Toyoca Six
The Toyoca Six[1] (トヨカシックス) is a Japanese 6×6 folder, made by Tougodo (Toyohashi) around 1957.
Description
The Toyoca Six has some similarities with the 1953 Beauty Six; the two cameras might share parts or even the body casting. It is a horizontal folder, and its three-part folding struts are inspired from the 6×6 Ikonta. The viewfinder is contained in the middle of the top housing. The accessory shoe is offset to the left, as seen by the photographer. The advance knob is at the left end of the top plate, and there is a decorative flange on the opposite end. The shutter release is at its usual location on the right. The button visible in front of the accessory shoe has a smooth wedge shape, and is certainly the folding bed release. The back is hinged to the right and certainly contains red windows to control the film advance. The camera reportedly takes 6×6cm and 4.5×6cm exposures.[2]
The name Toyoca is engraved at the front of the top housing, in front of the accessory shoe, and the TG logo of Tougodo is engraved in the folding struts.
The shutter has a self-timer and a PC synch socket providing X synchronization.[3] The lens is a front-cell focusing Tri-Lausar Anastigmat 8cm f/3.5, made by Tomioka. The shutter plate has depth-of-field indications on a black background.
Commercial life and surviving example
The Toyoca Six was listed in the summer 1957 issue of Shashin Kōgyō about Japanese cameras.[4] This document certainly says that the shutter is a CHY-FS giving B, 1–200 speeds.[5] No other document is reported, and its commercial life was certainly very brief.
Two surviving examples have been observed so far. One of them, owned by the Pentax Gallery and pictured in Sugiyama, has a round lens standard, B, 1–200 speeds and a shutter reported as a CHY-SB, certainly is engraved as such at the bottom of the speed rim.[6] The other has an angled lens standard, with a protrusion behind the synch socket, the same as on some advertising pictures of the 1953 Beauty Six.[7] It reportedly has B, 1–300 speeds.
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 1392.
- Lewis, Gordon, ed. The History of the Japanese Camera. Rochester, N.Y.: George Eastman House, International Museum of Photography & Film, 1991. ISBN 0-935398-17-1 (paper), 0-935398-16-3 (hard). P.185 (brief mention only).
- 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 1422.
