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.