1977 Jupiter-30 - ジュピター30 by ベンドジャパン (Vend Japan) & 大平技研 (Ohira Giken — Yuvo)

Name: Jupiter-30 - ジュピター30

Year: 1977

Company:  ベンドジャパン (Vend Japan) & 大平技研 (Ohira Giken — Yuvo)

 

Jupiter-30 is the very first game from YUVO that I have recorded.  It was sold/distributed by Vend Japan.  Jupiter-50 and Jupiter-300 will also be discussed in this article.

Here is a flyer I purchased, front and back:

Jupiter-30 - ジュピター30 by ベンドジャパン (Vend Japan) & 大平技研 (Ohira Giken — Yuvo)

Jupiter-30 - ジュピター30 by ベンドジャパン (Vend Japan) & 大平技研 (Ohira Giken — Yuvo)

 

 

from the front:

 Transcription:

JUPITER-30
10円又は100円→3段階チャレンジが選択できるプライズマシン。
景品展示窓付。景品(たばこ大) 約80個収納可。金庫10円玉6,000枚収納可。
JUPITER-50
10円、20円→メタル販売機付。メタル配当5枚、10枚、50枚の3段階ステップ・チャレンジ方式。ホッパー採用。
JUPITER-300
本格的メタルGマシン。当り倍率2、5、30の3段階。チャレンジ倍率は追加メタル投入により1~10倍。
配当はチャレンジ倍率×当り倍率の枚数。チャレンジ倍率表示ランプ付。ホッパー採用。

Machine translation:

JUPITER-30
A prize machine with three-stage challenge options for 10 yen or 100 yen coins.
Includes a prize display window. Holds approximately 80 prizes (large cigarettes). Safe holds 6,000 10-yen coins.
JUPITER-50
Includes a medal vending machine for 10 yen and 20 yen coins. Three-stage challenge system with metal payouts of 5, 10, or 50 coins. Features a hopper.
JUPITER-300
A full-fledged Metal G machine. Three win multipliers: 2, 5, or 30. Challenge multipliers range from 1x to 10x by adding additional medal.
Payouts are calculated as the challenge multiplier multiplied by the number of coins with the win multiplier. Features a challenge multiplier indicator lamp. Features a hopper. 

30 is for winning cigarettes. 50 looks the same but uses a coin hopper to payout medals.  I have never seen a picture of Jupiter-300 so I do not know if it uses the same case, but it ups the medal gambling aspects and offers a chance for larger payouts.

Jupiter-30 is one of 3 machines in the series. 30 and 50 use the same cabinet except with the 30 altered to 50.  30 is a prize machine, where rolls of cigarettes can be won!  

 

Let's take a look at how the gameplay works on Jupiter-30:

According to the back of the flyer, you insert a 10 yen coin and flick it up at the sun.  The sun is attached to a motor and rotates.  You can see a translucent plastic column around the rocket in the center.  If the coin goes down that chute you get to shoot it again.

There are six planets and hitting any of them will cause the reels at the bottom to spin. If you stop each drum at the right position I think it awards you that prize.  I am actually kind of unsure about the specifics of the gameplay of this portion, given how the flyer is written (and my lack of understanding the Japanese language).

Besides the Sun I can make out Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, what I presume is Saturn, and then I can't see the writing on the lower-right one. 

 

Game Machine 1977-08-15

In this advertisement we can see how Jupiter-50 appears to have an identical cabinet:

Coin Journal 1977-11

Jupiter-50 - ジュピター50 by ベンドジャパン (Vend Japan) & 大平技研 (Ohira Giken — Yuvo)

Only difference here is that there is no prize display in the main window.

I hope we one day find evidence of a Jupiter-300 cabinet.

1977 Baseball Mate - ベースボールメイト by 関西企業 (Kansai Kigyo) & アイ・ピー・エム (IPM) & ウチナダ電子 (Uchinada Denshi)

Name: Baseball Mate - ベースボールメイト

Year: 1977

Company: 関西企業 (Kansai Kigyo) & アイ・ピー・エム (IPM) & ウチナダ電子 (Uchinada Denshi)

Baseball Mate was made in 1977.  It is a medal game but there is a timing element of hitting the ball.  It has a PITCHER and BATTER buttons, and then your typical grid for placing bets.  It counts your Strikes, Balls, and Outs.

Game Machine 1977-1215

 

The article states it is by アイ・ピー・エム (IPM).  There are also many IPM advertisements for this game.

manufacturer plate

The manufacturer plate confirms it was made by ウチナダ電子 (Uchinada Denshi) and they are the company on the Type Approval Number 91-15517 which is seen here and referenced in numerous advertisements.

