Sanwa
Sanwa Shōkai (三和商会) was a Japanese distributor based in Tokyo, Tamura-chō.[1] It was an authorized dealer for various cameras from the late 1930s to the end of World War II, sometimes in association with Mizuno Shashinki-ten and Yamamoto Shashinki-ten. It was a pioneer in the popularization of subminiature cameras, distributing both the Guzzi and the Mycro.
The company survived the war; in 1946 it was selling the Mycro and the remaining stocks of the Auto Keef.[2] It used the "Una" (ウナー) brand for various accessories, such as the Una exposure table.
Some sources[3] say the Baby Suzuka was made by Sanwa, but the name that appears in the advertisements for this camera is K.K. Sankō (株式会社三光).[4]
Cameras distributed
The dates correspond to the period when the camera is known to have been distributed by Sanwa Shōkai, not necessarily to its full production run.
- Condor folders (c.1939–42)[5]
- Zeitax (c.1942)[6]
- Semi Miss[7]
- Guzzi (1938–44) and its "Baby process tank"[8]
- Mycro (c.1942–50)[9]
- Auto Keef (1946)[10]
Other
- Una exposure table (c.1948)[11]
Notes
- ↑ Its address was Tōkyō-shi Shiba-ku Tamura-chō 2–15 (東京市芝區田村町二ノ十五). Source: advertisements dated November 1939 to February 1946, reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, pp.72–3 and 132.
- ↑ Advertisement reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.132.
- ↑ McKeown, p.870, Lewis, p.75, and this page of the Asacame website.
- ↑ Advertisement reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.142. See also the advertisement reproduced in this page of the Media-Planet website.
- ↑ Advertisements reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, pp.72–3.
- ↑ Advertisement reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.73.
- ↑ This camera is attributed to Sanwa in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.341.
- ↑ Advertisements reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.67, in Awano, pp.4–8 of Camera Collectors' News no.277, and in Hyaku-gō goto jūkai no kiroku, pp.47–9 and 71.
- ↑ Advertisement reproduced at Gochamaze; advertisements reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, pp.132 and 182–3.
- ↑ Advertisement reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.132.
- ↑ Advertisement on p.2 of Nihon Shashin Kōgyō Tsūshin, April 20, 1948, reproduced on p.80 of Hyaku-gō goto jūkai no kiroku.
Bibliography
- Asahi Camera (アサヒカメラ) editorial staff. Shōwa 10–40nen kōkoku ni miru kokusan kamera no rekishi (昭和10–40年広告にみる国産カメラの歴史, Japanese camera history as seen in advertisements, 1935–1965). Tokyo: Asahi Shinbunsha, 1994. ISBN 4-02-330312-7.
- Lewis, Gordon, ed. The History of the Japanese Camera. Rochester, N.Y.: George Eastman House, International Museum of Photography & Film, 1991. ISBN 0-935398-17-1 (paper), 0-935398-16-3 (hard). The company is incorrectly called "Miwa Shōkai" on pp.62, 64 and 80, because of a wrong reading of the kanji characters 三和. The Baby Suzuka is wrongly attributed to Sanwa Shōkai on p.75.
- McKeown, James M. and Joan C. McKeown's Price Guide to Antique and Classic Cameras, 12th Edition, 2005-2006. USA, Centennial Photo Service, 2004. ISBN 0-931838-40-1 (hardcover). ISBN 0-931838-41-X (softcover). Pp.869–70.
- Nihon Shashin Kōgyō Tsūshin (日本写真興業通信). Hyaku-gō goto jūkai no kiroku (百号ごと十回の記録, Ten records, every hundred issues). Tokyo: Nihon Shashin Kōgyō Tsūshin Sha (日本写真興業通信社), 1967. No ISBN number. Advertisement on p.80, corresponding to p.2 of the April 20, 1948 issue.
Links
In Japanese:
- Advertisements by Sanwa Shōkai reproduced in the Japanese camera page and the small format camera page at Gochamaze:
- Advertisement for the Guzzi in Asahi Graph September 20, 1939
- Advertisement for the Mycro in Asahi Graph September 23, 1942
- Advertisements by Sanwa Shōkai reproduced in Nostalgic Camera by Toshio Inamura:
- Advertisement for the Guzzi dated c.1942
- Advertisement for the Mycro in Ars Camera December 1949