photo: シグマ (Sigma) bingo pinball at ビンゴイン池袋 (Bingo-In Ikebukuro), circa late 1980s

The following photograph was shared by @PokerSintra in cooperation with @kiwilovelove. (archive)

ビンゴイン池袋 (Bingo-In Ikebukuro)

They commented:

西一番街ピース座2階に入居していました
1990年に再開発のため建替えられています

Machine translation:

It was located on the 2nd floor of the Peace Theater in Nishi Ichiban-gai.
It was rebuilt in 1990 due to redevelopment.

Pin-up Girls was released in 1986 and I believe that is the latest machine we can see.  That means this photograph was taken between 1986 and 1990.

For many of these machines, this photo is now the best image we have of them!  I am grateful to see it and thank you for letting me share it.  In the eremeka tool you can see our progress documenting the Sigma bingo pinball machines.

left side bingo machines:
Andromeda
Rebecca
Atlantis
Pinup Girls
Queen of the Knight

 

1985 Andromeda - アンドロメダ by シグマ (Sigma)

1985 Rebecca - レベッカ by シグマ (Sigma)

1984 Atlantis - アトランティス by シグマ (Sigma)

 

1986 Pin-Up Girls - ピンナップガールズ by シグマ (Sigma)

1985 Queen of the Knight -クインオブ ザナイト by シグマ (Sigma)

right side bingo machines:
Miss America (Bally)
??
County Fair (Bally)
Roller Derby (Bally)
Kasandra
El Dorado

1976 Miss America Supreme by Bally

1959 County Fair by Bally

1960 Roller Derby (Bally)

1985 Kasandra - カサンドラ by シグマ (Sigma)

1985 El Dorado - エルドラド by シグマ (Sigma)

1986 Pin-Up Girls - ピンナップガールズ by シグマ (Sigma)

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.

price list from 中村製作所 (Nakamura Seisakusho) [presumed 1970]

There was an auction on YJA for a Nakamura Seisakusho price list that appears to be from 1970. (YJA - archive)

original image from listing

cropped and warped

Thank you to tweakbod @ GamingAlexandria for transcribing the parts I couldn't read!

Transcription:

価格表
■ゲーム機械
レーサー…………………………¥ 450,000
30テスト…………………………¥ 185,000
ミニコンピューター……………¥ 240,000
バルジ大作戦……………………¥1,800,000
ペリスコープ……………………¥1,800,000
ベースボール……………………¥ 265,000
浪人……………………¥260,000
プレイランド……………………¥260,000
エアーファイター………………¥395,000
ニューコンバットガン…………¥320,000
サファリガン……………………¥320,000
ミニドライブ M型………………¥220,000
ミニドライブ MA型………………¥250,000
ホッケーゲーム……………………¥120,000
■小型乘物
バンビ………………¥80,000
ダンボ………………¥80,000
ミッキーマウス……¥80,000
ライオン……………¥80,000
ドンガバチョ………¥80,000
トラヒゲ……………¥80,000
バス…………………¥80,000
ワンチャン…………¥75,000
スワン………………¥75,000
アヒル………………¥75,000
ヒヨコ………………¥75,000
スポーツカー………¥75,000

■中型乘物
化学消防車……………………¥180,000
ひかり号………………………¥180,000
ボーイング 727号……………¥180,000
海のパトロール………………¥180,000
宇宙パトロール………………¥180,000
ハイウェイパトロール………¥180,000
ジェット戦斗機………………¥185,000
ミニカー（1セット3台）…¥360,000 

Machine translation:

Price List

■Game Machines

Racer…………………………¥450,000

30 Test…………………………¥185,000

Mini Computer………………¥240,000

Battle of the Bulge……………………¥1,800,000

Periscope……………………¥1,800,000

Baseball……………………¥265,000

Ronin……………………¥260,000

Playland……………………¥260,000

Air Fighter………………¥395,000

New Combat Gun………………¥320,000

Safari Gun……………………¥320,000

Mini Drive M………………¥220,000

Mini Drive MA type………………¥250,000

Hockey game……………………¥120,000

■Small vehicles

Bambi………………¥80,000

Dumbo………………¥80,000

Mickey Mouse…………¥80,000

Lion………………¥80,000

Donga Bacho…………¥80,000

Torahige………………¥80,000

Bus……………………¥80,000

One Chance…………¥75,000

Swan………………¥75,000

Duck………………¥75,000

Chick………………¥75,000

Sports car…………¥75,000

■Medium vehicles

Chemical fire truck………………¥180,000

Hikari……………………¥180,000

Boeing No. 727……………¥180,000

Sea Patrol………………¥180,000

Space Patrol………………¥180,000

Highway Patrol…………¥180,000

Jet Fighter………………¥185,000

Minicar (1 set of 3)…¥360,000

What can we learn here?  I am not very interested in kiddie rides, so I will focus on the game machines.

Racer (1970) is the hallmark machine, at 450k for the single game.  A full 55,000 yen pricier than Kasco's Air Fighter from 1970.

I have Racer, MiniCom, and 30 Test all as 1970 machines and they lead this list off.  There exists a Nakamura flyer that then has the next two large installation games, Battle of The Bulge (1968) and Periscope (1966).  At 1.8 million yen, they are the equivalent of 4 Racer units.

The next 3 are curious: Baseball, Ronin, Playland.  These 3 also show up together, in the same order, on a Nakamura distribution flyer.

こまや (Komaya) games being sold by 中村製作所 (Nakamura Seisakusho)

We only have circumstantial and design evidence, but at this point I am fairly confident that Ronin is a こまや (Komaya) game.