 

advertisement from アイ・ピー・エム (IPM) and the cabinet design aligns with their other machines.  This blue cabinet is only seen here.  The green button has moved location and there is not instruction panel any more.  I currently don't think this enough to show it as a separate variant

For reference, the blue version with the green button in a different location:

slight variant: no instruction card, green button has moved.

 

 

Here it is being advertised by Kansai Kigyo:

Coin Journal 1979-01

In fact, the earliest article I have about Baseball Mate lists it as Kansai Kigyo and does not mention IPM.

Coin Journal 1977-11

 

Also note that the later Kansai Kigyo sunset logo is on the game! 

Please enjoy this flyer I purchased:

Baseball Mate - ベースボールメイト by 関西企業 (Kansai Kigyo) & アイ・ピー・エム (IPM) & ウチナダ電子 (Uchinada Denshi)

Be on the lookout for their custom medals!

 

1991 Pig Racing - ピッグレーシング by セガ (Sega)

Name: Pig Racing - ピッグレーシング

Year: 1991

Company: セガ (Sega) 

 

Everyone's favourite Sega game from 1991!  Pig Racing!  

What?  You mean you're not nostalgic for Pig Racing? You've never heard of it?  OK well I hadn't heard of it before I started this project either, but I became fascinated by it.  Partly because of it's derby mechanic, partly because it was very rare and it took me a long time to find decent images, and partly because it hearkens back to some of the very earliest electrified arcade games of all time!

First off, I bought the flyer.  Enjoy!

Pig Racing - ピッグレーシング by セガ (Sega)

 

You can see some footage of Pig Race at 7:12 in this video: (link goes to timestamp, embedded video does not)

 

Let's go back to some arcade ancestry and look at my old post "arcade photographs from the collection of James R. Smith".

sign says: "Patented THE CONY RACE May 15 1923"

 

These are group carnival arcade games where players compete in a basic task to advance their character.  Whoever gets to the end first wins the race!  I like these kinds of carnival games because the profit comes from multiple players competing, not from a potentially bunco game.

In The Cony Race players use the lever to hit their ball into a goal.

 

 Monkey Pinball

Monkey Pinball has a nearly vertical pinball playfield and you shoot a ball into scoring holes with a small lever.

Electrification first came to carnival arcade installations like these, and so what we are looking at are some of the earliest attempts of utilizing electricity in arcade games.

Pig Racing follows in these footsteps.

Pig Racing was included in a 1991 Sega catalogue.  Then the first appearance I've seen in a magazine is December 1991.

from a 1991 Sega catalogue

 

Game Machine 1991-12-15

 

1977 Jet Coaster [Jet Roller Coaster] - ジェット コースター [ジェットローラーコースター] by 日本物産 (Nihon Bussan — Nichibutsu) & 日本ベンディング (Japan Vending) & 東亜セイコー (Toa Seiko)

Name: Jet Coaster [Jet Roller Coaster] - ジェット コースター [ジェットローラーコースター]

Year: 1977

Company: 日本物産 (Nihon Bussan — Nichibutsu) & 日本ベンディング (Japan Vending) & 東亜セイコー (Toa Seiko)

I purchased the Jet Coaster flyer so here is a high resolution copy of it:

download at Archive.org

This is a horror-themed game that asks the player "let's imagine you're on a roller coaster that explodes". 

    THE HORRORS DEPICTED

A note on the title: "Roller" is rolled up in the corner, and the game is often referred to as Jet Coaster, though the full name is Jet Roller Coaster.

a peak inside

But the gameplay is merely another upright roulette game in the vein of Piccadilly Circus.

Amusement 1977-11

At the bottom 日本物産 (Nihon Bussan — Nichibutsu) is listed as "Manufacturer and distributor in Eastern Japan" and for 日本ベンディング (Japan Vending) it says "Western Japan sole distributor".

From an auction listing, we see the Type Approval Number 91-13527 which was registered by the company on the plate 東亜セイコー (Toa Seiko) in 1976.

Type Approval Number 91-13527

 

Jet Coaster appears in both Amusement and Coin Journal November 1977, so if it came out in 1976 we will have to find evidence.

I assume that Nichibutsu contracted the manufacturing to Toa Seiko.

 

announcement + updates: 5500+ machines! 発表: 5500 台以上のマシン!

Check the main page list, we are now at 5500 machines! It's going to be slow and steady from here on out. I felt a great sense of relief being able to present at Replaying Japan. That was my goal for how I wanted to promote this database.

