“The Times We Walked the Same Path:” Japanese Sexdoll Company Bids Its Customers a Fond Farewell

After nearly 50 years, respected manufacturer is finally shutting down

Orient Industry, which many in Japan consider their country’s foremost sexdoll designer and builder, recently posted to its corporate site that it will soon cease operations.

As reported by SoraNews24, what was unique was how the announcement was made, that it demonstrated a touching level of kindness and respect—and in the process possibly negatively impacting their customers’ emotional well-being. A lesson we hope similar manufacturers will take to heart when it comes time to close their doors

Farewell vinyl, hello silicone

Orient Industry was founded in 1977 by Hideo Tsuchiy, who realized the industry could definitely do with some much-needed improvements. Talking to SoraNews24, he explained, “In those days, [the love dolls] didn’t feel good because they were made of vinyl.”

The answer he found lay in alternative materials like silicone, which that same year resulted in the creation of Bisho, which roughly translates as “subtle smile.”

Retailing for what would today be roughly 700 USD, which, despite being a tremendous sum at the time, it quickly became a runaway bestseller—cementing Orient Industry as a highly respected manufacturer within Japan’s synthetic companion community.

Importantly, Orient Industry’s success could also due to how much they respect their customer base

“We would be very happy” 

Citing Hideo Tsuchiy’s declining health, Orient Industry’s press release might, at first glance, seem less than compassionate, though as SoraNews24 points out, there are cultural contexts to consider.

Not only that, but you have to factor in Tsuchiy’s extensive history of seeing his company’s customers not as Yen-signs but as people, noting 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.”

RECOMMENDED READ: Chinese Manufacturer Says Their Synthetic Companions Have ‘Souls”

Putting all this together, it should be apparent why the following moved us—as well as Orient Industry’s fanbase:

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 Orient Industry. In consideration of 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.

More than plastic, more than dolls

Tsuchiya’s far from the only compassionate Japanese synthetic companion manufacturer.  

In fact, a few years ago, we covered how an offshoot of Human Love Doll Factory offered three-tier doll funerals.  The premier of which gives owners an opportunity to view the service in person or via Zoom, full documentation, a set of commemorative photos, and even a piece of the cherished doll to take home. 

Saying goodbye

Mirroring Tsuchiya’s retirement, people who found sexual satisfaction, emotional fulfillment, and meaningful relationships with his company’s artificial companions need—no, deserve to be able to process their grief in a variety of psychologically healthy and life-affirming ways.

Shinto, the Japanese belief that everything is in some way alive, may help explain Tsuchiya and Human Love Doll Factory’s empathy, but what’s needed is a universal approach to acknowledging, respecting, and supporting the bond between artificial companions and their human partners.

How they might come about is anyone’s guess.  That said, as poll after poll continues to reveal, people are steadily growing more open and understanding towards the merging of sex and technology.  

It may eventually lead to a point where artificial companion relationships may be viewed on par with the biological variety.

As the growing prevalence of erotic and romantic chatbots have correspondingly shown, there might be no difference between virtual and physical emotional connections. So when either comes to an end, it could be socially acceptable to bid them goodbye.

Perhaps we might see ceremonies involving unique virtual or real-world rites designed to ease the pain of those left behind and guide the departed on their journey to a bright new afterlife—one where everyone, be they made or born, is welcome.

Image Sources: Depositphotos