Kyōwa
At least four Japanese optical companies have the name Kyōwa.
Contents
Kyōwa Kōki (1950s)
Kyōwa Kōki K.K. (協和光機㈱) made the Flora Six and Kyowa Six folders from 1953 to 1955. It was based in Tokyo, and its address was Katsushika-ku Kamihirai-chō (葛飾区上平井町) 320.[1] It used a KYOWA logo.
Kyōwa Kōki (1970s)
Another company called Kyōwa Kōki K.K. (協和光機㈱) is mentioned as a maker of camera lenses in a document about industry in Shimosuwa (下諏訪).[2] In this document, the company is listed as active in the town in 1971 and 1975 (it was not yet in existence in 1961 and it had disappeared by 1979).
Kyōwa Camera Works
The marking KYOWA CAMERA WORKS is found on the aperture scale of the Selcaflex 6×6 TLR, associated with a KSK logo on the viewing hood. This company is probably different from the other three.
Kyōwa Kōgaku Kōgyō
The company Kyōwa Kōgaku Kōgyō K.K. is still in existence (2010) as a microscope maker. It was founded in 1940 as Gōshi-gaisha Kyōwa Kōgaku Seiki Seisakusho and took its present name in 1948.[3] It seems that this company has not been involved in camera production, and it is certainly not related with the other Kyōwa.
Notes
- ↑ Source: advertisements dated 1953 and 1954 reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, pp.134, 177 and 178.
- ↑ "Shimosuwa ni okeru kōgyōteki chiriyō no bunka sōjo" (下諏訪における工業的地利用の文化層序), in pdf format.
- ↑ History page of Kyōwa Kōgaku Kōgyō (stored at web.archive.org).
Bibliography
- 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.
Links
In Japanese:
- Kyōwa Kōki (1950s) in Terasaki Haruhisa's website
- Official company history (currently offline and stored at web.archive.org) of Kyōwa Kōgaku Kōgyō
