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Sakura's Electric Gokin

text: Matt Alt, graphics: Robert Duban

January 2000

Updated: 10.16.04

Images provided by: Jay Brotter, Ken Hallack

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"Sakura" means "cherry blossom," flowers prized by the Japanese for their beauty and short lifespan. Much as with real-life cherry blossoms, the mid-70's toy company Sakura endured for only a brief period before disappearing: their catalog consists of a meager handful of toys. The main characteristic of the few known Sakura diecasts is that they all contain a battery-operated flashing mechanism.

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THE "KYOGOKIN " FLASHING SERIES
"Kyo-go-kin" means "strong alloy" in Japanese. We've only managed to find two distinct pieces in the series - the Oni and a UFO. Both pieces remain obscure and nearly unknown even in Japan.

ONI
"Oni" means "demon" or "goblin" in Japanese, and they're a staple in Japanese myths and legends. The Sakura Oni is actually a character toy, licensed from the long-running animated show "Manga Nihon Mukashi-banashi," or "Animated Japanese Fairy Tales." The piece is oversized and bulkier than the average "standard" diecast, and features a battery-powered flashing eye gimmick. There are two colors, red and green. The red version seems to be slightly less common. The box of the Oni is striking; the chunky, hand-drawn kanji characters on the box are an instant standout.

LIGHT-UP UFO 1
Although it's called "UFO 1," this seems to be the only other toy in the "kyo-go-kin" series. It's very similar to the UFO diecasts sold by the Nakajima Manufacturing Corporation, but is encountered far less frequently.

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ZAKURAMAN
Zakuraman is an all-original Sakura creation, and he's a real weirdo, with eyeballs that extend directly out from his face, a plastic cape, and a "tin woodsman" styling. As with the Oni diecasts, Zakuraman has battery-powered eyes. The AA battery is stored in a large plastic cylinder that is bolted to Zakuraman's back. Sakura used the somewhat redundant brand name "Diecast Gokin" to sell Zakuraman.The name of this character is often mistranslated as "Sakuraman."

		Oni - green version		Additional Images: box
		Oni - red version		Additional Images: box
		Light-Up UFO No. 1- color ver 1		Additional Images: box
		Light-Up UFO No. 1- color ver 2		Additional Images: box
		Zakuraman		Additional Images: box