The final 6 games are by Kansai Seiki.  The only revelation here is that Safari Gun is listed, and previously the earliest date I had recorded for that was 1971, so I will bump it forward a year to 1970.  I am very confident this flyer is in fact from 1970, but I feel it's important to show my work so that my assumptions can be untangled by future researchers.

It is interesting to see Combat Gun being referred to as New Combat Gun, presumably to differentiate from their Combat gun game from the late 1960s.  But we don't see it written like that in other sources, AFAIK.

Takaraonsen Takarazuka 宝塚宝温泉 and arcade machines in Japan before WW1

This article gathers a few of the earliest references to coin amusement machines in Japan.  We introduce evidence that coin amusement machines were advertised to Japan as early as 1907.

This is from the wonderful book ミニドライブ大百科 (Mini-Drive Encyclopedia).  It features a wonderful postcard from Takarazuka Takaraonsen.  The text claims that coin amusement machines were being imported in the 1910s.  I do not know the year of the postcard.  It would be easy to assume it was from the 1910s but one can easily be off by a decade when trying to assess century-old postcards without any date information on them.  If there is a way to verify the dates of the postcard, please get in touch!  Maybe one can be found with a postmark.   I am told by Sugiyama-san that this postcard is believed to be from 1913.

from ミニドライブ大百科 (Mini-Drive Encyclopedia)

There is now evidence that coin machines were being imported as early as 1907.  These two advertisements appear in the Sun Trade Journal, a publication from Tokyo that was also distributed to parts of the USA.  While this indicates Mills and Watling advertised to a Japanese audience, it is not solid proof that those machines were in Japan.  

1907-06-01 The Sun Trade Journal

Transcription:

合眾國イリノイス州シカゴ

ミルスノベルチー會社

此の関に示す自働計力器械に當社にて製造せられ最も流行 せるものなり、穴口へ一の貨幣を入る、時に袋に引きさ れ得べく之をこぶしにて打つ時に器械に附着せる計力器に 其の力の量を表にして袋にカットに示す位地に復して再び 貨幣を穴に入る、に非ずば使用する他にず

○代償は岡ひ合されたし英獨佛四の四國語何れにてもよし

English text + Machine translation:

Mills Novelty Company.

Chicago, Ill., U.S.A.

Manufacturers of every variety of slot machines.

Chicago, Illinois, United States

Mills Novelty Company

The automatic counting instrument shown here is one of the most popular and manufactured by our company, and when a coin is inserted into the opening, it is sometimes drawn into a bag and then attached to the instrument when struck with a fist. There is no other way to use it than to put the coin into the hole again by putting the amount of force on the meter and returning it to the position shown on the cut in the bag.

○The compensation was paid, so it doesn't matter if it's in English or in four languages.

F.C. 222

Source:

1907-06-01 The Sun Trade Journal

This is a classic Mills Bag Puncher machine

Mills Punching Bag Machine
1906 Mills Novelty catalogue

Mills Bag Punching Machine
1903 Mills Novelty catalogue

2024-10-04: 

Here is another photograph of the bag punching machine in Japan at Takarazuka Shin Onsen:

caption: 28年頃、宝塚新温泉・遊戯場のようす (Takarazuka Shin Onsen amusement park around 1928)
via

And another machine, this one by Watling:

1908-09-01 The Sun Trade Journal

Transcription:

ワトリング製造會社

⚪︎當會社ハ鑄造工作機械ノ最モ上等ナルモノヲ製造仕候

⚪︎ 當會社ノ電信略號

English parts plus machine translation:

Watling Manufacturing Co. Inc

153-59 W. Jackson Boulevard, CHICAGO, ILLS., U.S.A.

Watling Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

⚪︎ Our company manufactures foundry machinery and the highest quality equipment

⚪︎ Our club’s telegraphic address

"Watlingite-Chicago."  F.C. 247.

Source:

1908-09-01 The Sun Trade Journal

The machine pictured appears to be a 1902 Watling floor scale, except with an ornate cast portion in the center.

1902 Guess Your Weight wood floor scale by Watling

This cast in the center matches what we see on early 1900s slot machines that have a music player inside them.

Here is one example of a machine with such a cast:

1899 Double Dewey by Mills - via Morphy

1899 Double Dewey by Mills - via Morphy
this cast matches the Watling scale's center cast

Here is a proper view of the Takarazuka onsen postcard:

Takaraonsen Takarazuka 宝塚宝温泉娯楽機械 (Takarazuka Takara Onsen Entertainment Machine)
presumed 1913

What machines can we see here?

1904 Mdme. Neville Palmist by Mills - collection of Bob Yorburg

The one in Japan does not have any marquee or hand sign.  We can tell it has the 3D owl at the front, though.  Another copy of this machine is on the Morphy site, but that one has a flat lower graphic.

these same machines are also found on the facing wall

1904 The Cathedral stereo viewer by Mills via Morphy (see also)

1904 Cail-O-Scope by Caille Bros - via Morphy

1900 Illusion by Mills [John Papa recreation: not an original copy] - via Morphy

There is at least one more machine to identify, with copies on both sides, though all we can see is the rough shape.

It either has a ledge, or is a smaller machine sitting on a stand.

Another postcard from the onsen, this one shows the teeter-totters:

If you have any materials related to Japan and arcades (invoices, import/export slips, price lists, advertisements, regional flyers,) especially if before 1970, especially if before WW2, and ESPECIALLY if before WW1, please get in touch!  Email me thetastates@gmail.com