties back then only sold well for the first 3 months—6 months at most. Manufacturers churned out short-lived products continually, frequently changing the box art while keeping the internals identical.

As a result, product lifespans were brief and turnover was chaotic. But what I wanted to create was something like Coca-Cola: a timeless staple that people love for decades and integrate into their everyday lifestyle.

Q: Beyond the Standard Series, how did you expand the lineup?

Matsumoto: My goal was to create a lineup where people could select products based on their personal preferences. Next, we introduced the Hard and Soft variations.

Just like toothbrushes come in hard, soft, and regular, or beer comes in dry, light, and regular, TENGA should offer a Hard type for stronger stimulation and a Soft type for a gentle feel.

I was confident in the Hard type, but hesitant about the Soft type. Then I received an email from a customer saying, "It finishes too quickly for me, so I want something I can enjoy more slowly." That customer feedback gave me the confidence to launch it. Being able to choose according to personal preference is standard in consumer products, and since TENGA interacts directly with the body, choice was essential.

Q: What is most crucial when designing a product?

Matsumoto: People often tell me, "It succeeded because the design was so stylish." I love the design and I'm proud of it, but product design must be the physical embodiment of your conviction and philosophy. We pursued a product that allows everyone to enjoy sexuality positively and openly without shame—and that pursuit naturally resulted in this design. What matters most in manufacturing is the core intention and belief you pour into it.

Q: Why do you continue to release such a wide variety of items?

Matsumoto: TENGA operates under the vision to "Enrich the sexual lives of people worldwide and bring happiness to humanity." To establish this new genre, we must continuously propose new ideas to society.

In mature markets like appliances, every niche is filled. But sexual wellness as a legitimate consumer genre is still vast, unplowed land. Proposing new value through innovative products is how we solidify this category.

Q: What does it mean to "provide new value through products"?

Matsumoto: When I was a child, dedicated facial soap didn't exist. When the first facial soap was released, people said: "Soap just for the face? Isn't regular soap fine?" But once people tried it, it was fantastic, and it spread everywhere. Something that didn't exist is created, proves useful, and elevates daily life—that is the moment new value is born.

That is what I aim for. Every product we release is built with the desire to offer new value, enrich lives, and bring happiness.

If a product isn't infused with genuine conviction, it won't resonate. When we opened TENGA STORE TOKYO, we gained our first direct touchpoint with customers. Serving customers there for a year reinforced this truth: when you communicate with complete sincerity—who this was made for, how it's meant to be enjoyed, and the passion behind it—that's when empathy is born. Once customers feel that resonance and see the product lives up to the promise, they choose to buy it.

By continuously putting out sincere products, our lineup has grown to over 100 items, bringing us to our 15th anniversary thanks to our community's trust.

Q: What is TENGA striving for in the future?

Matsumoto: Behind TENGA’s mission to "Bring sexuality into the open and transform it into something everyone can enjoy," lies a fundamental principle: human beings honoring each other's right to live authentically and enjoying life together. It means enjoying yourself as you are while ensuring you never harm or cause trouble for others. It all comes down to mutual care and consideration.

We will continue to treasure human sexual desire as a fundamental drive, treasure freedom, and treasure enjoying life together.

As encapsulated in our core philosophy—"Love, Freedom, and TENGA"—we strive for a world where people care for one another, honor each other's freedom, and celebrate love.