Kajiro Kōgaku
Kajiro Kōgaku Kenkyūjo (上代光学研究所, Kajiro Optical Laboratory) is a Japanese optical company that was founded in 1939 by Kajiro Hitoshi (上代斉), who was previously an employee of Miyoshi Kōgaku.[1] The initials K.O.L. (for Kajiro Optical Laboratory) were adopted as the brand name of the lenses. K.O.L. is engraved in the lenses in handwritten style.
The company became Gojō Kōki Seisakusho (五城光機製作所) in 1941, but at the end of the same year, the plant and brand names were transfered to Kokusaku Seikō, a camera maker which was already buying lenses for its Auto Keef model.[2]
After the war, the company was revived as Sun Kōki.[3]
Lenses
It is said that the first lens, mounted on the Mamiya Six in 1940, was the K.O.L. Trio, soon followed by the K.O.L. Special. Both are three element lenses.[4] However the Semi Kreis, a 4.5×6 folder, had these lenses mounted in the reverse order: the original model had the K.O.L. Special and the Semi Kreis II and III had the K.O.L. Trio.
An advertisement[5] for the K.O.L. lenses, mentioning both Gojō and Kokusaku, lists the following lenses:
- K.O.L. Anastigmat f/4.5 (75mm);
- K.O.L. Anastigmat f/3.5 (60mm, 75mm);
- K.O.L. Sola (four elements) f/3.5 (50mm, 75mm);
- K.O.L. Goka[6] (four elements) f/2.8 (60mm, 75mm, 80mm);
- K.O.L. Xebec (six elements) f/2 (50mm).
The K.O.L. Xebec is a collapsible lens in Leica screw mount.
Cameras equipped
- Elmoflex
- Gaica II (K.O.L. Gaica)
- Auto Keef
- Semi Kreis (K.O.L. Special and K.O.L. Trio)
- Semi Kreis II and III (K.O.L. Trio)
- Lark (6×6) (K.O.L. Trio)
- Mamiya Six
- Nōman Flex
- Weha Chrome Six III New (K.O.L. Gojo, one example reported only)
Notes
Bibliography
- Inoue, Mitsuo (井上光朗). "Shashin renzu no yoake. Renzu-ya Funsenki" (写真レンズの夜明け・レンズ屋奮戦記, Dawn of the photographic lens – Fierce war tales between lens shops). Kamera Rebyū: Kurashikku Kamera Senka (カメラレビュー クラシックカメラ専科) / Camera Review: All about Historical Cameras no.14, October 1989. No ISBN number. Rikō kamera no subete (リコーカメラのすべて, special issue on Ricoh). Pp 128–132.
Links
In Japanese:
- Kōgaku Seiki's Nippon camera, a page by Akiyama Michio at the Nikon Kenkyukai Tokyo website, with information about the K.O.L. Xebec and Sun Xebec
