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Japan’s premier love doll maker is closing, says goodbye to fans with heartfelt message

Casey Baseel Aug 24, 2024
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Orient Industry shows that in Japan, the customer is always supposed to be appreciated and respected.

It’s nice to believe that, in this world, the supply of love is infinite and eternal, produced in the hearts of those who’ve found someone to care for. However, the supply of love dolls is limited, and about to get more so with the sudden announcement from Orient Industry, Japan’s most prodigious and prestigious love doll maker, that it’s closing down.

Headquartered in Tokyo’s Asakusa neighborhood, Orient Industry was founded by Hideo Tsuchiya, who was initially employed by a moving company. After that, he worked for a period in the mizu shobai industry, a broad term for adult entertainment businesses such as hostess bars, strip clubs, and erotic massage parlors, until a former coworker from his moving company days invited him to work at his adult toy shop in Tokyo’s Shinjuku neighborhood. “In those days, [the love dolls] didn’t feel good because they were made of vinyl,” recalls Tsuchiya, which prompted him to set up his own love doll manufacturing company, Orient Industry, in 1977.

Experimenting with softer materials, when Orient Industry’s first product, a love doll called “Bisho” (meaning “subtle smile”) was released in 1977, it was priced at 38,000 yen. For context, at that time in Japan the average starting annual salary for four-year college graduates was 97,000 yen, meaning that the Bisho cost nearly five months’ worth of white-collar wages. Nevertheless, it was a commercial success, and as the years went by Orient Industry developed a reputation for high quality, silicone-based designs, even opening a gallery/showroom for their products in Tokyo’s Ueno district.

But now Orient Industry’s 47-year history is reaching its climax, which is coming with little advance notice and is to be followed by peaceful rest. On August 21, the company posted a statement on its official website saying

“This is sudden, but, our founder, Hideo Tsuchiya, who has been leading our company, Orient Industry, for many years, has made the decision to retire and prioritize his health. We would like to take this moment to express our sincere gratitude to all of our customers and partners who have believed in and supported Oriental Industry. In consideration our owner’s health condition and out of respect to his wishes, the company has decided to cease operations. If you are able to keep the times we were able to be a part of your life, and the times we walked the same path, in your memories, we would be very happy.”

Some might argue that’s a needlessly flowery way of saying “Hey, thanks for buying our hump dolls!”, but remember, this is Japan, where customers should always be treated in a way that reflects the company’s appreciation and respect. And while male horniness is, without question, the firm foundation that Orient Industry built its business on, that doesn’t mean the company didn’t care about its customers. In a 2015 interview, Tsuchiya spoke of how his company’s goals included providing comfort for widowers or couples where the wife, due to physical ailments or other reasons, could not engage in intercourse. He acknowledged that while Japan’s mizu shobai industry is robust, some men with no other outlet for their urges may feel uncomfortable paying another person for such services. In addition to being a showroom for the company’s products, the Ueno showroom also has a counseling desk for interested but inexperienced customers looking for accurate information about love dolls from a non-judgmental source.

So with all that in mind, maybe it’s not so strange after all that in its closure announcement, Orient Industry goes on to say “We wish you all the best and continued health and happiness.”

No specific information regarding Tsuchiya’s health condition has been provided, but in the 2015 interview he gave his age as 70 years old, meaning that he either has or will be turning 80 this year, so it could be that rather than suffering from any particular ailment, he’s simply ready to retire and enjoy a more relaxed, restful lifestyle.

Orient Industry has already stopped taking orders for new silicone head and body love doll parts. It’s Ueno showroom will close on September 20, and its factory, along with all remaining business operations, will shut down on October 20.

Source: Orient Industry, Livedoor News/Wadaijin
Top image: Pakutaso
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