Hanayama Cast Puzzles

I’m sorry to say that in my 20 plus years in the puzzle community my knowledge of Hanayama Cast puzzles is almost nonexistent.  I thought it might be a good idea to devote a blog abot them.

There’s a large assortment of different designs by prominent puzzle designers.

Long time puzzlers George & Roxanne Miller have a very informative blog post devoted to Hanayama after a visit to their production facility that is a must see.

Art Of Play has a very nice historical reference:

“Hanayama brought their expertise and passion to the forefront of the mechanical puzzle industry with the development of their cast pieces in 1983. The strong metal materials added to the richness of the puzzle-solving experience with its smooth surfaces and tough construction. The cast pieces also have a certain level of charm unattained by similar pieces made from wood and plastic polymers.

The line of cast puzzles by Hanayama focus on disassembly through the purposeful separation of the individual pieces. The puzzle pieces join together tightly until the user's movements free them and allow their deconstruction. At the higher levels, reassembling the puzzle pieces becomes a big part of the fun - and sometimes proves even more challenging than the disassembly.

From the very start, the time and effort spent designing and creating each cast puzzle shines through its build quality. The design process begins with the formation of an idea, upon finding inspiration in daily life. The shape of the cast puzzle comes together in manual and digital CAD drawings that are used to produce the machining specifications for the cast puzzle and the manufacturing molds. These specifications are first utilized to produce hand samples out of brass materials. These samples allow the designers to check that the function and challenge level match expectations.

The manufacturing process involves the production of copper molds that will produce the detailed piece designs. The spark erosion techniques slowly chisel out the puzzle piece details in negative for the molds. A small production run verifies the integrity of the molds before starting the full run of die cast puzzles. For the small and full run, the machinery presses molten zinc alloy into the molds where it remains until cool. Once cool, the pieces are broken off the sprue and moved onto the post-processing procedures. At this stage, the pieces receive the finishing touches that make them so satisfying to hold and manipulate.

Metal plating completes the cast puzzles, though much goes into planning for this phase. Since the metal plating adds thickness to the pieces, the plating material must be carefully considered during the design of the copper molds. The attention to detail put into each puzzle piece not only ensures they work properly, but also look great as beautiful objects of design. Once plated, the puzzle pieces can go through the assembly and packaging process. The cast puzzles by Hanayama ship across the world to eager puzzle enthusiasts awaiting to enjoy their next challenge.

Hanayama takes immense pride in their ability to create puzzles that meet their six challenge levels. The gradual increase in difficulty makes it truly rewarding to conquer the cast puzzle challenges through each level. The first level focuses on just having fun and developing an understanding of how mechanical puzzles really work. The simple puzzle design still takes thought and consideration without allowing frustration levels to build. The second level of puzzles encourages critical thinking without being too difficult to solve. The puzzles are satisfying to hold and move, even when the solution does not immediately present itself.

At the third level, the puzzles start to demand deep thought about how the pieces connect together. The grooves, ridges and other virtually indiscernible elements keep the fun going, and brain working, much longer than prior levels. Intricate details become the name of the game with the fourth level of cast puzzles by Hanayama. These puzzles require high levels of thinking to separate the intricately joined pieces.

From padlocks to labyrinths, there are many familiar elements in the fifth level of cast puzzles. Despite these recognizable elements, the cast designs offer a challenge unmatched by nearly any other puzzle design. The sixth, and final, level of cast puzzles promise to astonish and amaze as you work out how the pieces connect together. At every level, joy and satisfaction comes with solving the cast puzzles and learning how the pieces work.”

Reddit - List of all Hanayama cast puzzles Posted by ninja_fou

“Japanese manufacturer Hanayama has produced cast mechanical puzzles called "Cast" then "Huzzle" (はずる). This list makes an inventory of all those metal brainteasers that have been made since the first one in 1983. It doesn't contain other Hanayama puzzle range such as Katsunou or Puzzle ring.

The first name to be credited at launch is NOB (for Nobuyuki Yoshigahara). The metagrobologist contributed by reviving, adapting or creating new puzzles until he passed away in 2004. More or less prolific designers and collectors also brought new references, allowing the catalog to grow through time.”

Level 1:

• ABC (Nobuyuki Yoshigahara 1983) 
• Bike (John R. Lynn 1994) patent in 1898 by Henry Lejeune 
• Diamond (Scott Elliott 2016) 
• Flag (Nobuyuki Yoshigahara 1994) patent in 1898 by John Shortt 
• Key (Nobuyuki Yoshigahara 1983) patent in 1892 by Herbert Davis 
• Loop (Vesa Timonen 2007) 
• Love (Scott Elliott 2020) 
• Seabream/Trout/Tai (Akio Yamamoto 1999) part of the marine series
• Shark/Fin (Akio Yamamoto 1999) part of the marine series

Level 2:

• Box (Akira Yuta 2012) 
• Claw/Crab (Akio Yamamoto 1998) part of the marine serie 
• Cricket (James Dalgety from his collection 2002) patent in 1898 by Reuben Collins 
• Disk (Oskar van Deventer 2001) 
• Dot (Akio Yamamoto 2017) 
• Harmony (Dmitry Revnitskiy / Kirill Grebnev 2012) 
• Horse (Nobuyuki Yoshigahara 1984) 
• Hook (Vesa Timonen 2009) 
• Key II (Tomoya Otake / Kyoo Wong 2006) 
• Keyring (Oskar van Deventer 2001) 
• Medal (James Dalgety 2009) 
• Plate (Jerry Slocum 2005) 
• Snow (Kyoo Wong 2020) 
• Starfish/Penta (Akio Yamamoto 1999) part of the marine series 

Level 3:

