I was able to purchase a very rare pachinko board from 1948. It did not come with a stand.
1948 のど自慢テストスタヂオ (Nodo Jiman Test Studio) by 山田製作所 (Yamada seisakusho)
It started out quite filthy. The image does not quite do the dirt justice, but there where layers of grime.
Using small careful strokes and a mild solvent I was able to get much of the surface grime off, with minimal wear to the background.
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| after the first pass of cleaning. |
We are lucky to find an advertisement for this exact machine! This was published in November 1948.
Taken from the latest book by Kazuo Sugiyama:
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| パチンコ四部作完結編 コリントゲーム史 (Pachinko tetralogy final edition: CORINTHIAN game history) by Kazuo Sugiyama |
NHKのど自慢 (NHK Nodo Jiman) is a singing competition that began broadcasting in 1946. It was broadcast on NHK Radio which has the call sign JOAK, the letters we can see across the background:
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| it is easier to note the JOAK when using a flash |
The first national Nodo Jiman contest took place in March 1948, and was won by 笠置シヅ子 (Shizuko Kasagi), lovingly known as the Queen of Boogie Woogie.
NHK Nodo Jiman is still being made today! And in 2023 NHK released a television series called ブギウギ (Boogie Woogie) based on the life of Shizuko Kasagi,
「焼け跡のラジオ」展 ("Radio in the Ruins" Exhibition) at 日本ラジオ博物館 (Japan Radio Museum) gives an excellent overview of the radios in Japan in the late 1940s.
NHK also has a Museum of Broadcasting which can provide some essential context.
I am told the metal pocket graphics would have been lithographed on a poor quality zinc plate, but most of it is now worn off. It is very hard to see, but there are still faded lines from the illustrations:
This appears to be an illustration of Shizuko Kasagi, based on a photograph of her at the contest. I assume that this picture was printed in any newspapers at the time.
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| 第1回NHKのど自慢全国コンクールで歌う笠置シヅ子さん＝共立講堂で1948年3月21日、桜井敬哉撮影 Shizuko Kasagi singing at the first NHK National Singing Contest, March 21, 1948, at Kyoritsu Auditorium. Photo by Takaya Sakurai. |
I got in touch with Jean, who previously vectorized the artwork for Japanese Ball Game for my Tamakorogashi article (check in the Toys section), and she worked to digitally trace the lines that were there.
I am very grateful for their efforts in helping to digitally restore the old image. It involved taking a number of photos from different angles and different lighting conditions to try and find all of the line remnants. The NHK letters were even hard to notice until you cross your eyes a bit, but there they are. :)
The 1948 original illustration had the NHK logo on a slant, which is curious because the NHK logo was officially firmly upright until 1962.
The above image traces just what can be seen on the plate. Here is an early pass, including more embellishment of what might have been there:
This playfield pocket cover has two bells:
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| is that an accordion above the bells? |
this one appears to have 3 bells at the bottom, a piano in the center, and a music staff with notes along the top background.
Two NHKのど自慢 photos from 1948... (thank you @michelentongs)
These come from Radio Yearbook Shôwa 23 Edition from NHK Publishing.
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| 1948-02-29 Sendai (JOHK is the NHK network sign for Sendai NHK) I am told this competition was for the Sendai district |
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| 1948-03-22 Tôkyô Kyôritsu auditorium のど自慢全国コンクール (Nodo Jiman Nationwide Competition) |
Nido Jiman was all about ringing the bells! The better you did, the more bells they rang. Novel at the time, this machine had an extra bell at the back so every shot rang the single bell on the left.
Winning balls would collide with the lower bell on their way to the payout tray. Having a bell here appears to be normal for 1948.
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| full shot of the back of the machine |
The payout mechanism is intact and moves fine. I think this machine could easily be made functional again.
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| full shot of the front of the machine, as it sits now. |
If you try and focus on the nails, you'll notice that the nails themselves also form a bell!
It might be slightly easier to see from an angle:
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| the nails form an image of a bell |
The NPM shooter plate:
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| Other hardware, all cleaned up |
Check out an original 78 RPM pressing:
東京ブギウギ - 笠置シヅ子（1948)
Tokyo Boogie Woogie - Shizuko Kasagi (1948)
And then a modern video, I believe released for the NHK TV show:
I am not a scholar of Japanese culture, but I wonder if this machine still has some cultural significance? If there is a place for it, I would like to donate it to a museum or cultural center. It is not in very good condition though, so I doubt it would be of much interest. It is interesting for the image that is uncovered and the story that it allows us tell about the rise of popular culture in post-war Japan. If you have questions or know of a good home for it, please comment below or send me an email.
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