Nihon Bussan Co. Ltd.[a], doing business asNichibutsu[b], was a Japanesevideo game developer andpublisher headquartered inKita, Osaka.[1] In the past they had also manufactured and sold yachts.[2]
The company used a horned owl for its official logo.[3] Outside of the Nichibutsu brand, the company also produces adult video games (mainly stripmahjong arcade games) under theSphinx (スフィンクス) brand.[4]
In March 2014, Nichibutsu sold its video game library toHamster Corporation due to the decision of original founder Sueharu Torii to retire. The company was disbanded on December 15, 2015.[5]
Nichibutsu sponsored the Lotus F1 team from 1991 to 1993; pictured is theLotus 102D bearing their logo.
The company's founder Sueharu Torii established Nihon Bussan in October 1970 inKita-ku, Osaka. They begin their activities by mainly sellingarcade machines. In 1972, the company was incorporated as Nihon Bussan Co., Ltd with a capital of 3 million yen.[6]
In 1976, Nihon Bussan, under the brand Nichibutsu, made its debut as a manufacturer to theAmusement Machine Show and opened a Tokyo office in 1978.[6] 1978 also saw Nichibutsu entering thearcade game market, when they debuted with a clone of the gameBreakout calledTable Attacker.[7] The same year, Nichibutsu settled withTaito by paying a license fee to launch a clone ofSpace Invaders titledMoon Base.[8] Also in 1979, a business alliance was formed withNamco for a clone ofGalaxian calledMoon Alien. Originally intended as a limited release, Nichibutsu violated the manufacturing agreement by producing the title in more units than the agreement called for and ended up paying Namco the excess of the license fee.[9] Nihon Bussan continued to release successful titles such asMoon Cresta andCrazy Climber.[10]
In 1983, the company developedJangou Night which features the industry's first undressing elements and established the genre of stripmahjong games.[11] In 1984, Nihon Bussan developedTube Panic, the industry's first board game equipped with a rotation feature.[12] From the mid-1980s, Nichibutsu releasedTerra Cresta andCosmo Police Galivan that made use ofYamaha YM3812 FM sound.[13]
Nichibutsu entered the home video game market in 1983 by developing a console of their own, theMy Vision, and in 1986 released their first NES title,MagMax, followed by theMSX in 1989; the same year also saw the release of the company's last mainstream arcade game,Sky Robo (Tatakae! Big Fighter in Japan) before switching to exclusively produce strip mahjong titles for that market; in 1992, the company leftJAMMA after the arcade industry began showing concerns about increasingly risque material in their strip mahjong games.[14] In 1990, Nihon Bussan released console-first titles for thePC Engine such asF1 Circus which became a major hit. During the height of the F1 Circus series, Nihon Bussan sponsoredTeam Lotus from 1991 to 1993; the sponsorship agreement allowed Lotus to appear as the only licensed team in theF1 Circus titles until Nichibutsu obtained a complete license fromFormula One Constructors Association.
Nihon Bussan began releasing games for theMega Drive in 1991,SNES in 1992,SonyPlayStation in 1995 and for theSegaSaturn in 1996. Some of the titles were mahjong titles, with their PC Engine gameSexy Idol Mahjong featuring strip elements from their arcade titles.
In March 2009, the company partnered withD4 Enterprise to reprint and distribute Nihon Bussan retro games for its Project EGG service.[15]
In March 2014, Nihon Bussan sold the rights of all video games toHamster Corporation.[16] Hamster had approached founder Sueharu Torii for a licensing agreement of Nihon Bussan's games. Torii opted instead to sell outright the company's video game library and to retire.
1979 – The company's headquarters is relocated to Tenjinbashi, Kita-ku, Osaka. Their capital increases to 24 million yen. Nichibutsu U.S.A. Co., Ltd. is established inTorrance, California, US.
1980 – Nichibutsu U.K. Ltd. is established inWest Midlands, England, United Kingdom. Nichibutsu Kyushu Co., Ltd. is established in Hakataekiminami, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka, Fukuoka.
1981 – Nichibutsu Europe GmbH is established inRödermark,Offenbach,Hesse, Germany. The Nihon Bussan Co., Ltd. factory opens in Sayama, Kumiyama, Kuse, Kyoto.
1983 – Tokyo office is moved to Nihonbashihoridome, Chuo-ku, Tokyo. Nichibutsu Sapporo Co., Ltd. is established in Nakanoshima, Toyohira-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido. Nichibutsu Sendai Co., Ltd. is established in Uesugi, Sendai, Miyagi. Nichibutsu Hiroshima Co., Ltd. is established in Higashikasumichou, Minami-ku, Hiroshima, Hiroshima. Nichibutsu also releases their only console,My Vision.
1984 – Capital increases to 36 million yen.
1985 – Capital increases to 50 million yen.
1989 – Nihon Bussan's last mainstream arcade game,Sky Robo /Tatakae! Big Fighter, is released.
1991 – The company's Tokyo office is moved to Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo.
^Business Japan – Volume 29, Page 125 Nihon Kōgyō Shinbunsha – 1984 "The wider this trend expands, the deeper these game machines lead the people into the world of dreams and fantasy. Nichibutsu, Japan's unique game machine manufacturer which started earlier than other similar makers the full utilization of the most advanced technology, is determined to come out with products which the people want to play with."
^"Goodbye to Nichibutsu" interview with company president Sueharu Torii (November 6, 1992 issue of Famitsu)
