Hachiyō
Hachiyo Optical Co. (Hachiyō Kōgaku Kōgyō, 八陽光学工業) was a Japanese company known for making Alpenflex and Stereo Alpen cameras.
The company had its origin in a fortified factory set up during the war by Nippon Kōgaku in Yamagata Prefecture (in the north of Japan's main island).[1] In an advertisement for the Alpenflex I (or IS), Tanaka Shōkai makes explicit Hachiyo's origin as the Shiojiri (塩尻) factory of Nihon Kōgaku, and also uses Hachiyo's manufacture of microscopes as a sales point.[2]
The company went out of business in 1955.[3]
Notes
- ↑ Kanno, p. 118.
- ↑ Advertisement in the February 1953 issue of Nihon Camera, p. 104.
- ↑ Kyōshū no burando ten, p. 20.
Sources / further reading
- Advertisement by Tanaka Shōkai. Nihon Camera (日本カメラ) February 1953. p. 104. The advertisement is for an unspecified model of Alpenflex (apparently the I or IS and probably the former as a self-timer is not mentioned).
- 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.
- Kanno Tsunetoshi (管野経敏). "Alpenflex." In Miryoku saihakken: Nigan refu: Firumu kamera ha e no messēji (魅力再発見・二眼レフ:フィルムカメラ派へのメッセージ, Fascination rediscovery: TLRs: A message to film cameras). Tokyo: Shashinkogyo Syuppansha, 2006. pp. 118–9.
- Nihon no kamera o omoshiroku shita kyōshū no burando ten (日本のカメラを面白くした郷愁のブランド展, Exhibition of nostalgic brands that made Japanese cameras interesting). Tokyo: JCII Camera Museum, 1997. Exhibition catalogue.