There are so many puzzle manufacturers around the world, but it’s always something special for me to get puzzles from Japan.
Unlike in Europe or America, jigsaw puzzles only became popular in Japan in the mid-20th century.
Older puzzles from the 1970s and 1980s are particularly difficult to find. Mercari and Yahoo Auction are the best places to look. You can bid and buy on both sites through an intermediary and then have the goods shipped to Germany, for example. Of course, service and customs fees will be added. That makes the whole thing more expensive. But as a collector, it is often the only option!
What all Japanese puzzle manufacturers have in common is that they limit themselves to a certain shape of piece, but these are of very high quality. Over 85% of the pieces are twosies – the standard puzzle shape with two opposing knobs or holes. There is little variety in the shapes.
Today, I would like to introduce you to some Japanese manufacturers, some of which still exist today.
APOLLO-SHA
Apollo-SHA Co., Ltd. was a Japanese company founded in 1924, that manufactures puzzles and educational toys. The „-sha“ in the name simply means „company“. Its jigsaw puzzle division was integrated into the Epoch company in 2017 after Apollo became a subsidiary of Epoch in 2011.
BEVERLY
Beverly Enterprises Inc. was established in 1977, and began exclusive sales for 9 items of wooden jigsaw puzzle by Dick Bruna. The company has been expanding more in toys, stationary, puzzles and games.
Beverly is still producing good jigsaw puzzles and sometimes you can find them in Europe, too.
KONAMI
The company was founded in 1969. Its founder and chairman, Kagemasa Kōzuki, ran a jukebox rental and repair business in Osaka, before transforming the business into a manufacturer of amusement machines for video arcades. The name Konami is composed of the initial letters of the founding members‘ names: Kagemasa Kōzuki, Yoshinobu Nakama, and Tatsuo Miyasako. Unfortunately, I cannot find any documents about the launch of puzzle games. In 1997, Konami branched off into the collectible card game business.
TENYO
In 1931 Matsutaro Yamada begins sales on his own magic materials and later his son Akira Yamada, Tenyo’s first president, and a professional magician who performed under the stage name Tenyo Shokyokusai, founded the company in 1960. Focused on selling magic-related items, the first jigsaw puzzle was sold in 1973, exactly the same year as Yanoman.
TOMY
Tomy Company, Ltd., founded in 1924, is a Japanese toy company producing games and collectibles. Its name comes from the surname of its founder, Eiichiro Tomiyama. In 2005 it announced its plans to merge with Takara, forming Takara Tomy as a result; however, the Tomy branding is still used in territories outside of Japan & Asia, such as North America and Europe.
YANOMAN
Yanoman is the biggest producer of jigsaw puzzles in Japan. As with other puzzle companies, the company name is derived from the name of its founder: Man Yano. Established in 1954, Yanoman sold its first jigsaw puzzle in 1973. Following the success of this venture, the very next year, 1974, saw the start of manufacture in Japan.
Information about Japanese brands making toys and puzzles are hard to find, e.g. SUNDBIRD,
CENTRAL HOBBY / SUNDAY PUZZLES or BON. They all produced puzzles in the 1990s, and most of them were subsidiaries of Epoch, a big puzzle producing company.
