Tenyo Logos

Tenyo Logos

The Tenyo Tianyang Logo is the oldest of all the logos used by Tenyo. Along with the “T” and “Y” which represent Tianyang, there is a question mark “?” The Tenyo Tianyang Logo was used by Tenyo Shokyokusai, the founder of the company, when the company sold handmade tricks at small counters in Japanese department stores. The logo was used from the 1930’s through the 1960’s on magic tricks and instructions. In the early years, Tenyo made magic sets which had the tricks packaged individually in cardboard boxes and wrapped in colorful paper with a round Tianyang Logo sticker. An interesting note is that the most modern package using the Tenyo Tianyang Logo was the first variation of the Coin Through Match package. The early Coin Through Match prop, which was in that package, had a gigantic Tenyo Smoking Rabbit Logo embossed on it which was the logo that replaced the Tenyo Tianyang Logo.

The Tenyo Stylized Kanji Logo is used on many of the Japanese packaged tricks both old and new. It was used sometimes in combination with rabbit logos. The stylized characters translate to Tenyo. The Tenyo Stylized Kanji Logo was never used on items packaged to be sold outside of Japan.

The Tenyo Tejina Puzzle Logo is used on tricks sold both inside and outside of Japan. The logo looks like puzzle pieces. The 手 character in the top right translates to “magic” in Japanese and the 品 character translates to “good quality.” The 品 character looks like three “A” characters which looks like Triple A Quality but that is a coincidence. You will see this logo in red, black and green on every English Vintage Blister on Card package in combination with the Tenyo Happy Rabbit logo. The Tenyo Tejina Puzzle Logo was also used on just about every package previous to the English Blister on Card packages, with the only exceptions being specially packaged items like T-41 Fanning Cards, T-94 Nightmare in Color and about another half-dozen tricks. The shape of the logo is always the same but often Tenyo changed up the colors (to accommodate the ink colors used in the printing of the package) before settling on red, green and black.

The Tenyo Tejina Ribbon Logo has the same two characters as the Tenyo Tejina Puzzle Logo however it is presented in different artwork that looks like a ribbon. The artwork looks to be in the style of M. C. Escher with the infinite fold. The Tenyo Tejina Ribbon Logo is only used on tricks sold only in Japan including the specially boxed Tenyo tricks.

The Tenyo Stylized Type Logo is use on most of the modern packages. It first appeared on English packages on T-163 Burglar Ball which was packaged in the Aqua Card in Cello Bag. There was no logo on the Aqua Card but the Tenyo Stylized Type Logo appears on the bottom of the back insert page. Since T-163 almost every Tenyo Magic Trick has had the Tenyo Stylized Type Logo somewhere on the package. The logo also appears as a graphic element on some of the props. At Tenyo Headquarters in Tokyo Japan, there is a large version of this logo on the top of the building. An interesting note is that the Tenyo Stylized Type Logo appeared in the November, 1986 issue of Genii magazine that featured Tenyo but was not used on the English packaging until 1994.

The Tenyo Stylized Type Logo on Shield is used mostly on items sold in Japan. It did appear on English packages from T-196 to T-2000, T-211 and T-223. It also appeared on the back of the English Tenyo Catalogs from 1985 and 2001. You will see the Tenyo Stylized Type Logo on Shield on modern non-magic items like jigsaw puzzles and the hugely successful Nano line of metal models. The shield is usually presented very inconspicuously on the back of the packing.

The Tenyo Smoking Rabbit Logos and the Tenyo Bow Tie Rabbit Logo were used on most packages from T-1 Thimble until T-68 Silk to Egg. The logos above are shown from oldest to newest. You can use this progression to determine how old a trick might me. The logos were also used on Japanese packages. An interesting note is that many of the early props had the Tenyo Smoking Rabbit Logo embossed on them. The Tenyo Bow Tie Rabbit was the predecessor to the Tenyo Happy Rabbit Logo.

The Tenyo Happy Rabbit Logo was first used on T-69 Dynamic Coins (the first Vintage Blister on Card package) and used up until T-162 Credit Slasher (the last Vintage Blister on Card package). The logo was used on every Vintage Blister on Card package in combination with the Tenyo Tejina Puzzle Logo. The Tenyo Tejina Puzzle Logo was on the front and the Tenyo Happy Rabbit was on the back. Besides the Vintage Blister on Card packages the Tenyo Happy Rabbit Logo also appeared on most of the other packages between T-69 and T-162. The Tenyo Happy Rabbit Logo also made appearances on actual T-Number props. T-75 Rabbit in Wallet featured the Tenyo Happy Rabbit Logo on a paddle and supporting cards. T-76 Water Mystery also prominently featured the logo on the paper cups supplied with the trick and T-92 Pendant contain a beautiful pendant with the Tenyo Happy Rabbit Logo on it.

The Tenyo Dapper Rabbit Logo and Tenyo Sitting Bunny Logo were used sparingly. As far as I know they were never used on either English or Japanese packages. The Tenyo Dapper Rabbit Logo was used on instructions and in ads. The only place I have seen the Tenyo Sitting Bunny Logo is on the back of some of the early Tenyo English Catalogs.