So I spent 6+ months off and on, researching everything I possibly could and this post is to document everything I found. This article has 20 times the amount of info on the Japanese Wikipedia page about music sirens and it is complete with sources. This article should answer most questions you have about the music sirens including locations, dates, songs and mechanical inner workings but I was not able to include everything so if you have a question, leave it in the comments below.
During the war, sirens were used to report warnings and air raid warnings, so many people felt eerie about the siren's sound. However, it was used actively to report the start of work and the time of work of a large factory etc. even after the war. Music sirens were created by the former president of Yamaha (later the chairman) who ordered researchers to take advantage of the overwhelming sound energy of the siren, and it was developed to create musical tones and play music with the sound of sirens.
Inquiries were received from various places asking if it could be used for PR use by companies, etc., and it was installed mainly in department stores and city halls, from Sapporo in Hokkaido in the north to Miyazaki in Kyushu in the south. The "symbol of peace" developed to lessen the memory of war and air raids is about to disappear from existence.
The sirens all work off the same concept. They have a spinning chopper and stationary stator with a port ratio to make a particular tone like most sirens do. They use dampeners to silence each note and open when the note is needed to be played. The sequence in which each of these dampers open/close are correlated to when the notes in the song should be played. The songs are pre programed and are played at predetermined times. I will get more into how the songs are played and programmed but before I can do that, we have to talk about the different models of sirens that were manufactured. There were 2 main models of sirens manufactured by Yamaha along with 1 custom model that was installed on top of the Yamaha Headquarters in Japan. There are no known model numbers so I had to make up my own.
The 1st generation is the oldest of the 2 models manufactured. They have one long shaft and 10 sirens that play 10 different notes. They are easily identifiable by them being really long (5 meters to be exact). This model's dampeners are operated using electromagnets. The siren played 2 songs and could also be played manually on a keyboard. The siren could also be activated with a button to play a song. The song was programmed by a “music box style” rotating drum. It is unknown how many songs the siren played, though I can confirm it plays at least 2. The first generation siren shipped 184 units in Japan and overseas, including public facilities, schools, and factories.
The 2nd generation is the newer type. It looks like a large metal vent with its vented slots on the side to let the sound through. This model is estimated to be about 2 meters tall. Unlike the 1st generation that uses electromagnets, the 2nd generation siren’s dampeners are operated by pneumatics and solenoid valves. After development, Yamaha went on to sell 12 units of the 2nd generation music sirens.
The sirens were developed and manufactured by Yamaha in Hamamatsu City starting in the early 1950’s just before the end of the war. Production ended in 1998 and maintenance work ended in 2011. Already some parts such as the control board have become discontinued, it is forced to be abolished immediately depending on the condition of the equipment in various places. This article will talk about all of the sirens that have been documented including ones that have been decommissioned and/or removed and how they work. All videos of the sirens are listed and categorized and listed at the end of this article along with sources and patents that I have been able to uncover.
TO HEAR THEASE SIRENS IN IN ACTION I created a playlist of all known YouTube videos of the music siren:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... s975gbkawD
TOKIWA Main Store
Status: Active
Model: Generation 1
Installed: 1950
Confirmed Active: July, 2021
Pictured above is the 1st generation music siren mounted on the TOKIWA Main Store. The siren has a motor in the middle to drive each side of the siren. The side closest to us is directly connected to the siren choppers (the small box is not a gearbox but instead a cover for a torsion coupler.) while the side that's further away is connected to a gearbox (the big box on the siren itself) to slow the speed of the choppers on that side in order to play lower notes. The boxes behind each of the notes house a pair of electromagnets to open the dampeners. The dampeners are returned to the shut position with a spring inside the electromagnet assembly. Behind the main assembly is the electrical box. Housed inside is the electronics that run the siren though I’m unable to comment on what's inside due to there not being any photos of its interior. The siren cost 1 million yen per unit at the time and was limited to one unit per city.
