Butterfly

Butterfly is a globally recognized table tennis brand, founded in 1950 by Hikosuke Tamasu in the small town of Yanai City, Japan​. As a former international table tennis player for Japan, Tamasu transformed his passion for the sport into a thriving business that has become a leading brand in the table tennis industry​.

Butterfly is celebrated for its creativity, durability, and deep technical knowledge, attributes that have propelled the company to success. Over the years, Butterfly has consistently sought out innovative techniques to optimize playing materials, aligning with Tamasu's philosophy that each player is unique, with their own strengths and weaknesses​​. Notable product breakthroughs include the introduction of the Butterfly ALLROUND D 13 and TEMPEST D 13 in 1960 and 1962 respectively, and the SRIVER in 1967, which is one of the most used rubbers worldwide. In 2000, Butterfly launched the BRYCE, heralding a new generation of rubbers and introducing the High Tension system. The company's most recent innovation is the spring sponge, a unique sponge technology, introduced in the 2008 Tenergy series​​.

Since 1983, Butterfly has operated its own training and research center in Tokyo. Here, highly qualified scientists collaborate with world-class players and coaches to advance rubber and blade technology. More than half of the participants at World and European Championships use Butterfly rubbers and blades​​.

The name "Butterfly" was deliberately chosen by Tamasu to symbolize peace, springtime, and joy, values that resonate with his personal experiences and the company's ethos. Butterfly maintains friendly relations with almost every country, a testament to its commitment to friendship and peace​​.

Butterfly's reach extends to Europe through Tamasu Butterfly Europe, which was founded in Moers, Germany in 1973. This affiliate contributes to the company's worldwide success by creating new collections of gear products, tables, and various other table tennis equipment sold globally. The European headquarters recently relocated to a new home in Krefeld-Fichtenhain after over 44 years in Moers​.

Butterfly has a strong commitment to nurturing talent and is associated with some of the most promising young players in Europe, such as Timo Boll and Michael Maze, who have long-term contracts with the company. The brand also supports numerous experienced world-class players, like Zhang Jike, Chuang Chih-Yuan, Tiago Apolonia, Marcos Freitas, and Liu Shiwen, among others​​.

While rubbers and blades are the company's main products, Butterfly also offers a wide range of high-quality equipment, including textiles, accessories, and tables. Living up to its motto, "Quality and service come first", Butterfly is dedicated to providing superior products and services to its customers​.

Despite the declining number of table tennis players globally, Butterfly views the sport as an attractive game for kids and adolescents and is committed to supporting efforts to reverse this trend. This commitment underscores Butterfly's passion for table tennis and its dedication to growing the sport for future generations​.