Difference between revisions of "Misuzu Shōkai"
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On June 24th, 1965, it changed its name again to Misuzu Shōkai K.K. (美スズ商会株式会社, abandoning the ''kanji'' character, whose reading is hard to guess).<REF> [http://web.archive.org/web/20040611010640/www.misuzu.gr.jp/enkaku.htm Chronology] of the Misuzu official website (web archive version Sep 24, 2004). </REF> The company was still in existence in 2004. | On June 24th, 1965, it changed its name again to Misuzu Shōkai K.K. (美スズ商会株式会社, abandoning the ''kanji'' character, whose reading is hard to guess).<REF> [http://web.archive.org/web/20040611010640/www.misuzu.gr.jp/enkaku.htm Chronology] of the Misuzu official website (web archive version Sep 24, 2004). </REF> The company was still in existence in 2004. | ||
− | == Cameras sold by Misuzu under its own name == | + | == Cameras sold by Misuzu Shōkai under its own name == |
* [[Vest Alex and Vest Olympic|Vest Alex]] (4×6.5, 1936–1938), later sold by [[Ricoh|Riken]] as the [[Vest Alex and Vest Olympic|Vest Olympic]] | * [[Vest Alex and Vest Olympic|Vest Alex]] (4×6.5, 1936–1938), later sold by [[Ricoh|Riken]] as the [[Vest Alex and Vest Olympic|Vest Olympic]] | ||
* Midget (1937) | * Midget (1937) | ||
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The website of the company said that the Midget was made by Misuzu itself. | The website of the company said that the Midget was made by Misuzu itself. | ||
− | == Other cameras distributed by Misuzu == | + | == Other cameras distributed by Misuzu Shōkai == |
* [[Alpenflex]] by [[Hachiyo|Hachiyo Optical]] | * [[Alpenflex]] by [[Hachiyo|Hachiyo Optical]] | ||
* [[Semi Leotax]] by [[Shōwa|Shōwa Kōgaku]] (prewar and wartime period) | * [[Semi Leotax]] by [[Shōwa|Shōwa Kōgaku]] (prewar and wartime period) |
Revision as of 22:55, 20 March 2007
Misuzu Shōkai (i.e. Misuzu Trading Company) was a Japanese distributor. It was founded on June 1st, 1922 as simply Misuzu Shōkai (美篶商会) and became K.K. Misuzu Shōkai (株式会社美篶商会) on May 16th, 1936.[1] It was based in Tokyo, Ginza[2] and distributed cameras from 1936 to 1944, then again from 1947 to the early 1950s. It sold a number of cameras under its own brands, and it perhaps made some cameras as well: it is said that the Midget subminiature was manufactured by the company.[3]
On June 24th, 1965, it changed its name again to Misuzu Shōkai K.K. (美スズ商会株式会社, abandoning the kanji character, whose reading is hard to guess).[4] The company was still in existence in 2004.
Contents
Cameras sold by Misuzu Shōkai under its own name
- Vest Alex (4×6.5, 1936–1938), later sold by Riken as the Vest Olympic
- Midget (1937)
- Romax 6.5×9cm plate folder (1938)
- New Midget (1939, again in 1947)
- New Midget II f:4.5 (1940)
- Andes Four (1941)
- Semi Lead (4.5×6 folder, 1943–4)
The website of the company said that the Midget was made by Misuzu itself.
Other cameras distributed by Misuzu Shōkai
- Alpenflex by Hachiyo Optical
- Semi Leotax by Shōwa Kōgaku (prewar and wartime period)
- Well Standard and Well Super by Nihon Kōki
- Olympus Standard and Semi Olympus II by Takachiho (Misuzu was an authorized dealer)
- Romax (6×6) (Misuzu was an authorized dealer)
Notes
- ↑ Chronology of the Misuzu official website (web archive version Sep 24, 2004).
- ↑ Its address from 1939 to 1944 was Tōkyō-shi Kyōbashi-ku Ginza 8-chōme (東京市京橋区銀座八丁目). Source: advertisements reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, pp. 96 and 102.
- ↑ Midget page of the Misuzu official website (web archive version Sep 24, 2004).
- ↑ Chronology of the Misuzu official website (web archive version Sep 24, 2004).
Links
In Japanese:
- A web archive version (Sep 24, 2004) of the Misuzu Shōkai corporate site, which is currently (June 2006) offline. There is a company presentation, with a chronology (important source for this page) and the history of Misuzu's name, and a page presenting a Midget camera. (If the text is garbled rather than Japanese, switch the encoding to Shift-JIS.)