Site Products
100th Anniversary of the Birth of Hikosuke Tamasu - The founder of Butterfly

100th Anniversary of the Birth of Hikosuke Tamasu – The founder of Butterfly

Posted on

Hikosuke Tamasu was born exactly one hundred years ago on August 20, 1920, in Yanai, Japan, as the eldest son of the Tamasu family.

Hikosuke began to devote himself to table tennis, a sport for which there were few competitors at the time. Later, as he further honed his skills, he won prizes in all events at the All Japan Table Tennis Championships.

His passion for table tennis did not stop even after his career as a player had ended, therefore in 1950 he established Tamasu Co. Ltd. in order to create table tennis equipment. His pioneering activities went beyond the bounds of being a simple equipment manufacturer.

These ventures included developing in-house production of high-quality products, the first issue of the instructional magazine “Table Tennis Report”, and the construction of the training facility “Butterfly Table Tennis Dojo”, which attracted thousands of table tennis players from far and wide.

He passed away in July 2004 after witnessing the exponential growth of the Butterfly brand and the meteoric rise of the sport of table tennis. Goals which he had worked so tirelessly for.

Hikosuke was quoted as saying:
“Players are flowers in the table tennis world, and they are the very enchantment of table tennis; we would like to be butterflies flying around the flowers providing them the essential needs in the table tennis world”

Hikosuke’s passion for the Butterfly brand has been passed on to his successors, even 16 years after his death.

Stay “In The Loop” with Butterfly professional table tennis equipment, table tennis news, table tennis technology, tournament results, and We Are Butterfly players, coaches, clubs and more.

Latest News

WAB CLUB FEATURE: North Texas Table Tennis

January 11, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins) North Texas Table Tennis is a premier table tennis club operating three locations in Plano,… Read More

Amy Wang Chooses Butterfly

January 11, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins) Butterfly America would like to announce the signing of elite American table tennis star, Amy… Read More

A Final Day of Surprises in Doha

January 11, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins) The first WTT Champions series event of the year ended in a flurry Sunday in… Read More

Final Four in Doha

January 10, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins) The first WTT Champions series event of 2026 is down to its final day in… Read More

Huge Crowds, Big Trades & “Reunion Weekend” in Portland

January 8, 2026
(by: Major League Table Tennis) MLTT BRINGS HIGH STAKES TO PORTLAND The second half of the MLTT season… Read More

Early Action in Doha: Dima Over Hugo

January 8, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins) The first WTT Champions series event of 2026 is underway in Doha, with first round… Read More

WAB CLUB FEATURE: New York Table Tennis III

January 4, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins) The New York Table Tennis III facility at 45-19 162nd St. in Flushing, New York… Read More

2025 Tour Rankings: By the Numbers

January 4, 2026
(by Steve Hopkins, photo WTT) Wang Chuqin began 2025 as the top ranked player, about 2500 points ahead… Read More
View All News

Get the latest from Butterfly

Stay “In The Loop” with Butterfly professional table tennis equipment, table tennis news, table tennis technology, tournament results, and We Are Butterfly players, coaches, clubs and more.