~1965 カーニバル (carnival) by カトウ (Kato)

Name: カーニバル (carnival)
Year: ~1965
Company: カトウ (Kato)

Carnival was a cork-gun shooting gallery, and the first machine released by Kato after having left 日本遊園設備 (Japan amusement park equipment).  Kato-san left in 1964 but says he spent "nearly a year" doing welding work at a factory, which is why I assume that Carnival is from approximately 1965.

Amusement Journal 2015-11

Transcription:

だが、計画的に独立したわけではないので仕事はなにもない。幼い一人娘も育てていかなくてはならない。自宅の近所に一部上場の電気機器メーカー・岩崎通信機の工場があったので、加藤氏は何度も足を運んで頭をさげた。ようやくわけてもらえた仕事は、岩崎通信機の下請けの下請けから回ってくる1個1円のハンダ付け作業。いわゆるひ孫請けである。栄子氏の妹さんにも手伝いにきてもらい、昼も夜も作業に没頭した。しかし家賃さえまかなえない状態。食事は毎日メザシの質素なものだった。

そうした状況が一年近く続いた。さすがにこれでは食えないと思い、加藤氏はゲーム作りを再開させる。やはり自信があるのはゲーム機開発だ。資本金100万円を用意し、会社も株式会社に組織変更した。最初に手掛けたのはコルク銃を使った射的ゲーム。完成した製品は遊園地経営のトーゴなどに買ってもらった。「カーニバル」と名付けられた同機は、まだ作りはじめだったこともあってか故障が多く、連絡をもらってはよく修理に出掛けたという。

Machine Translation:

However, since I did not plan to become independent, I have no work to do. I also have to raise my young only daughter. There was a factory of Iwasaki Tsushinki, a partially listed electrical equipment manufacturer, near his home, so Mr. Kato visited it many times and was impressed. The job I was finally given was soldering work, which was provided by a subcontractor of Iwasaki Tsushinki, for 1 yen per piece. This is what is called a great-grandson's request. Eiko's younger sister also came to help, and they devoted themselves to the work day and night. But they can't even cover the rent. Meals were simple, consisting of mezashi every day.

This situation continued for nearly a year. Realizing that this was not enough to make a living, Mr. Kato resumed making games. What I'm most confident about is game console development. With a capital of 1 million yen, the company was reorganized into a stock company. The first game I worked on was a shooting game using a cork gun. The completed products were purchased by amusement park operators such as Togo. The plane, which was named Carnival, had many breakdowns, perhaps because it was still in the early stages of production, and he often went out to repair it when he received calls.

1960 宇宙戦争ゲーム (space war game)

Name: 宇宙戦争ゲーム (space war game)
Year: ~1960
Company: unknown

Currently, the only record of this game existing is from the movie ぽんこつ (Ponkotsu). We can't tell much about the game except that it is a large shooting gallery setup.  There are at least 2 globes hanging from the ceiling that are slowly rotating at the speed of a mirror ball, but those might just be decoration.

ぽんこつ (Ponkotsu)

The scene is dimly lit, but if you look at the background you can see this sign:

It appears to be a projectile shooting range titled 宇宙戦争ゲーム (space war games).

This scene is filmed at 後楽園ゆうえんち (Korakuen Yuenchi) which opened in 1955. (archive)

note the "G" on the right.  This matches the Game Center sign beneath:

this photo had the caption:
【1960年】遊び（昭和35年）▷　ゲームセンター・遊園地 (archive)
[1960] Play (1960) ▷ Game center/amusement park

1968 宇宙大冒険 (Space Adventure) [宇宙大要塞 (Space Fortress)] by 中村製作所 (Nakamura Seisakusho)

Name: 宇宙大冒険 (Space Adventure) [also known as 宇宙大要塞 (Space Fortress)]
Year: 1968
Company: 中村製作所 (Nakamura Seisakusho)

One Namco publication lists 宇宙大要塞 (Space Fortress) for 1968.

The Namco Electromechanical Encyclopedia does not include this game at all in any of their lists.

Nours magazine issue # 51, published in 1993, had a feature on Shoot Away II, which included a brief history of Namco gun games.

宇宙大冒険 (Space Adventure)

In the photo we can see the machine is correctly labeled but different from the earlier list.  I think this is the machine the list had in mind.  Either they made a mistake in the name, or there is perhaps an alternate version with the other name.

For the time being, I am going to assume that these are the same game.

Nours 51

1975 Duck Shoot - ダック・シュート by セガ (Sega)

Name: Duck Shoot - ダック・シュート
Year: 1975
Company: セガ (Sega) 

The year of this game was confirmed to me by someone with experience at Sega.  I had seen it in a Sega catalogue that was printed around 1975, but I had never found any confirmation before.

This game does not appear in any of the machine directories, nor have I ever seen any magazines advertisements for it.

In November 1974, the game Duck Shooting was released by US Billiards at the MOA show.

Cash Box magazine 1974-11-09

Cash Box magazine 1974-11-16

Colour flyer for Duck Shooting, and we can see it is extremely similar to Duck Shoot

We can see the graphics were copied, but done in a slight stylistic variation.

