“The Hideyoshi is a tri-metal design composed of a light 7075 aluminum body, a dense steel outer ring, and an even denser brass inner ring. The balance and weight distribution achieved through the combination of all these different materials gives the Hideyoshi a completely new feel unlike anything on the market. It plays fast, feels light yet really solid at the same time, and has an incredible spin time and stability that you need to feel to believe!
Sengoku is a company based in Nagakute, Japan creating some amazing high performance yo-yos with a cool story. The name Sengoku is an era in Japanese history when the country was in an internal war of samurai clans, finished only when Japan was unified by the Shogun. Keeping this history in mind, Sengoku is naming their yo-yos after the most notable Samurai leaders, and this is the Hideyoshi!
Toyotomi hideyoshi was a preeminent daimyo, warrior, general, samurai, and politician of the Sengoku period, who is regarded as Japan’s second “great unifier”. He succeeded his former liege lord, Oda Nobunaga, and brought an end to the Sengoku period.
With Hideyoshi considered one of Japan’s Great Unifiers, it only make sense that the yo-yo bearing his name would bring together so many different materials to create one amazing new yo-yo!”
“The Bishamonten from Sengoku is a bold and innovative bimetal yo-yo that pushes material design to the limit. Featuring a stainless steel body paired with an Aluminum 7075 hub, this yo-yo is engineered to maximize the unique properties of its materials.
While it might look like a traditional bimetal with oversized stainless steel rims, the Bishamonten flips the script. This design places stainless steel as the primary material, with the aluminum alloy functioning as the inner hub. This unconventional approach allows Sengoku to harness the raw power of stainless steel while fine-tuning the weight distribution using the lightweight aluminum 7075 center.
Stainless steel’s density delivers unmatched power and stability, but its weight can make precision weight balancing challenging. Sengoku solves this by machining the aluminum hub to perfection, resulting in a yo-yo that showcases the incredible spin force of stainless steel with refined control.
The Bishamonten’s weight is strategically distributed for powerful, responsive play, giving you a throw that feels commanding and precise. If you’re looking for a yo-yo that combines groundbreaking design with unmatched performance, the Bishamonten is a force to be reckoned with.”
“Introducing the Sengoku Lotus – A Monometal Marvel Sengoku, renowned for their innovative designs like the Tri-metal yoyos and the extreme rim-weighted Hattori, now presents the Lotus! This latest creation takes the concept of a metal yo-yo with cutouts to an entirely new level. The Lotus features a distinctive perforated shape, with a body divided into four interconnected parts resembling flower petals. Its unique shape speaks for itself, evoking a sense of disbelief that it should even work, but wow does it!
One of the coolest features of the Lotus is the captivating wind-cutting sound it emits when thrown. The resonance of the string hitting the body is uniquely characteristic, setting this yo-yo apart from any other. While playing on the string, you can feel the air resistance like a mini fan, which is truly something we had not experienced before. Despite its unique design, the Lotus surprisingly doesn’t catch the string at medium to high RPMs, allowing it to be fully playable!
The Lotus’s design not only looks stunning but also offers a unique throwing experience. Each yo-yo has been meticulously opened and tweaked, with shims added until the gaps are perfectly aligned, making it a true finished functional piece of art. While it is safer than previous models like the Hanzo and Hattori, it still requires careful handling. Tricks such as rejection or sidewinder-type tricks, where the string touches the body vertically, may result in the string catching on the body, leading to a sudden stop. Therefore, while it can ride on or slide along the string without issue, controlling it at an angle needs caution.
The Sengoku Lotus is not just a yo-yo; it’s a revolution in design and performance. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or a dedicated enthusiast, the Lotus promises to deliver an experience like no other. Embrace the future of yo-yoing with the Sengoku Lotus and feel the difference in every throw.”
“The Shingen, named after the Samurai leader Takeda Shingen, is the first yoyo made out of 7175 alloy, a mixture of magnesium, zinc, copper and aluminum.
The yoyo industry standard is 6061 aluminum. A less common, and more premium option 7075, which has superior strength to weight, can be machined thinner, and is even a little harder to ding.