Pictured below is what looks to be an older style cabinet full of the electronics to play the siren. On the first shelf, there is a “music box style” machine. This is believed to store the program for the main song that plays. Below that on the 2nd shelf is a keyboard. There is no visible manufacture or model number but I assume it's custom manufactured for the siren by Yamaha. On the keyboard, there is a toggle switch. I believe this switch manually activates the motor to spin up the choppers. Beside the keyboard is a switch that is believed to be the button that was mentioned in one of the found articles that they press to activate the siren to play the preprogrammed song(s). Below that is another “music box style” machine that could have played a 2nd song. Judging by the wire gauge and the absence of a large contactor to activate the motor, I believe there is still more electronics that run the siren in the little hut atop the building that contain relays for each of the electromagnets and possibly even more pre-programmed “music box style” drums.
Edit: I also found another photo of a part of the control system. I believe it is the clock to tell the siren when to play. It also looks like it has mechanical chimes mounted in the back of the box. (Sorry for the low resolution!)
Below is a photo of a worker at the store setting off the siren with the manual activation button.
The “Music Box Style” Component & How It Works
As you watch the siren play music, you're bound to wonder just how the music is being played. I’m able to confirm that the older 1st generation models used these “Music Box Style '' drums that had the songs pre programmed on them. The drum would spin and the raised portions/notes that would then lift the metal arm, completing a circuit. This would then supply power to one of the electromagnets on the siren that controlled the specified dampener that would play the specified note. These drums would rotate once per 1.5 minutes. This means, a single drum can play a 1 minute and 30 second song. The set pictured below was removed from the Omuta Matsuya Department Store Generation 1 Music Siren and was put on display after the siren was decommissioned.
The cylinder above played “moon of arajo” and the bottom one played “this road”.
Yamaha Headquarters
Status: Inactive (Removed)
Model: Generation 1
Installed: 1957
Deactivated: 1991
Removed: Early 2019
Pictured below is the 1st generation music siren installed at the Yamaha Headquarters. There was a very limited amount of information about this siren. It could play 12 notes meaning exactly 2 octaves (2 more notes then the TOKIWA Main Store Siren which has 10 notes). The siren was built in 1957 and was decommissioned in 1991 when it was replaced by a custom built 2nd generation music siren unit (talked about later in this article). The siren served a total of 34 years before being decommissioned. A large difference from this siren and the other 1st generation siren at the TOKIWA Main Store is the fact that it is belt driven. The electric motor sits in a cover (far left of the photo) and has a belt connecting it to the gearbox and chopper assemblies. Another difference is that this siren plays 4 songs because it has 4 “music box style” assemblies. There are no known videos of this siren in operation due to the fact of its age. The siren was removed in 2019 from the building and the building itself was demolished. It's unknown whether this siren still exists or has been scrapped. (Photos below are from May of 1989 when the siren was still in service and operational)
Yamaha Headquarters
Status: Inactive (Removed)
Model: Generation 2 (Custom w/ 3 Octaves)
Installed: 1989?
Deactivated: Dec 30, 2018
Removed: Early 2019
This 2nd generation siren was built and installed in 1989 to update the 1st generation model siren that had been serving for 36 years at the Yamaha Headquarters. The 1st and 2nd generation sirens were supposedly both in service at the same time for a short period from 1989 to 1991 until the new 2nd generation model siren took over and the 1st generation was permanently decommissioned. On December 28, 2018 the siren was played for the last few times throughout the day as it was going to be removed when the building was to be demolished in early 2019. The siren weighs 5 tons and is lifted from 4 eye bolts that screw into the top frame using a crane. I call this siren “custom built” because unlike all other 2nd generation music sirens that were sold, this is the only one that can play 3 octaves. The other 2nd generation sirens can only play 2 octaves. This is determined by photos of the siren showing 3 rows of stator/chopper assemblies. Each row has 8 of these assemblies and 8 notes makes up a single octave.
The generation 2 sirens use a controller board that has MIDI stored on it to play the songs (Talked about in more detail later in this article).This siren at this location is one of the most well recorded/documented out of all the sirens. The siren was removed in early 2019 from the building and the building itself was demolished. It's unknown whether this siren still exists or has been scrapped.
In the photo below, you can see a close up of the siren itself. On top of each note assembly is a pneumatic actuator (air piston) that is used to open the dampener to play a note. Located in the base of the siren was a standard air compressor to feed air to the actuators.