Currently I am just cleaning things up while I bide my time until the Coin Journal scans begin flowing.  Reminder that you can always find a list of the magazines I am using, and the research publications list will get updated with links to the scans when they are online. You can also follow my pinball and arcade blog for updates on scans. (prior celebration posts here)

 

While you're here, check out this accumulation of updates:

• Added a 'random page / ランダムページ' link to the main page. 
• New tags:
• theme ~ japan traditional
• misc ~ exported
• New company filters:
• Taiyo Denshi — Electron
• Three Star / Sansei 
• Japan Overseas Business 
• Jatre 
• Face
• Xcel / Excel
• Mine's
• Endo now changed to Nihon Gorakuki / Endo 
• K&U 
• Sunmuse
• Oka 
• Art Point 
• 新晃商事 (Shinko Shoji)
• タニガワ (Tanigawa) 
• Coreland 
• Mediaux & Hokusie 
• New information added about チャレンジャー (Challenger) which makes me think it was NOT made by 中村製作所 (Nakamura Seisakusho). 
• added an article to 1975 Magic Toppers - マジックトッパー [import, 1975] by クロンプトン (Crompton) & エスコ貿易 (Esco Trading) that confirmed its year, and it was made primarily for the Japanese market.
• Manix article had a major update.
• Added new photos of Dodge City to the bottom of Western Gun - ウェスタン・ガン [possibly] by 日本娯楽物産 (Nihon Goraku Bussan) & 日本機械製造 (Nihon Kikai Seizo — Sega)
• Added the gameplay rules for 1965 Amosco - アモスコ by アオシマ・モウカル・オカネ・シコタマ・カンパニー (Aoshima Moukaru Okane Shikotama Company)
• Japanese flyer added to  1968 Periscope [single] - ペリスコープ by セガ (Sega)
• added to probable UK clones of  1966 Periscope - ペリスコープ by セガ (Sega)
• Added a photo (and thus shifted the date for) Grip Test - 握力計 (grip force meter) [import, 1927] by Jentzsch & Meerz [presumed] 
• Added early version of 1972 Champion Basket Game - チャンピオン バスケット ゲーム by 昭和遊園 (Showa Yuen)

1972 ニュービッグレース (New Big Race) by 三共 (Sankyo)

Name: ニュービッグレース (New Big Race)

Year: 1972 (but as early as 1970)

Company:  三共 (Sankyo)

New Big Race appears in the 1973 game directory, which was printed in late 1972.

ニュービッグレース (New Big Race) in the machine directory

A photograph below shows a copy of the game with a Type Approval Number of 91-4910.

TAN 91-4910 was registered by Sankyo in 1970. These numbers can potentially be re-used for similar machines for a 5 year period, but it does mean this machine is from no earlier than 1970.  The 1972 print date of the machine directory is the only date we have, and the one we will use for the time being.

The following photos are provided by montagiyou. Thank you.

The following are photographs from the IPDB entry, and all by Jay Stafford.  I believe this is the exact same machine as above.

Taito plate attached, I assume as a distributor. This is from before Taito changed their named in 1972.

sparse backbox

dramatically less circuity than we are familiar with in pinball machines

 

The artwork bears a striking resemblance to Speed Racer Go Go...

 

1929 自動木馬 (automatic wooden horse) by 遠藤嘉一 (Kaichi Endo)

Name: 自動木馬 (automatic wooden horse)

Year: 1929

Company: 遠藤嘉一 (Kaichi Endo)

In 1928 Endo went to Takarazuka Shin Onsen and saw an electric German ride that is sometimes referred to as a rocking horse but is said to look more like a duck. It had to be operated by an attendant, and the seat would rise and lower with the motor while in operation. 1929 Endo released his own version, which would be activated for 40 seconds when coins were inserted.

I believe this makes it one of the earliest coin-operated kiddy rides in the world. 

from this PDF from JAIA

rough OCR:

'29 日本媽澳
第1号自動木馬
宝塚新温泉(のちの宝塚ファミリーランド)に設置されていたドイツ製のアヒル型の (係がスイッチを入れると岐が上下する)をヒントに作られた初の国産自動木馬。

Machine translation:

1929 Japan Maao [sp!]
First Automatic Rocking Horse
The first Japanese-made automatic rocking horse was inspired by a German duck-shaped one (the legs would rise and fall when the attendant flipped a switch) that was installed at Takarazuka Shin Onsen (later Takarazuka Family Land).

