Butterfly’s Progress in Europe
50th Anniversary of Tamasu Butterfly Europa

Japanese table tennis equipment manufacturer Tamasu Co., Ltd., establishes their first overseas subsidiary in former West Germany in 1973, 50 years ago.

Apart from building a distribution network in Europe, managing industrial property rights was an urgent issue at the time. Therefore, Tamasu Butterfly Europa (commonly known as TBE) was established, named after the surname of the Butterfly's founder Hikosuke Tamasu and the brand name. The business started with director Dr Bela Simon, who worked closely with Hikosuke Tamasu, and another colleague.

Their initial sales area was all over Europe, including the former Soviet Union, and is now expanded to Africa, Arabia, the Middle East, and Central Asia. As well as selling products, they had actively signed contracts with national teams since their establishment, and there was a time when they sponsored all Eastern European countries except Bulgaria and Romania.

This is one of the historical aspects of TBE that we cannot ignore. Since the 1990s, TBE has also supported the activities of many Asian athletes who wished to train in Europe. TBE is a professional group that has contributed to promoting the Butterfly brand in their territory and developing the sport of table tennis as well.

Now 35 staff members work for TBE being in charge of sales in 120 countries/regions, sponsoring numerous tournaments and supporting over 140 athletes. It is needless to say that TBE plays a significant role in today's Butterfly Group and the table tennis community all over the world.

≫Learn more about the history of TBE

• All
• People
• Player
• Tournaments / Events
• Product
• Office

• 1970s
• 1988
• 1988
• 1989
• 1989
• 1989
• 1989
• 1990
• 1992
• 1993
• 1993
• 2001
• 2002
• 2004
• 2004
• 2006
• 2008～2013
• 2010
• 2012
• 2015
• 2015～2022
• 2016
• 2015
• 2016
• 2017
• 2018
• 2018
• 2021

In 1970s. Istvan Jonyer, Gabor Gergely and Tibor Klampar from Hungary; successful players in 1970s and 1980s.

In 1988. Office moves to Moers.

In 1988. Office moves to Moers. Hikosuke Tamasu, the founder of Tamasu Co., Ltd., greets in English at the party for new office construction.

In 1989. A scene from the Youth World Table Tennis Festival in Budapest, Hungary.

In 1989. A scene from the Youth World Table Tennis Festival in Budapest, Hungary.

In 1989. At the ISPO (the largest trade fair for the sports business) in Munich, Germany.

In 1989. Kalinikos Kreanga from Greece signs a contract next to Hideyuki Kamizuru, the representative of TBE.

In 1990. Butterfly Sriver Cup. A tournament with prize money by Butterfly held among top players after the official German Bundesliga season ended for a few years in the 1990s. The higher-ranked players of the season could join for the finals. The event was successful among table tennis fans from small and medium cities and towns.

In 1992. 10 year old Michael Maze with Taisei Imamura from TBE, a day before signing his first Butterfly contract. Our long-term partnership begun at this moment.

In 1993. Leaders from TBE and Tamasu Co., Ltd. to meet.

In 1993. Leaders from TBE and Tamasu Co., Ltd. in a meeting at the office of TBE.

In 2001. At the ISPO (the largest trade fair for the sports business).

In 2002. At the European Championships in Zagreb, Croatia. Four Butterfly Pros dominate the podium in the men's singles. Kalinikos Kreanga, Timo Boll, Zoran Primorac and Werner Schlager (from the left).

In 2004. Signed with Borussia Düsseldorf, one of the best clubs in Europe and 1st in the German Bundesliga. In 2010. Official supplier of Men and Women German national team.

In 2004. Werner Schlager, Michael Maze and Timo Boll appear on the cover of the 04/05 season catalog.

In 2006. Office transfer to a new location in Moers.

In 2016. Sponsor 300 tables for the World Veteran Championships in Alicante, Spain.

In 2017. The sales booth at the World Championships in Dusseldorf.

In 2010. Official supplier of Men and Women German national team.

In 2012. The sales booth at the World Championships in Dortmund.

In 2016. Build a new office in Krefeld. Move from Moers.

Shirts collection sold around 2008-2013.

Shirts collection sold around 2015-2022.

A scene from the Promotion video "All About Tenergy", published in 2015.

A scene from the Promotion video "Butterfly Three Star Ball G40+", published in 2015.

A scene from "Timo Boll's Nightmare"-- the promotion video for the table tennis robots Amicus Series-- published in 2018. The artwork won the prize at the Cannes Corporate Media and TV Awards.

A scene from the photo shoot for the 2018 Catalog.

A scene from "What makes a great table tennis player". This is a promotional video for the Dimitrij Ovtcharov Innerforce ALC and Patrick Franziska Innerforce ZLC blades appeared in 2021.