Tiger’s founder, Takenori Kikuchi, initially spent three years training at Yamatomi Shoten, a company that manufactured and exported vacuum bottles. He then spent four and a half years as a contractor for the company, assembling and selling medium-sized bottles and cases they provided. Finally, on February 3, 1923, he established Torajirushi (Tiger) Vacuum Bottle Company. Aged 27 at the time, Takenori had his mother and sister travel from his hometown to help and added a young live-in employee, thus beginning production and sales with just four staff.

Vacuum bottles at the time had a reputation for being expensive and easy to break. About 90% of the bottles produced in Japan were exported to China, Southeast Asia, and other foreign countries instead of being sold locally. Takenori recognized the latent potential in the Japanese market. However, even before becoming an independent manufacturer, he knew the demand for these bottles would eventually disappear unless their quality improved.

He believed that “as a creator of products, we must produce objects that are appreciated and loved by our customers.” A vacuum bottle that breaks easily would not become a well-loved product, even if it makes customers happy when they first buy it.

Takenori, therefore, took on the long-neglected challenge of developing a new product that would overcome the fragility of vacuum bottles.

Although there was a growing number of inner bottle manufacturers at the time, Takenori partnered with Yuge Glass and Higaki Glass, known for their shatter-resistant products. He also developed a unique structure that protected the inner bottle from shocks by cushioning it with cardboard between the case and the inner bottle.

To differentiate the product from the round bottles of the time, he made it oval-shaped. The metal outside casing was procured from Yamanaka Kinzoku and Yoshitani Kinzoku, which boasted the highest quality metals at the time. Although tin plating was a commonly-used material, it was also prone to corrosion. Therefore, Takenori used brass for the shoulders and bottom and zinc plating for the body to prevent this.

Takenori’s strong beliefs about his products, along with his dedication as a developer who could envision his customers’ actual lives, all led to him making these improvements to durability.

As a finishing touch, he wrapped the exterior in black imitation leather and fitted it with a black strap. The Oval-Shaped Vacuum Bottle was launched in 1923, the same year our company was founded. The bottle’s black design was fresh and stood out compared to the typical brown-colored bottles of the time.

At the time, Tiger did not have the budget to advertise its products in newspapers or by using flyers. So instead, Takenori created his own paper advertisements he handed out from a rear-drawn cart, with the phrase “Tiger Vacuum Bottles are Five Times Stronger” in the center and “Five Times Stronger,” “Never Rusts,” “Made of Hardened Glass,” and “Resilient Design” on both sides. The price tags also had illustrations depicting a tiger in the company’s style at the time and everyday scenes featuring the bottles, along with text saying, “ice-cold water in summer, hot water in winter.” He also had the groundbreaking idea of providing a guarantee: If the inner bottles broke, he would replace it for one-third of the purchase price.

During this time, Takenori would wake at 6:00 a.m. and start assembling the products alone. He would start visiting customers from 8:00 a.m., transporting the products on his cart. He would also travel as far as Kobe and Kyoto, returning with his empty cart and taking new orders along the way. After returning home and eating dinner, Takenori would continue working alone until midnight.

The retail value of the three-cup capacity (540 cc) Oval-Shaped Vacuum Bottle was ¥1.20 to ¥1.30, a high price compared to other companies' products for export, which were being sold at around ¥0.8.

Nevertheless, the product’s design, quality, and after-sales service attracted attention, and the Oval-Shaped Bottle saw rapid sales. Just six months after its launch, Tiger had captured 70% of the market between Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe.

In June 1923, Takenori moved to Tokyo. He was confident that he had made a good product and that if people knew about it, it would sell. However, he was continually turned away due to the more conservative temperament of local shopkeepers, who were reluctant to change suppliers. After being turned down by 50 stores in his first week, one store, called Toyama Shoten, finally agreed to take 100 bottles.

Takenori had gradually increased his clients in Tokyo thanks to new connections he made through Toyama Shoten. But, on September 1, 1923, a massive magnitude 7.9 earthquake, known as the Great Kanto Earthquake, hit the region. The earthquake cut off communications, transportation, gas, water, and electric systems. It was Japan’s worst natural disaster, with 105,000 people killed or missing.

However, this tragedy created an unexpected opportunity for our company. Toyama Shoten had introduced Takenori to a company selling vacuum bottles called Oshima Shoten. The company had vacuum bottles from many manufacturers in its warehouse, but only Tiger’s Oval-Shaped bottles—of which there were 100 in stock—made it through the earthquake unbroken.

This news quickly spread throughout the industry, and orders poured in from hardware wholesalers and medical equipment stores all over Tokyo. At a time when word of mouth was a major source of publicity, this produced a rapid increase in market share.