1974 Duck Shooting by US Billiards

1975 Duck Shoot by Sega

1972 Target Bowling - ターゲットボーリング by 栗田技研 (Kurita Giken) & タイトー (Taito)

 

Name: Target Bowling - ターゲットボーリング

Year: 1972

Company: 栗田技研 (Kurita Giken) & タイトー (Taito)

Target Bowling was manufactured by 栗田技研 (Kurita Giken) but is listed by タイトー (Taito) in their history of games:

from the Taito 40th Anniversary book

This game was also distributed by arcade operator マル三商会 (Marusan Shokai), but I think Taito is more famous for it.

This game is used in a scene in 愛欲の罠 (1973):

I would like to highlight how great this graphic design is:

this would be very difficult to do in 1972!

1973 machine directory listing

1972 アーチェリー (archery) by タイトー (Taito)

 

Name: アーチェリー (archery)

Year: 1972
Company: タイトー (Taito)

This is from a tweet by onemoretimec:

1972 listed as the year

this publication says 1973

archery range posted by Taito on their 70th Anniversary webpage.  (archive)
"日本初の自動アーチェリーセンター オープン"
(September 1972: Japan's first automatic archery center opens)

The archery range was installed in bowling alleys.  During the 1960s there were also archery ranges in bowling alleys in the USA.

One of the bows had been sold at auction.  This tells us that the bows were made by a company called American Archery from Oconto Falls, Wisconsin, USA.  60" is the size of the bow.

found via a cached auction page (archive)

Another bow, from this tweet by aw11tribology (archive): 

The American Archery logo appears to be printed in the same manner as the Taito logo.  I assume they were a custom order, and that the Taito logo was added by American Archery.

There is a lovely site that has the American Archery catalogues scanned and available online. (archive)

In the 1965 catalog, the company had a different logo, and were located in Clarendon Hills, Illinois.

In the 1966-1967 catalogue they are now listed as being in Oconto Falls, Wisconsin.  They still have the old logo.

This catalogue introduces the Flash model bow.

from the 1966-1967 American Archery catalogue

In the 1968 catalogue, we finally see the logo that matches the Taito bow, and we can clearly see the similarly-styled writing on it.

Flash is one of the few 60" bows ever sold.  In all of the catalogues it is the only 60" bow that looks similar to the Taito bow.  It is also advertised as being perfect for beginners, so it is an ideal bow for a bowling alley archery range.

Here is the Flash bow from the 1972 catlogue.  The only thing different on the Taito bow is that it does not appear to have the inset wood on the grip.  This inset piece appears on every other American Archery bow.

Flash bow by American Archery, from the 1972 catalogue

zooming in

1972 Safari Rifle Range - サファリーライフルマン by タイトー (Taito)

Name: Safari Rifle Range - サファリーライフルマン

Year: 1972
Company: タイトー (Taito)

In the Taito 40th anniversary book we have these 2 photos:

Both photos are listed as from 1973.  The top photo says Safari Rifle Range.  The bottom photo is labeled as アーチェリー (archery).  These photos also appear in this article on bowling.  This is from a tweet by onemoretimec:

The archery ranges were being installed in bowling alleys, as the bowling boom waned.

But this publication says the photos are from 1972.

1972 listed as the year

In a 1972 issue of Amusement we also see this photo, entitled シューテイングシステム (Shooting system).  This is probably most of the same technology, but a huge difference is that this shows a single pedestal, versus the extended (bowling alley sized) lineup of Safari Rifle Range.  This pedestal also has coin doors.  I am unable to discern if the unit on top of the pedestal is the exact same kind as used in Safari Rifle Range.

1972 シューテイングシステム (Shooting system) by タイトー (Taito)

Astronauts - 宇宙探検 (Space Exploration) by 日本遊園設備 (Japan amusement park equipment)

 

Name: Astronauts - 宇宙探検 (Space Exploration)
Year: around 1967
Manufacturer: ナムコ (Namco)

These images are from ザ・ガードマン (The Guard Man) episode 118 (大泥棒一家) which aired in 1967.  (please see article: exploring the arcades in a few Japanese TV shows for information on all of the machines shown.)

sign can be seen in the upper left-hand corner.

On the flyer for the shooting gallery game 荒野の決斗 (Duel in the Wilderness) by 日本遊園設備 (Japan amusement park equipment) we have this text lists 3 different backdrops this can be set up.

舞台絵は「荒野の決斗」「西 部開拓史」「宇宙探検」等御要望により 色々な絵にかえられます

The stage picture can be changed to various pictures such as "Decision in the Wilderness", "History of Western Development", "Space Exploration", etc.

I am making the assumption that the Space Exploration we see in the show is the alternate 宇宙探検 listed in this flyer, and so it is by 日本遊園設備 (Japan amusement park equipment).  I am also making the assumption that these were released around the same time, making 1967 the year that approximately anchors both Space Exploration and Wilderness Decision.

The dimensions and setup of Astronauts: Space Exploration that we see in The Guard Man very closely matches that of Duel In The Wilderness.

Please note: there is a 1968 game by 中村製作所 (Nakamura Seisakusho) game called 宇宙大要塞 (Space Fortress).  That is another game that is a large shooting gallery.