On March 28th and 29th, 2026, we gathered our T-REEF family at our second home, Siciliana in Shichirigahama, for what became our very first T-REEF Brand Dinner Presentation.

For us, it wasn't simply a dinner.

It was a moment to pause, look back at the road we have traveled for over 40 years, and share where we are heading next.

The first evening was intentionally intimate. We invited around twenty close friends, supporters, and partners who have continuously believed in T-REEF and helped shape our journey.

The second evening was dedicated to our riders and customers—those who have trusted us since day one. Nearly thirty people joined us around the table, not as customers, but as part of the T-REEF family.

Because after forty years, we have come to realize something important:

T-REEF was never simply about making surfboards.

It has always been about people.

Celebrating 40 Years Was Never the Goal

In 2025, we celebrated the 40th anniversary of T-REEF Surfboard.

The anniversary party was emotional, overwhelming, and filled with gratitude. Looking around the room that day, we saw four decades of friendships, surfboards, memories, and experiences.

But strangely enough, once the celebration ended, we did not feel like we had reached a destination.

Instead, we felt like we had arrived at a new starting point.

That is why we decided to call 2026:

"The Next Chapter: The Year of Challenges."

Because preserving a legacy does not mean protecting it inside a glass case.

A legacy survives only when it continues to evolve.

Our Mission Has Always Been the Same

For over fifty years, our founder and shaper, Tadao Tominaga, has continued to shape surfboards by hand.

Not because it is easy. Not because it is efficient.

But because he believes there is something irreplaceable about creating a surfboard with your own hands.

As the surf industry continues to industrialize, our mission became clearer than ever:

How do we preserve the art of hand shaping for future generations?

Our answer was simple.
We needed to move beyond being only a surfboard brand.

We needed to become a company capable of officially preserving, teaching, and passing on this craft.

That is why T-REEF entered its next phase.

A Destiny Encounter

Sometimes, life decides for you.

During our 40th anniversary celebration, a local surfer from Amami Oshima named Shinnosuke attended through a mutual friend and long-time T-REEF rider.

At the time, Shinnosuke had just begun developing an interest in surfboard shaping.

What he witnessed that day —the history, the craftsmanship, the people behind T-REEF— left a deep impression on him.

Soon after, he ordered a surfboard with a very specific request:

He wanted the exact same specifications as the very first board Tadao Tominaga ordered from his own mentor, the legendary Dick Brewer.

Together, they completed Shinnosuke's first shaping workshop.

Shinnosuke didn't simply enjoy making a surfboard.
He discovered a purpose.

After experiencing the process firsthand, he asked Tadao a question we never expected to hear:

"Would you allow me to learn the art of hand shaping as your apprentice?"

That question marked the beginning of a new chapter, not only for Shinnosuke, but for T-REEF itself.

For the first time in our forty-year history, T-REEF officially welcomed its first apprentice.

Opening the Doors

That encounter led us to our next challenge.

What if shaping did not have to remain hidden inside our shaping room?
What if anyone could witness the craft firsthand?

This idea became what we now call Open Shape.

At T-REEF, we have always welcomed people into our shaping room.

But in 2026, we challenged ourselves to bring that experience outside our comfort zone.

In Amami Oshima, inside Shinnosuke's newly built shaping room, we held our very first external Open Shape event.

We had no expectations.
We simply opened the doors.

To our surprise, around ten people came to observe.

Some stayed for hours.
Some asked questions.
Some had never seen a surfboard being shaped by hand before.

For us, those ten people represented something much bigger than attendance numbers.

They represented possibility.

A small but meaningful step toward keeping this craft alive.

Beyond Our Comfort Zone

The experience in Amami taught us something important.

If we truly want to preserve surf culture, craftsmanship, and community, we cannot remain in one place.

We have to travel.
We have to listen.
We have to respect local cultures and become part of local communities.

That is why, from the beginning of 2026, we found ourselves reconnecting with our extended T-REEF family across Japan and overseas—from Kochi to Bali.

And then came the journey that perhaps carried the deepest meaning of all.

Kauai.

Not as tourists.
Not even as surfers.

But with a mission.

A mission that began more than forty years ago…