The original monster that has reigned for 50 years: “Mark V” Yasaka

The super-long-selling Inverted rubber in Japan is “Mark V.” When it was released in 1969, it was said to be “too bouncy to use,” but today it is sold as an “entry-level” rubber. This article was written for a special issue of O-KOKU in 2020. (From “Long-Selling Monster” in the special edition “Table Tennis Goods 2020”)

Yasaka, the first company in the world to release Inverted rubber, launches “Mark V” in 1969

　The early 1950s were an era of a wide variety of rubbers. In addition to the OX rubber that appeared around 1902 and had long been used, sponge, Inverted rubber made by turning OX rubber over, and double-layer Inverted rubber made by layering two sheets of Inverted rubber appeared. Along with those, Short pimples, which combine sponge with OX rubber, and Inverted rubber, which combine sponge with Inverted rubber, were also developed. Compared with the standard OX rubber, these were called “special rubbers.”

　The first company to develop and sell the now mainstream Inverted rubber was Yasaka. At the time, Inverted rubber was called “soft rubber” or “sandwich rubber,” and the world’s first Inverted rubber was released under the name “Soft Rubber.” However, because “Soft Rubber” became the common name for Inverted rubber, Yasaka changed the product name to “Original.” The name was meant to show that this rubber was the first (original) Inverted rubber. This was the original Inverted rubber.

　At a time when there was no limit on rubber thickness, Toshiaki Tanaka became the world champion in 1955 using 7 mm “Original.” In 1959, a rule change limited rubber thickness to within 4 mm, and up until the mid-1960s, the natural-rubber-based “Original” became the mainstream Inverted rubber.

　The product that changed that trend was Butterfly’s “Sriver,” released in 1967. Made by vulcanizing natural rubber and synthetic rubber, it dramatically improved elasticity and Spin. Two years later, Yasaka followed with the release of “Mark V.” According to one theory, “Mark V” was developed at the same time as “Sriver,” but Yasaka watched to see whether the market would accept a product with such outstanding performance. These two rubbers were called “high-elasticity, high-friction Inverted rubbers.”

　Initially, both “Sriver” and “Mark V” were shunned by Players, who said they were “too bouncy to control.” Top Japanese Players who used “Original” were reluctant to adopt these two rubbers, but in the meantime, European Players boldly began trying the new rubbers. First Hungarian Players started using “Sriver,” and Swedish Players started using “Mark V.”

　The major turning point came at the 1971 World Championships in Nagoya. Sweden’s Bengtsson won the men’s Singles using “Mark V,” and Hungary’s Jonyer and Klampár won the men’s Dobles using “Sriver.” It was the first world title won with high-elasticity, high-friction rubbers.

　From there, the world of Table tennis quickly moved into the era of “Mark V” and “Sriver.” Of course, Japan was no exception. These two rubbers had very similar performance and manufacturing recipes. “Mark V” used cream-colored Sponge, while “Sriver” used orange Sponge, and among Players it was said that “Mark V lets the Ball sink in, has good ball hold, and produces Balls with heavy Spin,” while “Sriver sends the Ball a little more linearly and makes Smashes easier.” The choice was only a slight difference in a Player’s feel.

　Later, in Europe, highly volatile adhesive (Speed Glue) was applied to rubbers, swelling the rubber and putting tension on it, dramatically increasing elasticity. Speed Glue was applied to “Mark V” and “Sriver,” and then to “Bryce” (Butterfly), which was released afterward, and Table tennis entered an era of ultra-high speed. That trend continued until Speed Glue was banned in 2008.

　With the ban on Speed Glue, everyone thought that “Mark V” and “Sriver” would almost certainly lose their life as products. In particular, “Tenergy” (Butterfly), released that year, carried over the new era of equipment from the Speed Glue era and created the trend toward Spin-type tension rubbers.