In the photos above and below, you can see both the old 1st generation and custom 2nd generation in the same photo. Photo below is from 1989 when the 2nd generation siren was just installed and the photo above is 2018; months before it was decommissioned.
Okayama Prefecture
Status: Inactive (Replaced)
Model: Generation 1
Installed: 1957
Removed: 1991
The siren was installed in 1957 and removed in 1991 to make room for the 2nd generation model that replaced it. It served for a total of 34 years. It functioned the exact same and is no different from the TOKIWA main store music siren. It's unknown what happened to this siren when it was removed. There are no known videos of this siren in operation.
Above is a photo of the siren being installed. You can also see the covers have been removed from the electromagnets. Below is a photo of the siren getting ready to be lifted to the roof of the building.
Okayama Prefecture
Status: Inactive (Still Standing)
Model: Generation 2
Installed: 1991
Deactivated: August 31, 2016
Due to the aging of the first generation (talked about above this section), it was updated to the 2nd generation music siren in 1991, but it was discontinued in March 1999 due to the lack of need for time reporting. However, because they did not provide a wide notice in advance, the surrounding residents contacted the prefecture, and the prefecture conducted a questionnaire to the residents. As a result, about 70% wanted it to be revived, so it resumed in July of the same year. Currently, it plays Schubert's "Bodaiju" at noon and Dvorak's "Home Road" at 5 pm. "Hotaru no Hikari" (Also known as “Auld Lang Syne” in the USA) was played at midnight on New Year's Day, and "Kimi ga Dai" was played at 7 am on New Year's Day. Since the maintenance correspondence of the manufacturer is completely finished, the regular sounding of the siren has ended. Okayama Prefectural Office in Okayama City ended with "Ieji" at 5:00 p.m. on August 31, 2016. The siren remains on the building and is functional but is not run anymore because of the lack of availability for replacement parts & maintenance from Yamaha.
Songs and times played:
Until March 1997, 7:00 "morning" every day, 12:00 "Bodhi tree" every day, 17:00 "home road" every day, 21:00 "lullaby" every day.
From July 1997, 12:00 "Bodhi tree" every day, 17:00 "Home road" every day.
December 31, 24:00 "Hotaru no Hikari", January 1, 7:00 "Kimi ga Dai" (Also known as “Auld Lang Syne” in the USA)
Above is the siren being lifted into place to be installed. (1991)
Yawatahama
Status: Active
Model: Generation 2
Installed: Unknown
Confirmed Active: August, 2021
It's mounted on a concrete tower on Mt. Atago. This siren still remains active. By looking through the vents, it looks like this siren only has 10 notes so it's definitely one of the early produced generation 2 sirens. The siren’s control box is mounted to the opposite side of the concrete tower then the photo below. As far as I know, the siren is still in operation but was out of service for quite a few months in 2018 in order to create custom replacement parts due to Yamaha no longer offering service and replacement parts for the music sirens. The siren was mounted next to one of the old WW2/cold war air raid sirens (Pictured on the right in the photo below).
Iga City Hall
Status: Active
Model: Generation 1
Installed: Unknown
Confirmed Active: August, 2021
Mounted atop the roof of the old Iga City Hall building which has been decommissioned as a city hall, the siren still remains in service. According to a forum on the Iga City Hall website, the siren will remain in service until it can no longer be maintained. People on YouTube were able to help me confirm this siren is still ins service and I’m currently in an active discussion with someone about them working with the city and being able to go up on the roof and take photos (Though it's not looking promising, I will update this article if there is photos available someday). At 7 AM, the siren would play Pergynt "Morning" noon, "Sakura kana that remembers various things" at 6 PM. and From the New World "Ieji" 10 PM. I was able to come to a conclusion by listening to so many of these siren videos that this is definitely a generation 1 model by how it sounds when the dampers are closed.
Edit: I found photos of the siren. They are really low resolution so I put the original photo through an image processing tool to try to make it look better.
Original
Upscaled
The the siren is located in a box atop the building.