Three years later, Tiger dominated 85% of the Tokyo market and soon began expanding into Kyushu. Takenori’s hopes for the Tokyo market had blossomed into a great success for Tiger, thanks to his persistence.

After the launch of the first electric rice warmer, the first electronic rice cooker was released the following year. The product was an instant hit and became a bestseller. The “Takitate” brand of rice cookers released in this year continues to be used even now, 50 years later, and provides a helping hand in daily life.

Electric kettles that were popular in Europe arrived in Japan in the early 2000s. Foreign brands dominated the market in the beginning, but domestic manufacturers soon began to develop their own products.

The popularity of electric kettles in Japan has increased over the years as nuclear families have fewer household members, in addition to a desire to conserve energy. As a result, we predicted that consumers would increasingly switch from electric pots that focus on retaining heat, to electric kettles which rapidly boil only the amount of water needed. We also believed the separation in use between these products would continue.

When we tested the products that foreign manufacturers were selling in Japan, we noticed several downsides. As an example, since their bodies were made of a single layer of plastic or stainless steel, they often smelled like plastic and their outer bodies were hot to the touch. We realized there was room for improvement and also knew that we had to differentiate ourselves from other domestic manufacturers.

We aimed to introduce a product that quickly boiled water—which we believed was the most significant benefit behind electric kettle sales. We also wanted to utilize our accumulated expertise in electric pot safety to create a product that would attract both new and existing users of electric kettles.

In 2006, two years before we launched our first electric kettle, we created a teapot-shaped electric kettle prototype called the PFV-A. Its double wall structure featured a stainless-steel inner container and an outer plastic body. This design made it highly durable while preventing the case and handle from getting hot and making it easy to keep clean. However, it was never mass-produced because its shape required it to be tilted more than 90 degrees to pour out all the water. It was also heavy, making it difficult to use.

We were determined our next attempt would reach the product stage.

We decided to retain the basic structure of the PFV-A and used the double wall structure that used stainless steel for the inner container. We also changed it to be cylindrical, not teapot-shaped, to enable all the water to be poured out at a 90-degree angle. Finally for its weight, we sought to find a balance between being lightweight while still maintaining the functionality we were aiming for.

Foreign-manufactured products that dominated the market at the time allowed boiling water to spill out if they tipped over. We developed a structure that prevented this issue, creating differentiation with foreign and domestic manufacturers. With this design, if the kettle falls over, the internal pressure applied to the lid closes the safety lock valve, preventing water from spilling out. Although it was costly, this structure was an essential part of electric pots, which can be said to be the origin of our electric kettles. As a company that had long sold electric pots, it was a point that Tiger could not compromise on.

We also decided to improve the stainless steel used on the inner container. The grade used in other electric kettles did not pass our internal testing, so we decided to use the same grade used in our electric pots.

Since kettles are a daily-use item, we also focused on ease of use. Some examples of the ingenuity we incorporated include a dispense lock button, enabling the kettle to be locked with just a touch. We also included a one push removable lid.

Its double wall structure with different materials for the inner container and outer body, and a lid with a highly functional, convenient design, made it entirely different from the foreign-manufactured electric kettles that dominated the market at the time.

Our first electric kettle was produced at a factory in China. Unfortunately, the start date for mass production was delayed significantly from the original schedule to August 8, 2008. As a coincidence, this was the opening day of the Beijing Olympics. It was also the first Olympics in China, and the opening ceremony began at 8:00 p.m. Although we were eager to catch up with the delays as much as possible, we asked local employees to leave work on time in anticipation of full operations commencing the next day.

Production began the next day, from 7:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., seven days a week. Various problems arose, making it challenging to keep up with the planned production volume. However, thanks to the hard work of staff at the plants and support and cooperation from our head office, Tiger’s first electric kettle, the PFV-G, was launched on September 10, 2008 in two sizes: 0.8L and 1.0L. This was followed by a series of new product launches, with production expanding to Tiger's plants in Shanghai and Vietnam.

Safety was the most crucial feature we added to the traditional electric kettle, and it is now an essential part of these products. For example, Tiger's steamless electric kettle, the <7SAFE+> (PTQ-A100), released on March 21, 2022, features seven safety functions. New functions include a steamless design and a lid that locks when tilted. It also includes first-generation functions like not leaking when tipped over, a dispense lock button, a double wall structure, auto shut off and not boiling when unfilled.

Michinaga Kakuno, a staff member in charge of developing Tiger's first electric kettle noted, “The electric pot team did not develop the first-generation kettle. Instead, it was developed by the team in charge of cooking ware, which had the necessary relationships with production partners.” The fact that we were able to launch the product despite the difficulties left a strong impression on our employees. Kakuno is still using Tiger’s first electric kettle, the PFV-G, as of 2023.