Gokoku and Ricohl

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The Gokoku and Ricohl are Japanese cameras taking 3×4cm pictures on 127 film, made by Riken Kōgaku Kōgyō (the predecessor of Ricoh) from 1938 to the war. They have a focal plane shutter and look like the Leica screw models, without a rangefinder. They were not the only 3×4 camera with a focal plane shutter: other examples are the Foth Derby, the Ensign Multex or the French Lumière Elax, Gallus Derlux and Pontiac Lynx II. However they were perhaps the only ones with an exposure counter and film advance fully coupled to the shutter winding.

Possible predecessors: the Lausar and the Baika

The Lausar is only known from a letter by Ōishi Hiroshi (大石博) to the Japanese magazine Kurashikku Kamera Senka.[1] It is a 3×4 camera with a focal plane shutter, of which about ten prototypes were made by the company Tomioka: this was confirmed to Mr Ōishi by the company, the date being told as "at the time of the China events" (支那事変当時), an euphemism designating the war with China which broke out in 1937. According to the pictures, the camera's general aspect and the layout of the controls are very similar to the Gokoku but the body is slightly more angular. The name Lausar is engraved on the top plate above the viewfinder, together with a logo, the company name Tomioka Kogaku Tokyo and the serial number. The speed dial seems to have Z, 30–500 settings. The lens is a collapsible Tomioka Lausar 5cm f/3.5 with a focusing tab and an infinity stop. It is not known if it is interchangeable. The striking design similarity leads to the hypothesis that Riken took over the Lausar project from Tomioka and developed it into the Gokoku.

The Baika (バイカ)[2] is only known from Kokusan kamera no rekishi, quoting a column in the April 1937 issue of Camera Club. It is said to be a 3×4 camera with a focal plane shutter giving B, 25–500 speeds, automatic stop film advance, chrome fittings and a collapsible Lausar f/4.5 lens.[3] It seems that it was presented as a Leica copy, and the name "Baika" itself is very close to Leica (ライカ, raika in Japanese). It is attributed to the department store Ōsaka Daimaru Hyakkaten which was obviously only the distributor.[4] The presence of the Lausar lens by Tomioka and the similarity of the specifications suggests that the Baika was another name for the Lausar camera.

The Riken No. 1

The Gokoku itself was first announced by Riken Kōgaku Kōgyō as the Riken No. 1 (理研NO.1) or Riken Camera (理研カメラ) in advertisements and articles dated October 1938.[5] The pictured camera is identical to the Gokoku but it seems to have no markings above the top plate. The shutter speed range goes from 1/20 to 1/500.[6] The lens looks like it is interchangeable but this is not mentioned anywhere in the original documents. It has a large focusing tab, different from the part normally found on the Gokoku lenses. The lens was said to be a Ukas Anastigmat f/3.5 in the October 1938 Asahi Camera article but it was announced as a Riken Kōgaku Anastigmat f/3.5 in the advertisements and the pictures show the engraving RIKEN 1:3.5 F=50mm.

The Riken No. 1 was available for ¥195 to subscribers only (the same price as the Weha Chrome Six and Auto Semi Minolta).[7] It seems that the camera was never produced under that name and no surviving example has surfaced so far. It is said that the delivery was delayed and that this caused complaints.[8]

The Gokoku

The Riken No. 1 was actually sold under the name Gokoku (or Gokoku No. 1). The word gokoku (written 護国) means "protector of the country", it is an example of the "patriotic" wartime names often used by Riken.

Description

The camera has a metal body, leather covered with chrome top and bottom plates. The viewfinder is offset to the left and is contained in a short top housing. The name GOKOKU N°1 is engraved above the finder (with a stylized G) together with the R.K.K initials of Riken Kōgaku Kōgyō. The accessory shoe, speed dial and shutter release are above the top housing, to the right of the viewfinder. The speed dial has Z, 20, 30, 40, 60, 100, 200, 500 settings. The serial number is engraved in front of the accessory shoe. At the left end of the top plate there is a fake rewind knob what looks like a rewind knob: the camera does not need rewind and it is only there to look like the Leica. The advance knob and exposure counter is at the right end. The film is advanced and the shutter is wound in the same movement.[9] Because of the absence of perforations, the film advance mechanism only relies on feeler-rollers and it was plagued with reliability problems.[10]

The back and bottom plate are removable together and they are locked by keys at both ends. The bottom plate also has a tripod thread. The back contains a single red window at the left end, used to set the position of the first exposure. It is protected by a cover that is retracted by a thumbwheel surrounding the red window.

Variations

The Gokoku is known both with an interchangeable lens and with a fixed lens. On the cameras with an interchangeable lens, the lens mount is the standard Leica thread mount. It is said that regular Leica lenses can be mounted on the Gokoku but that they end up in the upside down position, with the focusing scale at the bottom.[11] The only lens that was made for the camera is a close copy of the collapsible Leitz Elmar 50mm f/3.5. The lens rim is engraved Ofunar 1:3.5 f=50mm N°xxxxx and the aperture scale goes from 3.5 to 18. The lens focuses down to 1 meter.

