Doryu 1
The Doryu 1 is a pistol-shaped camera taking 9.5mm film, completed in 1952 by the Doryu company, and made at prototype level only.
History and documents
The Doryu cameras were developed for police and surveillance tasks,[1] mainly to catch photographic proof of criminal behaviour in the act. The first camera was developed from 1949, with some degree of official support, and was completed in 1952 as the Doryu 1, taking 9.5mm film.[2] It never went into production because of durability problems and of the low availability of 9.5mm film in Japan.[3] The same year 1952, the Doryū company began to develop the newer Doryu 2-16 instead.[4]
The Doryu 1 is mentioned in the March 1955 issue of Shashin Kōgyō, in an article about the Doryu 2-16 written by Andō Katsuyasu, an employee of the Doryu company. This is the only contemporary public appearance of the camera known so far.[5]
The single surviving example known so far is pictured in Sugiyama, and has serial number 1109.[6]
Description
 
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| From Shashin Kōgyō March 1955. (Image rights) |
Notes
Bibliography
- Andō Katsuyasu (安藤勝康). "Doriu 2–16 gata kamera" (ドリウ2–16型カメラ, Doryu 2-16 camera). In Shashin Kōgyō no.33 (March 1955). Pp.214–7.
- 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. Item 632.
- Sugiyama, Kōichi (杉山浩一); Naoi, Hiroaki (直井浩明); Bullock, John R. The Collector's Guide to Japanese Cameras. 国産カメラ図鑑 (Kokusan kamera zukan). Tokyo: Asahi Sonorama, 1985. ISBN 4-257-03187-5. Item 5030.
Links
In English:
- "Doryu 3" among Minox film cameras at Subclub.org
