so I bought a pinball machine: exploring pachinko in Japanese cinema... part 1

We do a lot of "pin spotting" and finding which movies show which pinball machines, but I went and searched for movies that had "pachinko" mentioned somewhere. I wanted to see what the Japanese cinematic take on pachinko was.

In this post I'll be looking at Japanese movies and posting screen-captures of scenes with pachinko. I will be doing a separate post to really focus on foreign cinema's take on pachinko in Japan.

20th century American movies that show pinball in a prominent way often use it to underscore the trouble-makers and youth culture led astray. There is certainly a similar heavy strain of that through Japanese movies that have pachinko.

Pachinko is a form of gambling, and the tradition is more aligned with American cinema that focuses on gambling. That is, central themes of delinquency, gangsters, and addiction are common.

While in earlier movies pachinko is far more social and entertainment, late films sometimes depict pachinko as a metaphor for emptiness, despair, and just giving up, something you might see alcoholism fill the space for in an American movie. While never looked at naively, some of the earlier films at least have a more sympathetic and romantic framing of pachinko. Characters using pachinko as a social backdrop is far more inviting than the later imagery of pachinko as metaphor for despair.

This post will end up being nothing more than just a visual examination of movies that have pachinko in them, it isn't intended as a thesis of any sort. I won't add a lot of comments, but I will try and add some context as we go.

This list is not meant to be comprehensive, just a scattering of movies I found through various methods searching for pachinko information. That said, if you have a movie with pachinko to recommend, please do reply!

We're going to go in chronological order, here is a quick summary of what's inside:

1949 - 野良犬 / Nora inu (Stray Dog)

1949 - 私刑（リンチ） (Rinchi)
1952 - お茶漬けの味 / Ochazuke no aji (The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice)
1952 - 東京の恋人 / Tôkyô no koibito (Tokyo Sweetheart)
1952 - 生きる / Ikiru (To Live)

1952 - 本日休診 / Honjitsu kyûshin (Doctor's Day Off)

1952 - 大当りパチンコ娘 / Oatari pachinko musume (Jackpot Pachinko Girl)

1957 - 東京暮色 / Tōkyō boshoku (Tokyo Twilight)
1957 - 警視庁物語上野発五時三五分 / Keishichō monogatari Ueno-hatsu 5:35am (Metropolitan Police Department Story: 5:35am from Ueno)
1959 - べらんめえ芸者 / Beran me-e geisha (‎The Prickly Mouthed Geisha)

1960 - 女獣 / Mejû (Woman Beast)
1961 - 豚と軍艦 / Buta To Gunkan (Pigs and Battleships)

1961 - 警視庁物語１２人の刑事 / Keishichô monogatari: jûni-nin no keiji (Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Story: 12 Detectives)

1962 - キューポラのある街 (Foundry Town)

1962 - 恋と太陽とギャング / Koi to Taiyo to Gang (Love, Sunshine and Gangsters)

1963 - 暗黒街の顔役十一人のギャング / Ankokugai no kaoyaku: juichinin no gyangu (The eleven gangsters who ruled the underworld)

1963 - 若い東京の屋根の下 / Wakai Tokyo no yane no shita (Under the roofs of young Tokyo)

1963 - 何か面白いことないか / Nanika omoroi koto nai ka
1964 - 夜の片鱗 / Yoru no Henrin (The Shape of Night)
1968 - 喜劇初詣列車 / Kigeki hatsumoude resha (Comedy Hatsumode Train)
1968 - (秘)トルコ風呂 / Maruhi toruko buro (Secret Turkish Bath)

1969 - 現代やくざ与太者仁義 Gendai Yakuza Yotamono Jingi (A Modern Yakuza The Code of The Lawless)

1969 - 関東テキヤ一家 / Kantô Tekiya ikka (Kanto Street Peddlers)

1970 - ずべ公番長夢は夜ひらく / Zubekô banchô: yume wa yoru hiraku (Delinquent Girl Boss: Blossoming Night Dreams)

1974 - ㊙色情めす市場 (Maruhi) shikijô mesu ichiba (Secret Chronicle - She Beast Market)
1975 - 濡れた欲情　ひらけ！チューリップ (Wet Lust: Opening the Tulip)
1976 - やくざの墓場　くちなしの花 / Yakuza no Hakaba: Kuchinashi no Hana (Yakuza Graveyard)

1976 - やさぐれ刑事 / Yasagure Keiji (Outlaw Cop)
1976 - 君よ憤怒の河を渉れ / Kimi yo Fundo no Kawa o Watare (Manhunt)
1976 - トラック野郎天下御免 / Torakku yarô: tenka gomen (Trucker Yaro IV: Fully Licensed)
1977 - 男はつらいよ寅次郎頑張れ! / Otoko wa Tsurai yo: Torajirō Gambare! (Tora-san Plays Cupid)
1977 - トラック野郎度胸一番星 / Torakku yarô: Dokyô ichiban hoshi (Trucker Yaro V: The courageous star)
1979 - 復讐するは我にあり / Fukushū Suru wa Ware ni Ari (Vengeance Is Mine)
1987 - マルサの女 / Marusa no onna (A Taxing Woman)
1996 - Shall we ダンス / ? (Shall We Dance?)
1997 - ワイルドライフ (Wild Life)
1999 - どんてん生活 / Donten seikatsu (Hazy Life)
2000 - 殺し / Koroshi (Film Noir)
2000 - はつ恋 / Hatsukoi (First Love)
2004 - 下妻物語 / Shimotsuma monogatari (Kamikaze Girls)
2007 - 国道20号線 / Kokudo 20gosen (Off Highway 20)
2009 - カイジ / カイジ　人生逆転ゲーム / Kaiji: Jinsei gyakuten gêmu (Kaiji: The Ultimate Gambler)
2011 - カイジ2 人生奪回ゲーム (Kaiji 2: The Ultimate Gambler)
2013 - そして泥船はゆく / Soshite dorobune wa yuku (And the Mud Ship Sails Away)
2014 - そこのみにて光輝く / Soko nomi nite hikari kagayaku (The Light Shines Only There)
2020 - マザー (Mother)

Here is a list of movies I am actively searching for. Please let me know if you have a copy.