Marumitsu Department Store
Status: Inactive
Model: Generation 1
Installed: 1953
Deactivated: July 15, 1987
The Marumitsu Department Store siren is one of the unknown sirens. According to one article, it has been removed from the building. There are no videos of this siren in operation. However, the photos of the music box style drums (displayed earlier in this article) are the ones to come off of this siren confirming it was a generation 1 model. During the Marumitsu period, the song "The Moon of Arajo" was played at 10 AM, noon, 3 PM, and 5 PM. It was installed in commemoration of the completion of the renovation of the new floor in October 1953. The siren was first sounded on December 11 of the same year. In addition, at 9 p.m. "this road" and "homeway". These 2 last songs were not on music drums so it was manually played by employees of Marumitsu by operating the keyboard in the control cabinet. This selection was requested by the Miyagi Prefectural Police.
However, because it continued to sound for many years, the aging of the device caused the notes to shift frequency, the device suddenly stopped moving around July 15, 1987. There were attempts to repair it but it was not possible to move it again because the parts necessary for repair were not available because of Yamaha discontinuing service. Only the cylinder and the music box part of the road of Arashiro were kept in the same store at the time of 2009 and then transferred to the Sedi Mediatheque. It is now kept in the same building.
In June 2016, a big Thanksgiving celebration was held for one month to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the company's founding, during which the music siren "This Road" was revived for the first time in about 30 years. As mentioned above, the music sirens have been demolished and removed, so speakers were installed on the roof and broadcasted at noon, 3 p.m., and 5 p.m. for six days of that month.
Omuta Matsuya Department Store
Status: Inactive (Still Standing?)
Model: Generation 1
Installed: 1959
Deactivated: 1980
Across my research, I was able to find photos of sirens in really bad condition that have been abandoned. I found out it was mounted on a place named "muta Matsuya" which was a Department Store. The building has sense been demolished. Matsuya's music siren had been in operation from 1959 to 1969. From January 1979 to June of the following year, the music siren would have mechanical failures every so often before it was deactivated. At 6:55 a.m., the siren would play "Largo from the New Century", 11:55 a.m., "Spring Brook", 4:55 p.m., "Sunset Koyaki", 9:55 p.m., "Hama Chidori" until 1963. In 1964, it became "Borga's Boat Song", "Spring Brook", "Inn of The Year", and "Bodhi Tree".
The siren is located on the right corner of the building in the photo below.
Uwajima Castle
Status: Inactive (Possibly Being Repaired)
Model: Generation 2
Installed: Unknown
Deactivated: 2021?
This siren location is interesting. The 2nd generation music siren is mounted in the wooden housing in the background. There is also a speaker array next to the music siren which it seems a lot of people online have mistaken it as the music siren. At 6:00 AM, the siren plays Railway chanting, at 12:00 PM, Tonbe, at 6:00 PM, Furusato, and at 9:00 PM, Uwajima Sansa. This siren still remains active as far as I know.
Generation 2 Music Siren Control Panel
(Edit: After I found these photos, I just had to add this section!)
I finally found photos of the control panel! These photos are from the Uwajima Castle music siren talked about in the section above. From my electrical knowledge, I can tell that the unit on the bottom is a clock to schedule the siren. The unit above is the main controller. The cabinet on the right has the electronics in it to run the siren. With this photo, I believe its also safe to assume the generation 2 siren operates on MIDI.
Kishiwada City Hall
Status: Inactive (Still Standing)
Model: Generation 2
Installed: Unknown
Deactivated: July 2013
This siren would play "Morning" written by Fujimura Shimamura / Shingo Oda every day at 6:00 AM. The siren was deactivated at the end of July 2013 but still remains on the building. I have found a very limited amount of information about this siren.
Tenri City Generation 2 Music Sirens
Status: Unknown
Installed: Unknown
Deactivated: Unknown
This location has 2 music sirens that are mounted on 2 towers outside the pool at Tenri University. Someone online was able to reconfirm one the siren's operation in April 2020, it seems that it has stopped working. They were also able to confirm one was working before. We will have to see what happens! The second siren is rumored to be used as a backup or for spare parts someday. I have found a very limited amount of information about this location and I'm very surprised by that because there is 2 sirens in 1 location.
