Pachinko Evolution

[emmadog]

Glossary
Renpatsushiki- repeating type or successive shots type
Junkanshiki- cyclical type or rotary type
Mujinki- unmanned machine
Komono- gadget; small article; accessory

1946- 1964 From Komono to the Masamura Gauge

Showa 21--> Showa 39
After the war, the 9 year period from Showa 21 until the Renpatsushiki was disallowed in Showa 29 was what could be called the Pachinko industry’s period of rapid growth. With such new machine types as the “All 15”, “All 20”, “Renpatsushiki”, and “Junkanshiki”, the progress of Pachinko machines was striking. Although the “Yakumono #1” was also developed during the slump period that followed the banning of the Renpatsushiki, when all is said and done, the “Masamura Gauge” invented by Masamura Takeichi and the “Mujinki” invented by Shimizu Kazuji were the great inventions that laid the foundations for the development of today’s Pachinko industry. It was the Pachinko industry’s first golden age.
*bara-kugi- spread-out nails
*Komono* The oldest type of Pachinko machine, the Komono was a pioneer of Pachinko after the war. These machines were called “bara-kugi* on account of the approximately 340 nails uniformly arrayed on the front of the board, and in comparison to present day boards it took longer for balls to become out. There are 25 prize pockets in total, with balls entering the pockets awarding 3 balls for an upper tier pocket, 2 in the middle tier and 1 in the bottom tier. At a time when light color tones were mainstream, the vivid (although by now it has faded) orange cell sheet was beautiful, and the frame really had the feeling of being hand-made and possessed of a certain warmth. (Showa 21, Masamura Shokai)
*Medal-type* Medal-type Pachinko existed before the war, and for a while after the war it was still the more common type. Surprisingly, there was a concentration of makers in Nagano prefecture, and the area around Matsumoto and Ueda was the center. When medals are inserted into the hole on the right, the balls that the player will fire come out, and winners are rewarded with medals instead of balls. Colorful flower hattari decorated the prize pockets and made it fun. As for prizes, 1 medal was worth 2 yen. (Showa 26, Heiwa Kogyo)
*Lottery* Inspired by the “Revival Lottery” that debuted in Showa 21, this machine displayed 0*1*2*3 in the upper area of the board, and when balls entered prize pockets flags would stand in the top windows. When a set of 4 flags was made, 50 prize balls would come out as a special prize. The board surface was made of tin plate, giving these machines the image of being the heavy tanks of Pachinko. (Showa 22, Masamura Shokai)
*Note:The pics are not necessarily in the order of the individual descriptions above.