Semi Kulax and Kiko Semi
The Semi Kulax (セミクラックス) and Kiko Semi (キコーセミ) are Japanese 4.5×6 folders made by Kigawa from 1941 to about 1946.
Contents
General description
All the models are vertical folders, copies of the 4.5×6 Nettar with straight folding struts. There is a key to wind the film at the bottom right, as seen by the photographer holding the camera horizontally. The back is hinged to the left and the back latch consists of a long sliding bar. There is a single red window at the bottom, protected by a horizontally sliding cover.
The Semi Kulax
Description
The Semi Kulax has a short top housing containing both an eye level finder and a brilliant finder, with the shutter release and folding bed release symmetrically placed at both ends. The lens is front-cell focusing, and is normally surrounded by a depth-of-field scale. The name is normally embossed as KULAX in the front leather. The top housing has a large KSK logo, presumably for Kigawa Seimitsu Kōgaku.
Advertisements and original documents
The Semi Kulax was advertised in Japanese magazines from January 1941. It is already mentioned in the official list of set prices compiled in October 1940 and published in January 1941, in four versions: "Semi Kulax A" (¥100), "Semi Kulax I" (¥120), "Semi Kulax II" (¥121), "Semi Kulax III" (¥160).[1] By comparison with other cameras in the same price categories, we can presume that the models A and II have an f/4.5 lens and the models I and III have an f/3.5 lens. A similar price list dated November 1941 only has the Semi Kulax A, I and III.[2]
The January 1942 advertisement in Shashin Bunka mentions the depth-of-field scale, Erinar Anastigmat 75/3.5 lens and Kiko (キコー) shutter. Two versions are listed, differing by the shutter speeds:
The camera is advertised together with the Gotex, and the distributor is Nichiei Shōkai (successor of Optochrom-sha and predecessor of Kikō Shōji). The pictured camera has the KULAX embossing and the KSK engraving. Its shutter casing is black, and the aperture scale is a separate part attached on top. No name is visible on the shutter rim.
The Semi Kulax is also listed in the April 1943 government inquiry on camera production.[3]
Actual examples
The example pictured in this page differs from the other known Semi Kulax by its all chrome shutter casing, with the speed and aperture scales directly engraved. The lens is engraved KIKO Anastigmat Erinar 1:3.5 f=75mm N°74629. The shutter is reported as a Rapid-Kiko, apparently giving T, B, 1–500 speeds (the top speed is unsure). The shutter name is inscribed at the bottom of the speed setting rim. The top housing has the words TOKYO JAPAN KIGAWA KŌGAKU 2601 engraved under the KSK logo. The year 2601 corresponds to 1941 in the Japanese mythological calendar sometimes used in military ruled Japan.
  
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| Semi Kulax, Kiko Anastigmat Erinar 75mm f/3.5 lens. Pictures courtesy of eBayer Duffherm. (Image rights) |
The example pictured in Sugiyama has KULEX embossed in the front leather.[4] This is probably not a name variant but rather a mistake in the marking, something not infrequent among Japanese cameras of the time. This example has T, B, 5–300 speeds and perhaps a missing depth-of-field scale. No shutter name is visible. The lens engraving is Kikō Anastigmat Erinar 1:3.5 f=75mm N°20279.
The Kiko Semi
The Kiko Semi is an evolution of the Semi Kulax. The front leather is embossed KIKO, and the back is embossed Kiko Semi.
Notes
- ↑ "Kokusan shashinki no kōtei kakaku", type 3, sections 4B, 5B, 6B and 7B.
- ↑ "Kamera no kōtei kakaku kanpō happyō", November 1941, type 3, sections 4B, 5B and 7B.
- ↑ "Kokusan shashinki no genjōchōsa" ("Inquiry into Japanese cameras"), item 59.
- ↑ Sugiyama, item 1317. The camera is wrongly dated 1948. The name "Kulex" and the date are repeated in McKeown, p.464.
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. Items 57, 75 and 471. (See also the advertisement for item 101.)
- "Kamera no kōtei kakaku kanpō happyō" (カメラの公定価格官報発表, Official announcement of the set prices of the cameras), November 1941. Extract of a table listing Japanese camera production and setting the retail prices, reproduced in "Bebī Semi Fāsuto 'Kore ha bebī wo nanotta semi-ki da'" (ベビーセミファースト"これはベビーを名乗ったセミ機だ", Baby Semi First, 'this is a Semi camera called Baby'), an article by Furukawa Yasuo (古川保男) in Camera Collectors' News no. 277 (July 2000). Nishinomiya: Camera Collectors News-sha. P. 27. Type 3, sections 4B, 5B and 7B.
- "Kokusan shashinki no genjōchōsa" (国産写真機ノ現状調査, Inquiry into Japanese cameras), listing Japanese camera production as of April 1943. Reproduced in Supuringu kamera de ikou: Zen 69 kishu no shōkai to tsukaikata (スプリングカメラでいこう: 全69機種の紹介と使い方, Let's try spring cameras: Presentation and use of 69 machines). Tokyo: Shashinkogyo Syuppan-sha, 2004. ISBN 4-87956-072-3. Pp.180–7. Items 56 and 59.
- "Kokusan shashinki no kōtei kakaku" (国産写真機の公定価格, Set prices of the Japanese cameras), listing Japanese camera production as of October 25, 1940 and setting the retail prices from December 10, 1940. Published in Asahi Camera January 1941 and reproduced in 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. Pp.108—9. Type 3, sections 4B, 5B, 6B and 7B.
- McKeown, James M. and Joan C. McKeown's Price Guide to Antique and Classic Cameras, 12th Edition, 2005-2006. USA, Centennial Photo Service, 2004. ISBN 0-931838-40-1 (hardcover). ISBN 0-931838-41-X (softcover). P.464.
- Sugiyama, Kōichi (杉山浩一); Naoi, Hiroaki (直井浩明); Bullock, John R. The Collector's Guide to Japanese Cameras. 国産カメラ図鑑 (Kokusan kamera zukan). Tokyo: Asahi Sonorama, 1985. ISBN 4-257-03187-5. Item 1317.
