Tokiwa plate folders

The Tokiwa or Tokiwa Camera (トキワカメラ) are Japanese plate folders, about which little is known.

Origin

Most sources say that the were made by Kuribayashi. Some add that the Tokiwa was based on the Kokka and was supplied to the company Tokiwa Kōgaku, which later provided Tokiwa lenses for other Kuribayashi cameras. The mention of the Kokka is certainly a mistake, as the two cameras seem to have no part in common.

The original advertisements found so far were placed by Mizuno Shashinki-ten and say nothing of Tokiwa Kōgaku. In these, the camera name is written "Tokiwa Camera" in katakana: トキワカメラ. This name was certainly chosen by Mizuno as a reference to the Japanese word tokiwa written 常磐, meaning "eternity" or "evergreen". The brand "Tokiwa" was also used by Mizuno for bromide papers. It has probably nothing to see with the family name Tokiwa, written 常盤, as found in the company name Tokiwa Kōgaku.

Known advertisements

The Tokiwa Camera was advertised in June 1935 in Nihon Shashin Kōgyō Tsūshin. Three models are listed in daimeishi size (6.5×9cm):

• No.1, single extension (一段伸), ¥24;
• No.2, one-and-a-half extension (一段半), ¥28;
• No.3, double extension (二段伸), ¥31.

The advertisement mentions f/4.5 and f/6.3 lenses, and the prices probably correspond to the cheaper lens. The picture shows the double extension model. It has an all-metal body and a small focusing wheel on the photographer's right. There is a brilliant finder with an attached bubble level, and a wireframe finder with an indent at the bottom and a rectangular eyepiece. A knob is visible above the front standard, controlling the vertical movements.

The Tokiwa Camera was also advertised in the July 1935 and January 1936 issues of Ars Camera. The January 1936 advertisement has the same picture as before, and the caption confirms that it shows the daimeishi Tokiwa no.3. The range is extended by the addition of a tefuda model (8×10.5cm), and more details are given:

• No.1, daimeishi, single extension, no movements, from ¥24 with an f/6.3 lens;
• No.2, daimeishi, one-and-a-half extension, no movements, from ¥28 with an f/6.3 lens;
• No.3, daimeishi, true double extension, vertical movements, from ¥32 with an f/6.3 lens;
• No.0, tefuda, true double extension, vertical movements, from ¥45 with an f/6.3 lens.

Surviving examples

Tokiwa No.3, Lidex C shutter, Heliostar Anastigmat München 105mm f/6.3 lens no.96185. Pictures courtesy of eBayer hbpartner. (Image rights)

The camera pictured in Baird and McKeown as a "Tokiwa Hand Camera" seems to correspond to the Tokiwa No.1 or No.2, with single or "one-and-a-half" extension bellows. It has a small focusing wheel on the right. Its folding struts are similar to those visible in the advertising picture. The front standard does not seem to allow any movement. There is no bubble level, and the wireframe finder has a different shape, with a circular eyepiece on the rear. The shutter is a dial-set Velio (25, 50, 100, B, T) and the lens is a Meyer Anastigmat Trioplan 10.5cm f/6.3. The name Tokiwa is embossed in the removable ground glass hood; it is not known if it is repeated elsewhere on the camera body.

A very similar camera has been observed in an online auction, only differing by the shape of the folding struts. It has a Koilos dial-set shutter (25, 50, 100, B, T) and a Heliostar Anastigmat München 105mm f/6.3 lens (no.84311).

Lidex C shutter, Heliostar Anastigmat München 105mm f/6.3 lens no.96185. Picture courtesy of eBayer hbpartner. (Image rights)

The camera pictured in Sugiyama as a "Tokiwa Hand Camera" certainly corresponds to the Tokiwa No.3. It has double extension bellows, a bubble level on the side of the brilliant finder, and vertical movements controlled by a knob at the top of the front standard. The wireframe finder seems to be missing. The shutter is a Lidex by Molta (T, B, 5–200) and the lens is a Heliostar Anastigmat 105mm f/4.5.

A similar camera is pictured in this page. The bubble level is absent and the knob for vertical movements has a different shape. The shape of the wireframe finder is the same as in the advertising picture, but the rear eyepiece has the same circular shape as on the No.1 or No.2 described above. The shutter is a Lidex C by Molta, giving T, B, 25, 50, 100, 150 speeds. The shutter plate has Patents~Nippon at the top, Lidex >C< at the bottom and the MTS logo of Molta on the right. The lens is a Heliostar Anastigmat München 105mm f/6.3 (no.96185).

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. Item 154.
• Baird, John R. Collectors guide to Kuribayashi-Petri Cameras. Grantsburg, WI (USA): Centennial Photo Service, 1991. ISBN 0-931838-16-9. Pp.15 and 57–8.
• 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.576.
• Nihon Shashin Kōgyō Tsūshin (日本写真興業通信). Hyaku-gō goto jūkai no kiroku (百号ごと十回の記録, Ten records, every hundred issues). Tokyo: Nihon Shashin Kōgyō Tsūshin Sha (日本写真興業通信社), 1967. No ISBN number. P.24, corresponding to p.6 of the June 1st, 1935 issue.
• 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 1251.