From Coin Journal 1982-12:

Transcription:

(3)日本独自の自動木馬の誕生から松屋スポーツランドへ
現在の宝塚ファミリーランド(旧宝塚新温泉)が、わが国のアミューズメント産業に多大な影響を与えたことは既に述べたが、遠藤嘉一氏がこの方面に着目したのも、宝塚新温泉がきっかけとなっている。昭和三年、宝塚に輸入の遊戯機械が設置されていることを知った氏は、仕事もそっちのけで出かけて行った。アミューズメント機械の意識を抱いていた人間のアンテナに敏感に感じる何かがあったからであろう。
宝塚新温泉には、屋外に単式飛行塔が一機設置されていた。ポールを支点に飛行機(というよりも座席か?)を振り回すものだったというが、国産ではなく輸入である。そして屋内の遊戯場には、力試し機、マストコープ立体写真廻転装置(いわゆるのぞきめがね)、玉遊び機(子供用であったパチンコ)、占い機、香水自動噴霧機などが置かれていた。百坪くらいの広さがあった一階の遊戯場である。また、中二階には、一人の女性の係員がついて、二銭の料金を取るとスイッチを入れ、二分間鞍が上下するドイツ製の木馬があった。木馬というのは少し誤弊があるかもしれない。全体がアヒルのような形をしていたという。
遠藤氏はそれを見たとたん、ひらめくものがあった。この乗物を自動式にして馬の形にすれば、面白い木馬になると感じたのである。早速製作にとりかかり、二銭入れると四○秒間自動的に動く装置を作り、さらに木馬をとりつけた。完成後、ヒントを得た縁で宝塚に二台納入した。昭和四年七月のことである。そしてこの年が、日本における自動木馬の誕生の年でもあるわけだ。当時担当の課長は、後に東京テアトルの会長になった吉岡重三郎氏であった。 

[昭和4年第1号自動木馬] 

Machine translation:

(3) From the Birth of Japan's Unique Automatic Rocking Horse to Matsuya Sportsland
We've already mentioned that Takarazuka Family Land (formerly Takarazuka Shin-Onsen) had a profound impact on Japan's amusement industry. It was Takarazuka Shin-Onsen that first sparked Yoshikazu Endo's interest in this field. In 1928, upon learning that imported amusement machines had been installed in Takarazuka, he left work and went to check them out. There was something about them that resonated with the antennae of someone who was already conscious of amusement machines.

Takarazuka Shin-Onsen had a single-type flying tower installed outdoors. It was said to swing an airplane (or perhaps a seat?) around on a pole, but it was imported, not domestically produced. The indoor amusement area featured a strength machine, a Mutoscope stereoscopic rotating device (a type of peeping glasses), a ball-playing machine (a pachinko machine for children), a fortune-telling machine, and an automatic perfume sprayer. The amusement area on the first floor covered an area of ​​approximately 100 tsubo (approx. 330 square meters). Also on the mezzanine level was a German-made rocking horse, staffed by a female attendant who, for a fee of two sen, would flip a switch and the saddle would rise and fall for two minutes. The term "rocking horse" may be a bit of a misnomer, as the entire vehicle was said to be shaped like a duck.
As soon as Endo saw it, he was struck by an idea. He felt that if he made this vehicle automatic and gave it the shape of a horse, it would make an interesting rocking horse. He immediately began construction, creating a device that would run automatically for 40 seconds when two sen was inserted, and then attached a rocking horse. After completion, and inspired by this connection, he delivered two units to Takarazuka. This was in July 1929. And this was also the year the automatic rocking horse was born in Japan. The section manager in charge at the time was Yoshioka Juzaburo, who later became chairman of Tokyo Theatre.

[1929, No. 1 Automatic Wooden Horse]

I wonder if there is any documentation of this German duck shaped electric ride?

I always worry about timelines getting mashed together, but this text suggests that in 1928 all of those other described machines were in place. Eventually we will have to figure out which specific machines are being referred to. My hope is that more photo documentation of the arcade surfaces.

 

In the image we're using, on the left it is a replica or restored version of Endo's automatic wooden horse.  I am unsure if any parts of our original. 

写真は兵庫県立歴史博物館で展示されている、日本娯楽機の遠藤嘉一氏が作った看板兼用菓子自動販売機の実物（上の左）と日本初の自動木馬の復元機。
The photos show an actual signboard-cum-candy vending machine (top left) made by Japanese amusement machine maker Yoshikazu Endo, which is on display at the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of History, and a replica of Japan's first automatic wooden horse.

This photo was shared by Amusement Press in 2009.