Japan’s Tenga wants to create a masturbatory aid for people to use in outer space

Self-pleasuring pioneer plans to launch research rocket to help make it happen.

Like a lot of little boys, Koichi Matsumoto had a deep interest in space. Little Koichi didn’t grow up to be an astronaut or astronomer, though. Instead, he grew up to become the president of Tenga, Japan’s leading maker of male masturbatory aids (and also its strangest fitness goods).

But even as his customers reach for their dongs, Matsumoto is still reaching for the stars, and he’s just announced the Tenga Rocket Project. A joint venture between Tenga and civilian spaceflight company Interstellar Technologies, the project aims to launch a Tenga rocket into space.

▼ “We want to shout love and peace from space” says the promotional image, referencing Tenga’s slogan of “Love, peace, and Tenga.”

The proposed research rocket would fly to an altitude of 100 kilometers (62.1 miles) before drifting back down into the ocean. However, there’s more to the project than the obvious phallic imagery and similarities of a shaft first rising and then falling with a moist splash.

The rocket will contain written messages of the hopes and dreams of 1,000 people, placed inside Tenga-shaped pods for the round-trip into space and back. Also along for the ride into space will be a Tenga Robot figure.

But the most important cargo isn’t just some fun marketing gimmick, but a piece of research equipment that Tenga hopes will be the key to the development of its next-generation self-pleasuring tool: the Space Tenga.

Thinking ahead to the future, Tenga realizes that as mankind ventures into space for longer and longer periods, it won’t be leaving leave its horniness behind on Earth. Because of that, Tenga wants to develop masturbatory aids that are optimized for use in outer space, especially on space stations. To help achieve that goal, the Tenga Rocket will carry a Space Tenga prototype fitted with data measuring devices to see what effects the non-terrestrial environment has on it.

The planners are hoping to raise a portion of the Tenga Rocket Project’s necessary resources through a campaign here on Japanese crowdfunding website Campfire. Backer tiers include rewards such as the Rocket Tenga, pictured below, which is different from the still-in-development Space Tenga.

If all goes well, the Tenga Rocket will launch from Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido sometime this coming summer.

Source: Livedoor News/Engadget via Otakomu, Value Press (1, 2), Tenga, Campfire
Top image: Tenga
Insert images: Campfire
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

Credit: