Date: 16th January, 2013 Report by: John When we talk about the production of pinball machines, we usually think exclusively of those made in the USA. However, there was a short period of history when Sega - a shortening of the name Service Games - produced its own pinballs at their factory in Tokyo, Japan in the 1970s, under the brand name Sega Enterprises Ltd.

The old Sega logo A total of 25 pinballs were produced from 1971 to 1979 and they were mainly for the local market in Japan. No Title Year Types Players Remark 1 WINNER 1971 EM 1 Available in JGM 2 CRAZY CLOCK 1971 EM 2 Available in JGM 3 CARNIVAL 1971 EM 1 Available in JGM 4 SAPPORO 1971 EM 1 Available in JGM 5 EXPLORER 1972 EM 2 Available in JGM 6 ROBIN HOOD 1972 EM 1 JGM has backbox 7 SURFING 1972 EM 1 Available in JGM 8 ALI BABA

(or Arabian Night for export machines) 1973 EM 2 Available in JGM 9 GALAXY 1973 EM 1 Available in JGM 10 RODEO 1976 SS 2 11 TEMPTATION 1976 SS 1 12 BIG TOGETHER 1977 SS 1 13 NOSTALGIA 1977 SS 2 14 WOMAN-LIB 1977 SS 1 15 SKY LOVER 1977 SS 1 16 MIKOSHI 1977 SS 2 17 MILLIONAIRE 1977 SS 1 18 SOUTHPAW 1977 SS 1 19 SPACE SHUTTLE 1977 SS 2 20 BIG KICK 1978 SS 1 21 MISS NESSIE 1978 SS 1 22 KNOCKOUT BLOW 1978 SS 2 23 MONTE ROSA 1978 SS 4 24 CHA-CHA-CHA 1978 SS 2 25 ADVENTURE 1979 SS 2 In December 2012, I met Bruce Tsuji - the director of the Japan Game Museum (JGM) to talk about the history of Japanese-made pinballs. He shared his knowledge and experience of these forgotten games with me

Bruce Tsuji - the King of Japanese pinballs John: As a pinball lover, I had no idea about these Japanese-made pinballs. Can you tell us a little about their history? Bruce: Sega Japan was producing its own pinballs locally for two short periods of time; 1971-1973 and 1976-1979. The 1970s were the golden age of Japanese-made pinballs. Up until that time, most of the pinballs were made in the USA and the prices were very high. In a typical amusement centre it would cost ￥50 per game for American-made pinballs. This was simply not affordable for most Japanese at that time. As a result, Sega Japan started to produce a series of electromechanical pinballs in 1971. The price of Sega pinballs was only ￥30 per game, and so these became very popular in Japanese society.

Sega's Ali Baba

The playfield from Ali Baba

John: If they were so successful, why did Sega Japan totally stop all pinball production in 1979? Bruce: Sega's pinballs were different from other US-made pinballs in terms of design and technology. Sega's pinballs were well designed and very easy for maintenance, provided you have fully acquired all the necessary knowledge and skills. However, Sega Japan did not provide good support in this area. Therefore, most of their pinballs could not be kept in good working condition. As a result, most of the amusement centres gradually removed those pinballs because they could not earn significant profits from them. I do feel that Sega Japan was good in innovation and technology, but was not good in post-production service and support. I believe this was the root cause of the failure of the pinball business in Japan.

Sega's Crazy Clock with backbox animation

John: It sounds quite sad. Anyway, can you introduce us to your current collection of Sega pinballs in the JGM ? Bruce: My museum has a total of eight fully-functional Sega EM pinballs and one backbox (Robin Hood). In addition, there is a spare 'Carnival' and two spare 'Surfing' pinballs (which can be used for trade-ins if the opportunities arise). I am still on the way to collecting the remaining titles, but it is not easy, since they are 'dinosaurs'.

Sega pinballs at the JGM

More Sega Pinballs

The Robin Hood backbox

John: Which one is the most special? Bruce: The game called 'Sapporo' is a special one, since it is commemorates the Winter Olympics held in Sapporo in 1972. As far as I know, Sega Japan only keeps one Sapporo pinball which they use for exhibition purposes.

Sega's Sapporo

Playfield for Sega's Sapporo

John: I know the parts used in Sega pinballs are unique and no longer available. How are you able to maintain your current Sega pinballs in the JGM? Bruce: Should any of the unique parts in the eight EM pinballs become non-functional, I can still get them from the three spare machines at the JGM. So far, they have remained fully functional without any problems - the durability of Sega pinballs is greater than you might think.

The underside of a Sega pinball

John: What is your purpose in collecting Sega pinballs ? Bruce: As a Japanese native and a pinball lover, I am proud of the golden age of Sega pinballs in 1970s. However, this piece of history has been slowly forgotten by most of us. I just want to ensure the museum can keep a record of this golden age. Sega pinballs are unlike US-made pinballs. It is not difficult to have one US-made pinball as long as you have the money. Sega pinballs, however, are very rare now. I believe that the JGM is the only location where you can both see and play them.

Sega's Winner

John: What do you want to tell both Japanese and non-Japanese pinball lovers about these Japanese-made pinballs ? Bruce: It is simple, just come and play! Running a museum is definitely not a profitable business. I hope that the museum can continue its operations from one generation to the next. However, this requires a break-even in cash flow so that it can cover its operation expenses. I am not money-minded, but it is something to be realistic about.

Sega's Carnival

After our conversation, Bruce showed me the following distinct features of Japanese-made pinballs. Although I had visited the JGM a couple of times, I had not been aware of these. It was Eyes Wide Shut indeed. Japanese-made Sega pinballs US-made pinballs Cover glass can be raised up easily. It is convenient for maintenance. Cover glass needs to be totally slid out. It is not convenient and sometimes dangerous.

Lifting the playfield glass Japanese-made Sega pinballs US-made pinballs Each relay is packaged inside a plastic box. It is a good protection. Nothing to protect the relays.

The relay type used in Japanese Sega pinballs

The relays inside the cabinet Japanese-made Sega pinballs US-made pinballs Bumper motion is forward and backward. The life is long. Bumper motion is up & down.

A Sega bumper Japanese-made Sega pinballs US-made pinballs Slingshots do not require rubber bands. Need to replace the rubber bands on the slingshot after a period of use.

Sega's slingshots For more information about the Japanese Sega pinball machines, see the Japan Game Museum website.

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