Minagawa

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Minagawa Shōten (皆川商店) was a Japanese distributor based in Tokyo.[1] It marketed the First Hand plate folder from 1929 and subsequently distributed most cameras from First Camera Works, alias Kuribayashi. It has been suggested that First Camera Works was a joint venture of Minagawa and Kuribayashi, but it can as well be a mere name used for advertising.[2]

After the war, Minagawa again distributed cameras called "First": the Firstflex 6×6 TLR and First Six 6×6 folder (at least the First Six was made by Tokiwa Seiki). It is very probable that the company was the owner of the brand name. Minagawa went bankrupt in 1955.[3]

Distributed cameras

Bibliography

  • Its address from 1934 to 1940 was Tōkyō Ueno Ekimae Okachimachi (東京上野駅前御徒町). Source: advertisements reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, pp. 85–8. Its address from 1951 to 1955 was Tōkyō-to Taitō-ku Okachimachi 3-chōme 16 (東京都台東区御徒町3丁目16). It was probably the same as before, with the new address system used after the war. Source: advertisements reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, pp. 169–70.
  • Joint venture suggestion: Baird, p. 15.
  • Baird, p. 273.