In the photos above and below you can see the 2 sirens.
Ueno Chamber of Commence and Industry Generation 1 Music Siren (4 Note Version)
Status: Inactive
Installed: Unknown
Deactivated: Unknown
Removed: Unknown
Only a short walk from the city hall to this siren, the siren contains only 4 tones and was installed BEFORE the city hall installed their siren.
I believe this siren was installed to play the Westminster chimes, considering the song only contains 4 notes.
Ogamiyama Park
Status: Inactive (Removed)
Model: Generation 1
Installed: Unknown
Deactivated: 1969
Removed: Unknown
In the mountains surrounding Amami city (formerly Naze City), a siren once stood. Unfortunately, the electricity supplied to the island was not enough for the siren to operate properly. At times, the rotors would stop spinning entirely or fail to activate. The siren would play the last song in 1969.
The siren would play Blowing Spring Breeze at 6 AM, Home! Sweet Home! at 12 PM, Home Road at 5 PM and Brahms Lullaby at 10 PM.
Himeji Chamber of Commerce (Limited Information)
Status: Unknown
Model: Unknown
Installed: Unknown
Deactivated: Unknown
Removed: Unknown
Unfortunately, no close-up photo of the siren, and the building seems to have been removed or replaced it with a Generation 2 Music Siren.
3 times a day at 7 AM, 1 PM and 10 PM, the siren plays "Home Road" by Dvorak.
Mizayaki (Limited Information)
Status: Unknown
Model: Unknown
Installed: Unknown
Deactivated: Unknown
Removed: Unknown
There were 2 sirens in the city. One was located within the city and the other at the Mazayaki University (the first unit ever sold and shipped).
Unfortunately none of the sirens had a close-up picture.
Sapporo City Hall Music Siren (Limited Information)
Status: Unknown
Model: Unknown
Installed: Unknown
Deactivated: Unknown
Removed: Unknown
Somewhere in town sits or once sat a music siren, playing music to the locals. Yet again, no close-up photos.
Tokushima Music Siren (Limited Information)
Status: Unknown
Model: Unknown
Installed: Unknown
Deactivated: Unknown
Removed: Unknown
There are 2 articles that cover 2 sirens...
One siren is or was located atop the City Hall, the other siren on a store named "Marushin".
There is a third page where someone asked about the music in the city, in which I have no idea if this is the same siren or there's two sirens.
Patents
After spending a while going through keywords on google translate, I finally got a match in the Japan patent database! The 2 patents were issued in 1990 and are named “MULTIVOICE SIREN DEVICE”. The patents were both in fact owned by Yamaha. The patents also gave me the names of the inventors, “INOUE TERUSHI & TAKEDA KOUSHIROU”. I spent a little time searching for the inventors online but there were so many people with those names that I had no luck (especially for someone who does not understand and read Japanese). Below are the photos of the submitted patents diagrams. You can view/download the patents for yourself in PDF form at the “sources” section at the end of this article.
In the photo below, you can see the armature (figure 4) that controls the dampener (figure 3). The dampener uses a spring (figure 6) to keep it in the closed position and uses an electromagnet (figure 5) to open the damper to play a note. The siren uses a motor (figure 11) to run all the choppers (figure 1). Each of the choppers and dampeners have a certain amount of ports, the amount of which controls what note that siren will play when the damper is open.
In the photo below, you can see the 3 rows of sirens. They are driven by a motor (figure 93) in the base of the siren and power is transferred via multiple timing belts (Figures 74, 76, 98, 99) to the shaft connected to the siren’s choppers. Also, figure 97 is a shaft that goes all the way through the bottom of the siren and transfers power to the other side. The siren is split down the middle and each side is powered using a separate timing pulley system (shown very well in diagram 2).
Diagram 3 shows how each of the siren assemblies work and Diagram 4 shows how the damper actuators work. It looks like in Diagram 4 that the patented design uses electromechanical solenoids in the design (figure 19 &91a) but the final version that was manufactured ended up using pneumatic actuators (air pistons) to control the dampers.
Other Information Being Researched
Generation 1 Music Siren Manual
Possible manual of the Generation 1 Music Siren. Siren printed on the cover looks to be an early model of the Generation 1 music sirens manufactured. Translation needed.
