~1967 Basket Game - バスケットゲーム by カトウ (Kato)

Name: Basket Game - バスケットゲーム

Year: 1967 or earlier
Manufacturer: カトウ (Kato)  [Maybe. See below.]

Basket Game is a good example of a machine where we have lots of information about it, but it is still hard to say anything definitively.  The game is controlled by buttons on the front control panel, which kick a ball upwards and hopefully into the basket.

In a prior "arcade exploration" post we saw Basket Game show up in this arcade from ザ・ガードマン (Guard Man) episode 118 大泥棒一家].

ザ・ガードマン (Guard Man) episode 118 大泥棒一家]

Basket Game - バスケットゲーム

This episode aired in 1967.

This machine appears in the 1969 machine directory:

In the back, the game is listed under the カトウ (Kato) company information:

If we look to the 三共 (Sankyo) information though, we also see バスケットゲーム:

This does not seem too odd, as Sankyo lists a number of machines that are seemingly made by other manufacturers.  The role of distributor and manufacturer is often not clear, and many companies sold machines made by other companies.

The 1972 machine directory says it is by.... 日本自動販売 (Japan vending machine)

This flyer says 児童遊園設備 (Children's amusement park equipment) at the bottom.

this flyer does not have a company listed, but the game is advertised alongside サッカー8 (エイト)  (Soccer 8), which is listed as by カトウ (Kato) in both the 1969 and 1972 machine directories.

In an interview in Amusement Journal, Basket Game (バスケットゲーム) is listed as one of the games made by Kato.

Amusement Journal 2015-11

So I am fairly confident Kato is the manufacturer here, but that it was also sold by many different companies.