About Planet Tenyo
Planet Tenyo is a catalog of most of the items in my Tenyo Collection. There are even more items in the Tenyo Universe but I will only be cataloging most of what I have on hand which will be a good representation of what Tenyo has made and sold. The idea of Planet Tenyo is that all of the Tenyo out there comprises the Tenyo Universe. Tenyo Headquarters in Tokyo, Japan is the Sun. Large collectors have planets that revolve around the Sun (e.g. John Mazza’s Planet Tenyo). Medium collectors have Stars and small collectors have Comets.
Index Page a.k.a. The Matrix
From the Index Page you can navigate to any section of Planet Tenyo. The Matrix is the code name for the Index Page of Planet Tenyo. The Matrix name was inspired by the thumbnails on the Index Page cascading down the page as they load.
There are 7 Sections in Planet Tenyo
T-Numbered English Packaged Tenyo Magic Tricks — Every T-Number from T-1 to T-259 from Against Gravity to Zone Infinity
Tenyo +1 Campaign Redemptions a.k.a. Specials — Every +1 Redemption Trick from 1996 to 2014
Specialty Boxed Tenyo Magic — An interesting selection of some of the professional magic effects that Tenyo has sold over the years in Japan
Japanese Only Tenyo Magic — A nice assortment of magic tricks that are only available in Japanese packaging with Japanese instructions and primarily sold in Japan
Disney Tenyo Magic/Items — Some of the many Disney licensed items that Tenyo has made
Non-Magic Tenyo Items — Items other than magic that Tenyo makes and sells
Tenyo Magic Sets — A look at some of the sets that Tenyo has sold
Under Construction
Planet Tenyo is currently in Phase 2 of construction. Phase 1 entailed photographing the items in the collection and creating the index page (The Matrix) and the linking pages with photos. Phase 2 entails adding written information and additional photography on the linking pages. Phase 2 of construction will be an ongoing project.
How to Navigate within Planet Tenyo
Click on the icons on the Planet Tenyo Index Page (The Matrix) to navigate to the linking page that has more information about the trick. On the linking page you will see an enlarged photo, a photo of the back of the package (in most cases), and as Phase 2 progresses, additional information of all types. If you see a magnifying glass icon on an image, then the image can be clicked so you see an enlarged version. This will be the case for many of the package backs so you can read the text and see the illustrations clearly.
In the Matrix, if the trick name is in bold purple then it has recently been updated. If the trick name is bold magenta then the trick is a new addition to Planet Tenyo. Also if you see ↑ or ↓ next to the name of the trick in the Matrix then the price for the trick has been rising or dropping recently.
There are a lot of high quality images used in Planet Tenyo. If you have a slow internet connection and the Index Page (The Matrix) is taking too long to load, then you can use the Planet Tenyo menu which is available on every page of the website. From the Planet Tenyo menu you can jump to the page for any of the seven sections. For the T-Number tricks it is slightly different because there are many pages used for the T-Numbered tricks. So there is a link tor the T-151 to T-160 page and from there you can navigate using “previous” and “next” to make your way through the T-Number pages.
About My Collection
What makes my collection special is that most of the tricks are in very nice packages many of them being sealed. I also have an additional 200 or so opened Tenyo tricks that I play with and perform. Having the opened tricks made it possible to have both the loose trick and the package trick in the primary photo for each item. I have all but three of the T-Numbers and the three that I am missing barely exist either in tangible form or in pictures. Besides the T-Numbers there is a wealth of other Tenyo of all kinds. Another interesting point is that I created the collection rather quickly (just under two years) and for the most part, acquired the items at very good prices. There are still some pieces that I need and others that I would like to upgrade, so the search continues although not as actively. You can see what I am searching for here and if you can help me get one of these, I will be very grateful and will spoil you will Tenyo treasures and or cash.
About My Ratings
My Rating is just my opinion, so keep that in mind. If a link to Focus On Tenyo is present in the Links section for the trick, then you can hyperlink to the Tenyo Magic Forum to see how members there rated the trick. The ratings on the Tenyo Magic Forum are dynamic (members can change their rating and new members of the forum can add theirs) so check back on Focus On Tenyo every so often.
My Rating is based on the trick as it compares with the rest of the Tenyo T-Number Universe and not against magic tricks outside of the Tenyo T-Number Universe.
All of the following is considered when I make My Rating: effect, method, gimmick, reaction, examinability, ease of use, appearance, durability, price, availability, etc.
My goal is to distribute the ratings from 1 to 10. My best/favorite would get a 10 and my worst/least favorite would get a 1. I want to have a balanced distribution from 1 to 10 and not have all my ratings for instance from between 6 and 10. A 5 rating should be an average Tenyo so a 6 is slightly above average. For sure there are plenty of Tenyo that are average or below average so I will not be shy to use numbers from 1-5. For instance I rate Thimble a 1 because it is the least Tenyo like, it comes with very, very limited instructions, and it is merely a plastic Thimble that is very hard to perform. That Thimble in the hand of a master manipulator can be great magic but most of us Tenyophiles are not master manipulators so that is taken into consideration. The point is don’t get so caught up with the numbers, the wording is more important. Most people would consider a 5 out of 10 to be a bad rating but in My Rating Scale it is “good.” You will have to get used to thinking that a 5 is not a bad trick. There are plenty of fives in the Tenyo Universe.
My Rating Scale
One of the Best (10)
Superior (9)
Excellent (8)
Very Good (7)
Pretty Good (6)
Good (5)
OK (4)
Not So Good (3)
Bad (2)
One of the Worst (1)
About Prop Notes
Under the Prop Notes heading you will see information related to the props used to perform the trick.
About Performance Notes
Under the Performance Notes heading you will see information regarding things to keep in mind before and during the performance of the trick.
About Package Notes
Package notes will provide information that is of value to collectors.
About Availability
The availability information is my perception of how often the item is available for sale in a public venue (ebay, magic dealers, magic forums, magic auctions, magic stores, etc.). It is general information and just like pricing, the availability of an item can fluctuate. The availability is based on non-Japanese markets. The tricks that are traditionally sold in Japan (mostly everything on Planet Tenyo other than the T-Numbers) are more available and less expensive in Japan, but it is not easy for English-speaking Tenyophiles to purchase in these markets.
About Pricing Info
Prices are just general estimates. Of course prices fluctuate, rising and falling just like with any other collectible. In general if I give a price for a sealed package you can generally figure that a like new version of the trick in neatly opened package will sell for approximately 75% of the sealed package price and a loose (no package) like new item will sell for approximately 50% of the sealed package price. The ↑ will signify prices on the rise and the ↓ represents price on the decline.
Measurements
I do not provide measurement for the tricks but the squares in the black grid that the tricks are photographed on are 1/2 inch squares. You can use this for general measurements and for determining the general scale of an item.
Definitions
Tenyophile — When the “phile” suffix is added to the end of a word it denotes fondness for that item. A Tenyophile is a person who is fond of Tenyo.
All of the content on Planet Tenyo is copyrighted and it is illegal to use any images/text/content anywhere else for any reason.
I plan to be very proactive and have any of my images/text/content that are being used elsewhere, taken down immediately. Please respect my rights and all of the work that went into making this website and that I am sharing it for free but only to be enjoyed here and here alone.