Unknown Location
Originally believed to be a photo of the Omuta Matsuya Department Store 1st Generation Siren but was later confirmed to be an unknown location. Japanese source stated it could be on top of a middle school building.
Sources
Maps
Yamaha Music Siren Map (Created By Me): https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid= ... sp=sharing
Articles
Hamamatsu Study Group Report - Reference to Sapporo & Mizayaki Music Sirens
http://www.soundscape-j.org/pressreleas ... csiren.pdf
Yamaha Building - 1st & 2nd Generation Siren Information & Photos
http://hyts-kwhs.cocolog-wbs.com/cogito ... siren.html
Yamaha Building - 2nd Generation Siren Information
https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASLDL332 ... rellink_01
TOKIWA Main Store - 1st Generation Siren Information
https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASM1Z6QN4M1ZTPJB00C.html
Wikipedia Page - Install/Removal Dates & Total Models Manufactured
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/musicsiren
Okayama Prefecture - Dates & History
https://www.sankei.com/region/news/1608 ... 38-n1.html
Okayama Prefecture - Photos, Dates & History
https://www.pref.okayama.jp/page/477210.html
Iga City Hall - FAQ page explaining future plan for the siren
https://www.city.iga.lg.jp/faq/faq_deta ... =1-1-0-0-0
Iga City Hall - FAQ page explaining future plan for the siren
https://www.city.iga.lg.jp/faq/faq_deta ... &frmId=447
Yawatahama Music Siren - 2nd generation siren photo
https://ehime-np.co.jp/article/news201804120059
Marumitsu Department Store - General Historical Information
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%A8 ... 7%E3%82%A7
Marumitsu Department Store - Photos of the “music box style” assembly
https://ameblo.jp/jrexp485/entry-12276670161.html
Marumitsu Department Store - Time information
https://toshoken.com/news/9191
Omuta Matsuya Department Store
http://bougaku.fc2web.com/music00.htm
Uwajima Castle - General Information & Photos
http://kijo0621.blog74.fc2.com/blog-entry-620.html
Lots of photos from twitter posts
https://matome.eternalcollegest.com/pos ... 3574047801
Omuta Matsuya Department Store - General Information & Photos
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%9D%BE ... %E7%9C%8C)
Kishiwada City Hall - General Information
https://ameblo.jp/kanpatiameblo/entry-12516449668.html
Kishiwada City Hall - Deactivation Confirmation
https://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/q ... 3188762883
Ogamiyama Park Music Siren
https://qtwmzdupdty7mq5nejxnkefcmi-jj2c ... e/s33.html
Himeji Chamber of Commence and Industry Music Siren
http://www.himeji-rc.org/history/perfor ... ory195506/
Ueno Music Siren - General
https://blog.goo.ne.jp/seib_2005/e/1127 ... b531ee8e4d
Generation 1 Music Siren Manual Image
https://oisca.hamazo.tv/e7337478.html
Yamaha Headquarters Generation 2 - Newspaper Articles
https://hyakujyu.hamazo.tv/e5899746.html
Patent
Main Patent
https://www.j-platpat.inpit.go.jp/c1800 ... 6176/23/ja
Videos (YouTube Playlists)
Playlist made by Evan Vander Stoep (Contains all videos from the playlist below plus more)
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... s975gbkawD
Playlist made by Midwest Siren Productions
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... _6iIsP-J0C
Conclusion
These music sirens are a mechanical masterpiece and I believe they should be maintained. Sadly, it looks as if their time has come to be lost to history. I hope that by reading this article, you were able to see what made me so interested in these sirens. I know quite a few details that were not easy to find a place for in this article so if you have a question, I would be glad to answer in the comments below. I’m also going to be making a YouTube video where I talk a bit more in depth about the mechanics and history because I’m better at making videos then writing (I will edit this post with a link once I have made the video). If you want to support my work, please subscribe to my YouTube channel. Thanks so much for reading this! Take care and よい一日をお過ごしください (Yoi tsuitachi wo o-sugoshi kudasai) (have a good day)!