WANTED:

1933 - 純情の都 (Junjo no miyako)

1956 - 弥次喜多道中記 (Travel Chronicles of Yaji and Kita)

1962 - ちんじゃらじゃら物語 / Chinjarajara Monogatari

1963 - 虎の子作戦 (Operation Torako)

1963 - ぐれん隊純情派 (Gurentai Junjyôha)

1949 - 野良犬 / Nora inu (Stray Dog)

pinball machines from 1933-1936, most likely. No backbox, but with a nice basic geometric shape on the side. ~~Will update later when I figure out which pinball machine that is.~~
I have identified this machine:
1949 欧米式マーブル電装野球遊技器 (Western-style marble electric baseball game machine) by 鈴富 (Suzutomi)

I can't stress enough how awesome these 1940s machines are

very few of these pre-masamura gauge machines survive

1949 - 私刑（リンチ） (Rinchi)

more from Rinchi at the Arcade Exploration post

1952 - お茶漬けの味 / Ochazuke no aji (The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice)

people banging on stuck machines seems to be a recurring theme

I love the shots of the attendants working behind the aisles

living room pachinko!

I love this shot

1952 - 東京の恋人 / Tôkyô no koibito (Tokyo Sweetheart)

no pachinko machines in this movie

but it does have this awesome woman picking up a crate of balls

...and tossing them at a pachinko office worker, and out the window

notable here are the pachinko posters on the wall

and more scenery

1952 - 生きる / Ikiru (To Live)

the first film I saw that includes a closeup of the pachinko playfield

obviously trying to draw the viewer into the nature of the game

Establishing shots done, time for a thesis

another great shot

1952 - 本日休診 / Honjitsu kyûshin (Doctor's Day Off)

I always love shots that show off the attendants

1952 - 大当りパチンコ娘 / Oatari pachinko musume (Jackpot Pachinko Girl)

for more images from Jackpot Pachinko Girl please check the Arcade Exploration post

1957 - 東京暮色 / Tōkyō boshoku (Tokyo Twilight)

more banging on machines to unstick balls and get the attendant's attention

1957 - 警視庁物語上野発五時三五分 / Keishichō monogatari Ueno-hatsu 5:35am (Metropolitan Police Department Story: 5:35am from Ueno)

electric buzzers and light to call the attendant

5 heads popping up from the back aisles is a record!

in the back you can see a half-gauge machine

1959 - べらんめえ芸者 / Beran me-e geisha (‎The Prickly Mouthed Geisha)

more banging

cashing out balls for canned food

when these winnings are unveiled in another scene, there is the sound of a pachinko jackpot heard

1960 - 女獣 / Mejû (Woman Beast)

I love shots that show the layout of parlors and how people worked behind the aisles

man on the left is carrying his prizes

note the mechanical ball dispenser on the prize table

1961 - 豚と軍艦 / Buta To Gunkan (Pigs and Battleships)

note the naval graphics and the USA and Japan flags

an excellent shot behind the pachinko aisles

1961 - 警視庁物語１２人の刑事 / Keishichô monogatari: jûni-nin no keiji (Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Story: 12 Detectives)

shots of the nail adjusters working intently will always delight

buckets of balls in front of them, and a ball dispenser on the counter

pachinko repair workshop at the back of the parlor

notice in the background there is a man working on a pachinko machine, and the machine is facing us

the machine is then rotated back in position, so we see the back of it here.

Pachinko Sun Star

This is just an amazing view!

1962 - キューポラのある街 (Foundry Town)

this is a great scene that takes us behind the pachinko rows

1962 - 恋と太陽とギャング / Koi to Taiyo to Gang (Love, Sunshine and Gangsters)

(note: the stills were quite dark so I lightened the levels of the images)

No banging on the machine! It won't help!

love to see the behind-the-aisles workers

nice use of perspective

including this scene because of the slot machines

and this wonderful gambling den

the chasis appears to be a Jennings Chief

I do not think the typical "Wild Indian" chasis had this shape, so I assume the reels and card were inserted into the alternate body.

1963 - 暗黒街の顔役十一人のギャング / Ankokugai no kaoyaku: juichinin no gyangu (The eleven gangsters who ruled the underworld)

back room of pachinko parlor

juice vendor

1963 - 若い東京の屋根の下 / Wakai Tokyo no yane no shita (Under the roofs of young Tokyo)

1963 - 何か面白いことないか / Nanika omoroi koto nai ka

1964 - 夜の片鱗 / Yoru no Henrin (The Shape of Night)

1968 - 喜劇初詣列車 / Kigeki hatsumoude resha (Comedy Hatsumode Train)

nice scene-setting

my favourite: calling for help from behind the machines

I love her

It seems the woman in the back has been awarding the guy on the left some bonus wins. Later models of pachinko would develop guards to help prevent this kind of cheating.