The cameras with a fixed lens have a slightly larger helicoid focusing down to 0.5 meter. The lens rim is engraved GOKOKU ANASTIGMAT 1:3.5 F=50mm and the lens number is engraved on the distance scale. There is a metal lens cap engraved RKK.

Variations are known in the feeler roller system advance system, presumably because of an attempt of making the troublesome mechanism more reliable. Some cameras have a roller attached to the back and facing the main roller inside the body. Others have a metal bridge forcing the film onto the main roller.[12]

Accessory rangefinder

An external rangefinder was available for the camera. It is marked RKK and GOKOKU RANGE-FINDER, and it was copied on the external rangefinder of the Leica Standard, with a shorter base.

Advertising

The Gokoku was listed for ¥195 in an advertisement dated February 1939 by Riken Kōgaku Kōgyō (the name being written 護国).[13] The camera was again listed only in another advertisement dated October 1940.[14]

The Ricohl

This section is currently under rework.

Later, around late 1940, Riken completely reworked the mechanism and launched the Riken Ricohl I. It had a longer top housing and a bigger finder. The exposure counter was now inside the advance knob, and there was no fake rewind knob. It was marked Ricohl Mod.I and R.K.K above the finder, and the serial number was in front of the accessory shoe. The Ricohl I had the same Gokoku Anastigmat 50/3.5 lens as the Gokoku, probably in fixed mount.

In 1942 followed the Ricohl IIB (リコールIIB型), with an interchangeable Neutar (?, ノイタール) four element lens. This lens mount was a screw mount specific to this camera. The lens looks even more like the Leitz Elmar 50/3.5.

There is an ad for the Ricohl IIB shown here, dated 2602 in Japanese calendar, ie 1942. The price was 256 yen. In an ad for the Riken Heil shown at the same site, two Ricohl variants are listed: the IIB (barely readable) for 256 yen and another model (looks like Ricohl II or Ricohl III) for 314 yen.

It is said at Ricoh's corporate site that more versions were planned and abandoned because of the war effort.

They also say that the Roico 4x4 camera used the same body, but with a lens shutter.

Serial numbers

An unverifiable source (Japanese seller) says about the Ricohl I that 1500 were produced. It is unknown if this number also includes the Ricohl IIB, or even the Gokoku.

It is said that only very few functioning Gokoku / Ricohl still exist, and even the one exposed at Ricoh's service center is not operational.

Some serial numbers observed:

  • Gokoku: 1168 (probably interchangeable lens No 10168, for sale by a dealer with Gokoku rangefinder), 2818 (reported in a forum)
  • Ricohl I: 3309 (Gokoku lens No 11275, ebay auction), 3600 (Gokoku lens No 11923, pictured in McKeown)
  • Ricohl IIB:

Notes

  1. ↑ Dokusha-dayori, pp. 161–2 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no. 14.
  2. ↑ The Roman spelling "Baika" is given in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 338, but it is unconfirmed.
  3. ↑ Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 338.
  4. ↑ Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 338.
  5. ↑ Advertisement published in Shashin Salon October 1938, reproduced in Awano, p. 4 of Camera Collectors' News no. 39. Advertisement published in Asahi Camera October 1938, reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 102 and in Awano, p. 24 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no. 14. (The advertisements in Shashin Salon and in Asahi Camera are exactly the same.) Atarashii kikai to zairyō (new products column) of Asahi Camera October 1938, reproduced in Awano, p. 5 of Camera Collectors' News no. 39. Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 343, also mentions an advertisement in Ars Camera.
  6. ↑ The article in Asahi Camera October 1938 says 20, 40, 60, 100, 200, 500, bulb. The absence of 1/30 is perhaps a mistake.
  7. ↑ Advertisements cited above. Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 343, mentions an article in Asahi Shinbun 28 August 1938 and it seems that the subscription was already open at that date.
  8. ↑ Awano, p. 1 of Camera Collectors' News no. 39 and p. 23 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no. 14.
  9. ↑ Awano, p. 11 of Camera Collectors' News no. 40 and p. 24 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no. 14.
  10. ↑ Awano, p. 2 of Camera Collectors' News no. 39 and p. 24 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no. 14.
  11. ↑ Awano, p. 1 of Camera Collectors' News no. 39 and p. 24 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no. 14.
  12. ↑ Comparative pictures are shown in Awano, p. 3 of Camera Collectors' News no. 39.
  13. ↑ Advertisement for the Riken camera range published in the 26 February 1939 issue of Sunday Mainichi, reproduced in the Gochamaze website.
  14. ↑ Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 336.

Bibliography

Links

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In Japanese:


Asahi Bussan and Riken prewar and wartime cameras (edit)
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