On June 6, 2026, the 11th Tenkaichi Keyboard Waiwai Meetup—aka “Tenkey”—was held.
The venue was Roppongi Grand Tower 24F, DMM.com Group Seminar Room.
The organizer, Yukari, had to miss the event at short notice, so Saricylic Acid stepped in for the opening and closing talks—an unexpected change.
Still, the event ran smoothly to the very end, which really showed how solid the operations are. It also made this a valuable meetup that reminded us of the history this event has built up.
There were 11 booths on the day, and it feels like the number of exhibitors has been growing with each edition.
- moimate (not exhibiting this time)
- HHKB
- LEOPOLD
- DIGIART
- ELECOM
- beekeeb
- Keychron
- EPOMAKER
- Yusha Kobo
- ASK Corporation
- EK Japan Co., Ltd.
- GOPPA
In this article, we’ll introduce the keyboards that caught our eye at the personal booths, from the editorial team’s perspective.
Off-the-shelf keyboards
Here, we’ll introduce the models that stood out to us among “off-the-shelf keyboards,” meaning ones you can generally buy.
Singa Kbd Kohaku
A very well-known board in the custom keyboard scene.
Kohaku is a keyboard sold by Singa Kbd, based in Malaysia.
It’s basically sold via GB (group buy) with limited quantities, and it’s popular enough to be sold by lottery.
What really stands out is the back design.
Thanks to the sculpting of the two-piece bottom case, a koi pattern emerges—an impressively soft, elegant expression.
With tempered glass covering it, you can enjoy a look that feels like koi swimming just beneath the water’s surface.
Geistmaschine Geist
The one with an unmistakably premium look is the Geist from the German keyboard brand “Geistmaschine.”
It felt less like a keyboard and more like an art object, in terms of sculptural beauty.
Cerakey Peak60 HE
Peak60 is the first magnetic-switch keyboard from Cerakey, the pioneer of ceramic keycaps.
The case is ceramic as well, and its overwhelming presence immediately grabbed our attention.
Low-staggered keyboards
So-called “horizontal stagger” keyboards.
First up is the “AtEighty JP + screwless case,” designed by Saricylic Acid.
It’s built as a 75% layout with a Japanese layout and function keys to make it easy for split-keyboard beginners, and it felt like a keyboard with an extremely low switching cost.
It uses Acid Caps LowProfile keycaps—also their own design—with Japanese legends, and it really left the impression of being the perfect first split keyboard.
What Biakko had on display was the Titan8000.
Just like the one above, it was fitted with Acid Caps LowProfile.
The legend colors and the case color were unified, creating a fantastic overall vibe.
At previous Tenkeys, there were lots of so-called “Keyball style” boards (thumb cluster + trackball), but this time it felt like there were more “low-stagger + trackball” builds.
You could also read the design philosophy from the trackball placement.
If it’s close to full-size and you don’t need layers, having the trackball at the right thumb’s home position is unlikely to be an issue—in fact, it makes a lot of sense.
On the other hand, with keyboards at 40% or below, layers are essential, so you place keys under the thumb and move the trackball toward the palm side.
We also saw various design approaches, like placing the trackball at the thumb position while angling the thumb cluster to enable thumb key operation as well.
column staggered tiles
This Tenkey had a lot of Cornix on display.
We also saw customs that added a 19 mm trackball to Cornix.
And in a pretty rare move for the usual thumb-cluster context, there was even a Corne using ULP switches.
authorolinear
Two experimental and fun ortholinear builds were m.ki’s “OKBall” and “cool642tb_Side_B.”
They both use thumb operation, but the trackball position and size are different.
In a similar vein, muino’s FrostOrtho also had a more center-leaning trackball position.
What they have in common is placing keys where your thumb rests at home, and avoiding putting the trackball there.
It’s interesting how the best answer around this differs depending on the designer.
The skeleton conductor was also incredibly clean and beautiful.
This one is the integrated ortholinear meteorite40 LP.
The simple look is beautiful.
With meteorite40, the UI feels a step ahead—for example, it’s easy to change keymaps using the dedicated browser-based editor “Meteorite Studio.”
Last up is the frost version of DRESSTHING.
This is more like an artwork than a keyboard.
It was fantastic.
Accessories
At shakupan’s booth, there were colorful frost-finish trackballs on display.
Being able to customize even the trackball is wonderful.
And at Fujikko’s booth, there was a moNa2 on display featuring a marble-pattern COROPIT made using that trackball.
It feels like collaborations within the DIY keyboard community are also moving forward, and we’re seeing more active, unprecedented developments.
Summary
That’s it for our highlights from the personal booths.
Greenkeys has been covering the event continuously since Vol.6, and it feels like trends in the DIY keyboard scene are evolving little by little.
In the past few years, cases made from acrylic have become rare, and instead we’re seeing more 3D-printed cases that individuals can make, as well as CNC-machined aluminum and polycarbonate cases.
Layout diversity is still as wide as ever, but case build quality has clearly improved.
It also feels like more creators are using original keycaps.
What’s making that possible are legend-printing services like YUZU Custom Keycaps, where individuals can produce from a single lot.
Parts availability has also diversified, and it’s becoming normal to import personally from overseas, not just buy from domestic shops.
We’re also seeing changes in what manufacturers are doing.
From Jezail Funder and Keychron releasing split keyboards to ELECOM expanding the module variations for support balls, more and more products are appearing that incorporate the essence of the DIY keyboard genre.
We’re getting more chances to feel that a movement that started with DIY keyboards is gradually growing in Japan.
We can’t take our eyes off the next event.
- First published: June 7, 2026
- Last updated: June 7, 2026
- Method of coverage: On-site interviews
- References / Sources: https://tenkey.connpass.com/event/384093/
- Conflicts of Interest: Product Offering: None Monetization Link in this paper: None
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