Tiger calculator model "kihon" N° 16868
This is my second Japanese calculating machine, and it is much older than the first. According to a text by Katsunori Kadokura on xnumber, the Tiger calculating machine company was incorporated in 1930 as a spin-off from Ohmoto Tekko, a company founded by Ohmoto Torajirou, who made his first calculator in 1923. The "basic" or "kihon" model, which was improved with respect to the very Brunsviga-like first model, came out in 1934. They allegedly sold 480.000 machinesuntl 1972. That is an almost unbelievably large number, larger than most European manufacturers. Half of the production dates to after 1962. The serial number of this machine dates it to the end of 1936, according to this table.
The machine appears to be very well made. It is small and light, and works precisely. It is definitely not a copy of anything I know. The early signs of the Asian Tiger are already there - it is simple, without pretention, but a job exceedingly well thought out and executed. A small repair was necessary to the carriage transport mechanism, where a part was slightly bent, but now the machine purrs like a kitten. (If you've never heard a full-size tiger purr - believe me, it is rather scary!)
The machine was bought at auction in the US. Every time I swear that I won't do that any more, because in the end I end up paying about 6 times as much as the seller gets his hands on in auction fees, packing costs, shipping costs, taxes on the purchase price, as well as on the shipping costs ... and if you ask to pack an item carefully, an auction house always equates this to "let's just put it in a bigger box with more packing chips". So when the box with this thing in it arrived, the reason for the 300$ shipping fee (+ taxes!) became obvious - because of the 0.5 x 0.5 x 0.5 m box.
The machine itself was carefully and thoughtfully packed in its own bespoke case with velours lining, and retained its dust cover as well. The Tiger calculating machine company certainly cared about their image. Another interesting tidbit is that the engraved numbers on the top cover are infilled with white and green, as opposed to white and red, which is usual in European brands (except for Antares ...)
And now finally - some pictures!
The plate in the picture above got mounted upside down for some reason (although it is quite clear what the bottom of the case is - it has feet!) - it reads that the calculator belonged to the Ehime prefecture, in the Shikoku islands, facing Hiroshima across the Seto inland sea. All of this involved the knowledgeable advise from a Japanese fellow collector, as well as the following - it is obvious that the first four characters spell "Tiger" (katakana - TA - I - GA- R ) , and the three last ones "calculator" (Kei San Ki) . Google translate confirms this. It is interesting and strange they used the phonetic version of the english word "Tiger" rather than the kanji character for "Tora" - the Japanese word for tiger. That is unfortunately the extent of my Japanese ...
