shiroaiko

Hi Aidan, I would love to see yours too!

There is a report being titled "大阪府に於ける中小工業の整備：大阪府下中小企業整備実情調査報告" published by The Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in 1943 (Showa18). The report can be reached at https://dl.ndl.go.jp/ja/pid/1058348. The marble part is pp. 75-78. A reference to the July 1941 date is written there. The long title would be translated like this; " The Industrial Readjustment for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses in Osaka; The Fact-Finding Report on the Industrial Readjustment for Small and Medium-sized Businesses Under Osaka Prefecture". Although the title doesn't sound exciting, what it tells would be full of excitements to marble fans. It even talks about the number of marble rolls in Osaka (and Hyogo). Only 3 were in use during the wartime, with other 9 being kept in a storage for the future operation. Other 12 machines had been scrapped by the government. Japan had been suffered from shortages of metals. A joint company of Seike, Nakanishi and Yanagawa was the only one marble factory which was officially approved its operation then.

I'm sorry. The last 3 pictures are not fitting the context. I don't completely understand the photo uploading system here, being a new comer. Those 3 were excluded, since I thought the total file size exceeds the limit.

Sorry that I step in... the half & half marble in brown-amber and white marble is Seike's. Naoyuki SEIKE applied for Showa6-1756 Glass Crucible in Sep. 1930. The patent article can be seen at https://www.j-platpat.inpit.go.jp/c1801/PU/JP-S06-001756/22/ja It was an automatic marble making device which made dual color marbles. Although the crucible got only one air pressure bulb here, Seike soon made a change so that each color being separated in the crucible could be controlled by the air pressure system individually as it flows from the bottom outlet. (Showa6-3939 application date on Nov. 1930 https://www.j-platpat.inpit.go.jp/c1801/PU/JP-S06-003939/22/ja) These half & halves are sourced from UK and Japan. UK was the largest customer of prewar Seike marbles. He also exported many crease pontil transitionals. Below are half & halves and their variations. I hope this helps understand the early machinemades that he made. Mushrooms in puzzle boxes are also made by Seike (but I only have a few examples).

Opaque white ribbons tend to bleed on Figure8s... lower melting temperature...also white bits are included in the white. Most of Seike's color glass is original unlike other makers. I also love submerged ribbon types ziggyzora pointed out. .

That is special! Thank you!

I would say they are prewar marbles made by Naoyuki SEIKE. Naoyuki started his marble factory in Hanaten, Osaka, in 1924, inventing a unique marble machine (a flop). A few months later he finally managed to make a proper working machine and his first marbles were exported to the US and Canada. Machinemade production began after Showa 6-2564 patent (applied in Aug. 1930). Yet transitionals still needed to be produced, because he couldn't make machinemades which were looking alike transitionals. Showa15-8254 (applied on Nov. 1938) and Showa15-5933 (applied in Mar. 1939) were attempts to make spiral patterns on machinemades, which I doubt if they were successful. Ukichi ISOGAMI also tried to make spiral machinemades in Showa12-1333 patent (applied in Nov. 1935). No transitionals after the war because everyone went for exporting cat's eyes. Isogami's patents (Showa14-11324 & Showa14-6821) were no longer valid then.

Many thanks for the greetings in my language! 😃

The author Nobuo KUMAGAI was born in Osaka in 1948. As a child, he used to play with tin toys. Years later when he started his career in 1971, he opened a curio shop where people could buy tin toys. The shop was located in Umeda, Osaka, at the very heart of the city. His love of tin toys continued to grow and he published the first history book on the specific area in 1979. The book’s contribution to the world of the hobby was big; the number of fans greatly increased, and the hobby of tin toys gained social recognition. It was 1980 that he moved all of his tin toys to Shinsai-bashi, Osaka, where he opened another shop in his own building. The shop was known to be the first specialty shop for vintage tin toys in Osaka. Mr. Kumagai also opened a private museum/gallery in the same building where we can visit and enjoy his collection. This place is called "Osaka Tin Toy Institute". The first generation of matured collectors in tin toys appeared in the late 60s, he recalls. When he started his first shop in Umeda, the market was rather small. As time went by, the number of the fans was on the rise. Rare and old tin toys became out of reach due to the overpricing caused by the shortage. Mr. Kumagai and his peer enthusiasts wanted to share fun of the hobby more with younger generations. The first tin toy reproduction was done by BILIKEN SHOKAI in 1988. The 2nd was the project of Kumagai and Metal House (Katsumasa MIYAZAWA) which started to sell reproductions of the tin toy Golden Era and original toys such as C3PO, R2D2, Darth Vader (Star Wars Series) and Robby the Robot. Japan had 30 years of reproduction projects under the cooperations of various toy makers, factories and enthusiasts. Tin toy production was only possible by a network of factories such as component manufacturers, printing companies, mold makers, and the like. It operated as a system of divided labor. As the 21st century began, many businesses closed down due to retirements and a shortage of successors. Miyazawa made every effort to sustain the manufacturing environment for the production by acquiring equipment from businesses closing down, but the company finally ceased operations in 2017. This was the very end of the reproduction era. The 2023 book is a compilation of the researches the author undertook over 50 years. The book is fascinating...featuring more than 1000 of great photographs. For each photo, specification is provided with English subtitles. Sales of books for collectors abroad will be ordered via Mr. Takashi MORITA at Vintage Gate gallery. For international inquiries, please contact：[email protected] These photos are for marble forums from Mr. Kumagai. I was excited to see the planes...I just love old toys...They show the correspondence of "foreign" and "made in Japan". We don't know who first suggested the use of "foreign" to the Japanese makers. Also "foreign" was used for German products which were intended to be sold in UK, but not for Dutch produce since they were in the side of the Allies.

