Korok

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The Korok (コロク) or Vest Korok (ベストコロク) is a Japanese strut-folding plate camera. It was made from about 1914 by Rokuoh-sha, manufacturing branch of Konishi (predecessor of Konica), and it exists in 5.5×8cm (meishi) and 8×10.5cm (tefuda) size.[1] It was the successor of the Minimum Idea.

Name

The Roman name "Korok" is found in an original catalogue by Konishiroku; the Japanese name was written either "Koroku kamera" (コロク、カメラ) or "Vesuto Koroku kamera" (ヴヱスト、コロク、カメラ).[2]

In the 1920s or 1930s, the word "Vest" (Vesuto) would commonly designate 127 film in Japan (as in Minolta Vest); at the time of the Vest Korok, the prefix was simply used to remind the Vest Pocket Kodak.

The Japanese name "Koroku" was certainly formed after Konishi Rokuemon, name of the founder of the Konishi company; "Konishi Honten" and "Honten Konishi Rokuemon" were two alternative names of the company at the time. The name, pronounced as "Korok" or "Kolok", is also an obvious imitation of "Kodak".

Description

The Korok is one of the first Japanese cameras to have a metal body. It is inspired from the Vest Pocket Kodak and has a pop-out rectangular front standard mounted on trellis struts. This front standard contains a single brilliant finder at the top, in the middle, a meniscus lens and a simple shutter giving Time, Bulb and Instant settings selected by an index above the lens. The words MANUFACTURED BY ROKUOH-SHA TOKYO. are inscribed around the lens. The aperture is set by an index at the bottom, with four positions indicated both by the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4 and by words in kanji script.[3]

The rear part of the camera has no similarity with the Vest Pocket Kodak, and simply consists of a box with attachment rails for the ground glass or plate holders.

Commercial life

In a catalogue by Konishiroku, the camera is called "Korok Camera" (コロク、カメラ, Koroku Kamera) in katakana writing and "Korok Hand Camera" in Roman writing.[4] It is presented as a new model (最新型), evolved from the Minimum Idea through various improvements. The format is mentioned as meishi (名刺) size, given in older units as 1 sunbu (一寸八分) width and 2 sunbu (二寸七分) height; this translates as 5.5×8.2cm, commonly rounded to 5.5×8cm. The dimensions of the camera are given as 10.3×7.3×3.3cm, and its weight as 263g.[5] The camera was supplied with six single-sided plate holders; set A (A號) included a cloth wallet and cost ¥15; set B (B號) included a leather case and cost ¥16.

The advertisement for the Korok reproduced here at the R. Konishi Rokuoh-sha website is an abridged version of the catalogue contents, and the main text is exactly the same. However the title differs and reads "Vest Korok Camera" (ヴヱスト、コロク、カメラ, Vesuto Koroku Kamera).

According to Kikuoka, apparently quoting the official company history Shashin to tomo ni hyaku-nen, the camera also existed in 8×10.5cm (tefuda) size, and there was perhaps a wooden version in meishi (5.5×8cm) format, called the Sketch Camera (スケッチカメラ).[6]

Surviving example

It seems that the surviving example pictured in the various sources is one and the same.[7] Its format is quoted as 6.5×9cm or daimeishi in some sources, and as 57×83mm or meishi in others; the latter seems more plausible.[8] The picture in Sugiyama shows the full set, complete with original buck-skin wallets for the camera and for the six plate holders.[9]

Notes

  1. Date: Kikuoka, p.32 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.10, Sugiyama, item 1080, Lewis, p.35.
  2. "Korok", "Koroku kamera": catalogue by Konishiroku reproduced in Yazawa, p.4 of Camera Collectors' News no.259. "Vesuto Koroku kamera": advertisement reproduced in this page at the R. Konishi Rokuoh-sha website.
  3. Words in kanji script: Sugiyama, item 1080.
  4. Catalogue by Konishiroku reproduced in Yazawa, p.4 of Camera Collectors' News no.259.
  5. This is given in old units: 3 sunbu length, 2 sunbu width, 1 sunbu depth, 70 monme weight.
  6. Kikuoka, p.32 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.10.
  7. Example pictured in Sugiyama, item 1080, in Yazawa, pp.1–3 and cover pages of Camera Collectors' News no.259, in Kikuoka, p.32 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.10, in Lewis, p.35, and in this page of the Center of the History of Japanese Industrial Technology. The camera is said to belong to M. Morihara in the three first sources, and the picture is the same in the last three.
  8. Format quoted as 6.5×9cm in Sugiyama, item 1080, and as daimeishi in Kikuoka, p.32 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.10. — Format quoted as 57×83mm in Lewis, p.35, and in this page of the Center of the History of Japanese Industrial Technology, and as meishi (50×77mm actual picture size) in Yazawa, p.2 of Camera Collectors' News no.259. The most detailed account of the camera is found in Yazawa, who seems to have examined the actual example instead of mere pictures.
  9. Sugiyama, item 1080.

Bibliography

Links

In Japanese: