TWT Announces Partnership with Shoei Industries Co.
Photo description: Shoei Industry Co., Ltd. and Takei World Tennis Tour logos
TWT is excited to announce its new partnership with Shoei Industry Co., Ltd. Mr. Hidemasa Isohata (CEO of Shoei Industry Co., Ltd.) was the inventor of the first ever commercially produced blind tennis ball (the Shoei Sound Ball) which he developed in 2011 alongside the founder of Blind Tennis, Miyoshi Takei. Below he talks about his first ever experience of the sport and his initial encounter with Mr. Takei:
“At first, I could not understand how a person with visual impairment could play tennis. Seeing a blind player strike a ball in mid-air for the first time was truly shocking to me.
In the early days, I heard that some people tried putting bells inside the ball, but the sound would stop or become irregular, and it was not easy for players to locate where the ball was. After that, we created an early prototype using a method completely different from the one we use today, and the materials were also different. The sound source was fragile, and because parts were secured with tape, the ball could behave unpredictably. The journey to improve the ball was a long one.
When I first met Mr. Takei, the inventor of Blind Tennis, I was deeply moved by his passionate words:
“We are working hard to spread Blind Tennis around the world, but with the quality of the current ball, even playing a match is a struggle.”
From that moment, I truly felt that I could do something to help—through the ball.
After dozens of prototypes and tests, we finally created a ball we could be satisfied with. We studied the mechanism of how the sound is produced and experimented until we reached a design we believed would work.
In the end, we brought the final three candidate balls into further testing. At the conclusion of the trials, Mr. Takei and I played together on court. I still remember the moment when one of the balls passed the test.
Mr. Hidemasa Isohata - CEO of Shoei Industry Co., Ltd., surrounded by Shoei Blind Tennis Balls
Perhaps I was overwhelmed by Mr. Takei’s power and presence, but I fell backwards during play. In my back pocket was my wallet, and I ended up cracking all the cards inside it—leaving my muscles aching. It was an unforgettable incident.
After playing, I saw the smiles of the other players. On another day, I was also deeply impressed by the smiles of children who showed me their practice and matches.
I was genuinely moved that our company had been able to create this ball. When Mr. Takei told me, “This ball will spread across the world,” I felt truly happy.
Since then, for more than ten years, we have continued supplying the ball without interruption, while steadily improving the materials, manufacturing, and processes.
It brings me great joy to know that many people with visual impairments around the world use the balls we make and that these balls bring smiles to so many.”
The Shoei Blind Tennis Balls have been used by thousands of blind and visually impaired tennis players for over three decades and continue to be used in hundreds of tournaments across the globe. TWT is incredibly proud to have the generous support of Mr. Hidemasa Isohata and use the Shoei Blind Tennis Balls as the Official Ball on our Tour.
“This ball will spread across the world”