I'm finally done with my translation! We got 3 parts in the book which talk about the "foreign" issue. Because of the redundancy, 2 passages are selected for the translation. Quote #1 is on page 27, from Nobuo KUMAGAI's "Pictorial Guide to the Japanese Tin Toys --- The Japanese Tin Toys from 1880's to 2010's. " or 「日本のブリキ玩具図鑑」Sogensha, Osaka, Japan.（2023) 戦争の時代とブリキ玩具の製造禁止 Wartime and Production Ban of Tin Toys 1920年代まではブリキ玩具にとっておおむね幸せな時代が続いたが、 For the tin toy industry, the period until the 1920’s was generally a happy time, 以降は多難な時代となる。 while it faced full of challenges thereafter. 支那事変、満州事変と日本は戦争の時代に入り、 After the Sino-Japanese War and the Mukden Incident, Japan entered the period of wartime. ついには太平洋戦争が始まると、ブリキ玩具の製造は窮地に陥った。 With the onset of the Pacific War, tin toy production finally got into a dire situation. まず、1938（昭和13）年には国内向けの金属玩具の販売が禁止された。 First of all, in 1938 (Showa 13), selling metal toys for the domestic consumption was prohibited. 国内向けとあるように、 As indicated by “for domestic consumption,” 海外輸出用のブリキ玩具は引き続き製造された。 tin toys for export continued to be manufactured. 外貨獲得のためである。 This was for the purpose of earning foreign currency. ただし「MADE IN JAPAN」の表記は「FOREIGN」に改められた。 However, the labeling of “MADE IN JAPAN” was changed to “FOREIGN” . この時期のおもちゃには「MADE IN JAPAN」の表記が削り取られたり、 During this period, the inscriptions on the toys were scraped off ラッカーで塗りつぶされたりしているものもある。 or covered up with paint for some cases. Quote #2 is from page 78. ブリキ玩具の代用品　 Substitute for Tin Toys 日中戦争の長期化によって金属資源の不足が懸念されるようになると、 As concerns grew over the shortage of metal resources due to the prolonged Sino-Japanese War, 金属以外の材料の使用が推奨された。 the use of non-metal materials was encouraged. それでもブリキ玩具は作られていたが、 Despite this, tin toys were still being produced. 1938（昭和13）年にはブリキを含む金属玩具の国内向けの製造が禁止された。 In 1938 (Showa 13) the metal toy production for domestic market, including tin toys, was banned. もっとも、製造会社は事前にブリキを買い込んでおり、 However, most manufacturing companies had already stocked up on tinplate beforehand, 材料や生産計画を中止することは困難であったし、 making it difficult to halt materials and production plans. 外貨獲得のため海外向けの製品は引き続き作られていたこともあって、 Due to the need for foreign currency, toys for overseas markets continued to be produced. 実際にはブリキ玩具はしばらくの間市場に流通していたという。 As a result, tin toys were still circulating in the market for some time. なお、この頃には海外向け製品には、 Furthermore, during this period, for export products, 欧米の対日感情を考慮し、 the anti-Japanese sentiments in Europe and the United States was taken into the account, 「MADE IN JAPAN」の代わりに「FOREIGN」を使っていた。 and "FOREIGN" was used instead of "MADE IN JAPAN". しかし、1940年になると欧米で日本製玩具の輸入が相次いで禁止され、 However, in 1940 the importation of Japanese-made toys was increasingly prohibited in Europe and the United States. さらに1941年には国内金属製品の回収が始まり、 Moreover, in 1941, the domestic collection of metal products began. 金属玩具の販売ができなくなった。 Selling metal toys within the country was no longer possible. このため、ブリキの代わりに木材などを使ったブリキ玩具の代用品が作られるようになったのである。 Substitutes for tin toys, which were made from materials such as wood, were produced for this reason. I will explain Mr Kumagai's background in the next post.

You are a genius😃! It didn't come up to my mind!

I've got the permission! My translation would take some time, but look forward to it!

The book information: Nobuo KUMAGAI, "The Japanese Tin Toys from 1880's to 2010's" 熊谷信夫「日本のブリキ玩具図鑑」Sogen-sha, Osaka, 2023. The parts referring to "foreign" are p. 27 and 78. One good news is the passages show English words such as "Made in Japan" and "Foreign" and a photograph of tin toy with a "foreign" impression. This morning I sent an email asking Mr. Kumagai if I can get a permission for line-to-line translation and post it to marble forums. He answered me right away that he would ask the publisher. Japan is in the beginning of Golden Week, national holidays where people would take 7-10 days vacation. The answer would take time.

I recently read an article which I understand to be a translated version of the original. (「大阪貿易館 1956年 晩秋号」"Osaka Trade Agency, 1956 Late Autumn issue" pp.29-30. Nov. 1956) The title is the same but in Japanese. The translator's name isn't fully given. We only know the initial letter of the surname "河". If I add a few things to the summary, it would be the names of the factories. The second factory in Hong Kong was Yu Man Marble factory which started in June 1955, and the third one was World-Light Manufacturing Co. in August 1955. The largest Hong Kong Marble Glass Manufactory had 5 furnaces and 10 marble machines especially designed for marble produce, employing 120 full-time male workers and some part-time female workers for sorting and packing. The Japanese translation omits the part of clay marbles.

Just got a duplication from National Diet Library; a 1959 study of marbles in American market. It says Japan was able to provide marbles cheaper to the American market, compared to the factories which were located in the middle of the country. Transport of 100 kg marbles costed 6 dollars per 100 kilometers from WV to Los Angels, but 50 cents for the same distance from Kobe to North America.