• Arrows (Andrei Ivanov 2018) 
• Cage (Nobuyuki Yoshigahara/Eduard Bakalár 1997) 
• Cuby (Oskar van Deventer 2005) 
• Delta (Kyoo Wong 2013) 
• Dice (Timothy Collins 2021) 
• Dolce (Akio Yamamoto 2001) 
• G&G (Jin-Hoo Ahn 2013) 
• Galaxy (Bram Cohen 2014) 
• Hashtag/Shift (Yoshiyuki Kotani/Kirill Grebnev 2017) 
• O'Gear (Oskar van Deventer 2002) 
• Reef/Coral (Akio Yamamoto 1999 or 2000) part of the marine serie 
• S&S (Nobuyuki Yoshigahara 1984) patent in 1903 by Edward Mowry 
• Seahorse/Tails (Akio Yamamoto 1999 or 2000) part of the marine series
• Slider (Vesa Timonen 2019) 
• Star (Nobuyuki Yoshigahara 1983) 
• Violon (Joseph L. Little 2003) patent in 1965 
• W-U (Nobuyuki Yoshigahara 1995) 

Level 4:

• Baroq (Akio Yamamoto 2003) 
• Cake (Bram Cohen 2016) 
• Coaster (Serhiy Grabarchuk 2006) 
• Coil (Edi Nagata 2011) 
• Cylinder (Vesa Timonen 2013) 
• Dial (Vesa Timonen 2016) 
• Donuts (Vesa Timonen 2011) 
• Heart (Nobuyuki Yoshigahara 2001) 
• Hexagon (Mine Uyematsu 2015) 
• Keyhole (Vesa Timonen 2014) 
• L'œuf (Oskar van Deventer 2004) 
• Möbius (Oskar van Deventer 2015) 
• Planet (Masumi Ohno 2022) 
• Ring (Nobuyuki Yoshigahara 2000) patent in 1887 by William Davidson 
• Twist (Oskar van Deventer 2013) 
• U&U (Kyoo Wong 2014) 
• UFO (Vesa Timonen 2019) 
• Valve (Vesa Timonen 2021) 

Level 5:

• Amour (Akio Yamamoto 1991) 
• Cyclone (Kyoo Wong 2020) 
• Devil (Nobuyuki Yoshigahara 1994) 
• Duet (Oskar van Deventer 2005) 
• Elk (Nobuyuki Yoshigahara 1986) 
• Equa (Oskar van Deventer 2008) 
• H&H (Oskar van Deventer 2010) 
• Helix (Akio Yamamoto 2009) created in 1990 
• Laby (Nobuyuki Yoshigahara 1997) patent in 1898 by Clarence Carter 
• Marble (Bram Cohen/Oskar van Deventer 2009) 
• Padlock (Jin-Hoo Ahn 2016) 
• Radix (Akio Yamamoto 2005) 
• Rattle (Bram Cohen 2010) 
• Ring II (Jose Grant 2004) 
• Spiral (Kennet Walker/Harry Nelson 2003) 
• Square (Vesa Timonen 2010) 

Level 6:

• Chain (Oskar van Deventer 2002) 
• Enigma (Eldon Vaughn 2004) first patent in 1975 
• Hourglass (Jin-Hoo Ahn 2018) 
• Infinity (Vesa Timonen 2016) 
• News (Nobuyuki Yoshigahara 2003) 
• Nutcase (Oskar van Deventer 2007) 
• Quartet (Mine Uyematsu 2007) 
• Rotor (Kyoo Wong 2019) 
• Trinity (Kyoo Wong 2017) 
• Vortex (Akio Yamamoto 2008) 

Chess pieces:

(Chrome color. Also exist in black. 100 gold sets were sold at IPP35 Canada)

• Pawn (level 1 Marcel Gillen) 
• Rook (level 1 Marcel Gillen) 
• Knight (level 2 Marcel Gillen) 
• Bishop (level 2 Marcel Gillen) 
• Queen (level 3 Marcel Gillen) 
• King (level 3 Marcel Gillen) 

Ultraman series:

• SSSP emblem shooting star (level 1 based on Diamond) 
• Beta capsule (level 3 based on Cage) 
• Ultra eye (level 4 based on News) 
• Ultra guard emblem (level 4 based on Cylinder) 
• Marble (level 5 based on Marble but different metal colors) limited to 500 items 

Disney series:

(Colors varies according to the rendition)

• Mickey Mouse ring (level 1 based on Loop) 
• Mickey & Minnie key (level 2 based on Key) 
• Winnie the Pooh escape (level 2 based on Horse) 
• Alice in Wonderland labyrinth (level 4 based on Laby) 

Other

• Medallion for Puzzle Master (Oskar van Deventer level 4) 
• Oskar (Oskar van Deventer 1987, one element made of plastic) 
• Nut (1987 a classic type 3R nut and bolt puzzle, other manufacturer made it since then) 
• Lucky Puzzle (a seven metal pieces tangram) - See Nick’s note below!
• Chris Ramsay X Hanayama (2019 level 2, a mix of ABC, Laby and Bike)




Special thanks to Nick Baxter for adding the following:




“It has only one 2022 puzzle (Planet).

There are at least three variations of Medallion that I'm aware of. You mention the version etched for PuzzleMaster. But there is a version with the Hanayama logo, and one with the IMO (International Math Olympiad) logo.




There is a whole series of "Lucky" puzzles (I have 11 of them), not just the tangram. So not clear this should even be listed. There are other puzzle lines in plastic (popcicles, Meija candies), also marginally interesting for a "cast-centric" listing.

But there is Puzzling Japan, a set of 6 entanglements that probably should be included (Ninja, Sakura, Tokyo Tower, Fujiyama, Koban, Japan)”

If anyone has anything to add or change please message me, John