The 7175 alloy is a step above this. Its strength and rigidity are both superior, once again allowing for more extreme weight distributions. The Shingen makes full use of these properties to maximize rim weight. Add an extra large stainless steel set of rims, and you’ve got some serious angular momentum!”
It has only been about half a year since the release of the D bearing TiRAMiSU, one of RSO’s most popular models ever. But, truth to be told, Paul Yath and I worked on the TiRAMiSU for almost a year before that.
For the TiRAMiSU, prototypes were made in C and D bearing versions. I tend to spend at least 6 months with a prototype before putting it into production. After extensive testing, we were still torn between both versions. A decision was made to run the D bearing version because it would be the first titanium D bearing yo-yo ever made. Unfortunately, the D bearing TiRAMiSU was so popular that there were not enough yo-yos to fulfill even the pre-orders, and there was never a formal “drop” for the yo-yo. This made a lot of people upset. Until today, I am still receiving requests to do a re-run of the D bearing version.
We loved the C bearing prototype immensely. Although not as powerful as the D bearing prototype, it plays with a peculiar float and feels less aggressive. I would say that the C bearing version is a “decaf” dessert that you can enjoy on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Conversely, the D bearing version is a “pick me up” that you need in the day.
Fun fact: Paul and I had intended to name the yo-yo “TiRAMiSU: Decaf Edition” and “TiRAMiSU Seconds” but decided against doing so.
ENGINEERED FOR MAXIMUM FUNNESS
We made a few changes to the C bearing prototype and eventually arrived at the final CAD of TiRAMiSU 2.
The most common feedback on the D bearing TiRAMiSU was that it was too narrow, with a width of 42 mm. I didn’t think so – the Turning Point Mustang, one of the yo-yos that inspired the TiRAMiSU design, comes very close with a width of 42.5 mm.
Nonetheless, the width of the TiRAMiSU 2 was increased to 44 mm. Overall, this decreased the rim weight of the yo-yo and amplified its floatiness, a characteristic that we wanted to bring out for the TiRAMiSU 2.
The other change we made was to the pad groove. The C bearing prototype had 19 mm Landing Pads installed, while the TiRAMiSU 2 is powered by CLYW / G-grip sized Landing Pads. The CLYW / G-grip Landing Pads are larger in diameter and give the yo-yo slightly more momentum and a longer spin time.
I rarely use the CLYW / G-grip Landing Pads for titanium designs, save for the titanium Silver Bullet (SB-Ti) and now the TiRAMiSU 2. They are thicker than your regular 19mm pads, necessitating more material in the center of the yo-yo to accommodate them. As a result, there is less material to play with. Fortunately, there was enough material around the pad groove to accommodate these pads for TiRAMiSU 2, which was not intended to be a heavily rim weighted yo-yo.
To my knowledge, the only titanium yo-yos on the market that utilize these pads are the Luftverk x CLYW Tundra, titanium Peak and the SB-Ti. A few upcoming RSO yo-yos will be using these pads.
From left to right: D bearing TiRAMiSU, TiRAMiSU 2, C bearing TiRAMiSU prototype
SIMPLY STUNNING
I experimented with rainbow anodizing more than a year ago with a heavy prototype of the SB-Ti, which I gifted to Ed Haponik. This anodization technique is difficult to perfect – the yo-yo has to be pulled out meticulously from the anodizing bath, with careful manipulation of the voltage of the electrical source.
The technique was tweaked and a green shade was added to the myriad of colors on the TiRAMiSU 2, and the result is stunning. Due to the high risk involved in anodizing in this manner, only 5 anodized TiRAMiSU 2s were made.
COMPLETELY REMASTERED
The signature Crucial nutrition label was updated to reflect the changes in the specifications of the TiRAMiSU 2. ATILA, our long time collaborator, also drew a new TiRAMiSU waitress, inspired by Marilyn Monroe. Paul did the gorgeous denim bags, which come in a darker shade of blue.
WHAT’S IN THE CAKE BOX
TIRAMISU WAITRESS ENAMEL PIN
DENIM POUCH
A PAIR OF CLYW SLIM / G-GRIP SIZE TYPE 50 RSO LANDING PADS
