Ueda

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Ueda Shashinki-ten (上田写真機店, meaning "Ueda Camera Shop")[1] was a Japanese company, founded in 1901 as a camera shop in Osaka.[2] At the beginning of the century, it was the distributor of the products of Konishi Honten in that town.[3] The company made and distributed some cameras in the 1910s under the "Star" brand name.

In the 1930s and early 1940s, Ueda was located in the Shinsaibashi district of Osaka.[4] Around 1935, it was distributing the Crite plate folders and various Star accessories. In the late 1930s and early 1940s, it distributed more cameras made by sub-contractors. For a short time in 1937–8, advertisements for the Vero Four mentioned the name Star Camera Works (スターカメラウワークス), but this was certainly a dummy name crafted for advertising purpose, the same as other names ending in Camera Works. All trace of the company is lost after 1942,[5] and it probably disappeared during World War II.

Distributed cameras

Plate film

127 film

120 film

Large format

Ueda sold various field cameras. Models available c.1935 include the Miracle (ミラクル), Alpha (アルファ), Hoard (ホード) and Ruby Star (ルビスター).[9]

Imported cameras

Ueda was the main importer for some cameras, among which the Plaubel Roll-Op.[10] The retail branch also sold various German or US cameras.[11]

Other

  • Star rangefinder, in both feet and metres, sold ¥16 in 1938–40[12][13][14][15]
  • Star prism finder:
    • for 6×6 and 4.5×6, sold ¥3.50 in 1939–40[14][15]
    • for 3×4 and 4×4, sold ¥3 in 1939–40[14][15]
  • no-name finders (c.1935)[11]
  • Star filters (c.1939–40)[14][15]
  • Star tripods (c.1935)[11]
  • Excel tripods (c.1935)[11]
  • Star J tripod (c.1938–40)[16][12][13][14][15]
  • Crite and Star flash guns (c.1935)[11]
  • Star horizontal enlargers, Nitra[17] and Ultra[18] models (c.1935)[11]
  • Star vertical enlargers (c.1935)[11]
  • Star-10 enlarger (c.1940)[16]
  • Star adjustable processing tank (c.1939–40)[14][15]
  • Crite and Star darkroom accessories (c.1935)[11]
  • various photo supply under the Crite and Star brands (c.1935)[11]

Notes

  1. An alternative romanization of "Ueda" is "Uyeda". It is probably a family name.
  2. Date: see 戦前期の入江泰吉と光藝社.
  3. See this page about the Cherry, Star and Nipper in the R. Konishi Rokuoh-sha website.
  4. The exact address was Ōsaka Shinsaibashi-dōri Junkeimachi Kitairi (大阪心斎橋通順慶町北入). Source: Catalogue by Ueda Shashinki-ten, dated c.1935, and advertisements dated October 1938 to April 1940 reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.92. Later advertisements dated August 1940 to March 1942 reproduced in the same book, pp.72 and 76–7, only say Ōsaka Shinsaibashi (大阪心斎橋).
  5. Advertisement dated March 1942 reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.76.
  6. Sugiyama, item 1026.
  7. Lewis, p.27.
  8. Lewis, p.27.
  9. Catalogue by Ueda Shashinki-ten, dated c.1935. All the Roman spellings are inferred at best from the names in katakana script; the actual spelling used at the time might differ.
  10. Advertisement in Asahi Graph, December 22, 1937, reproduced at Gochamaze. The camera name is written ローロップ in katakana script.
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6 11.7 11.8 Catalogue by Ueda Shashinki-ten, dated c.1935.
  12. 12.0 12.1 Advertisements dated October 1938 and April 1939 reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.92.
  13. 13.0 13.1 Advertisement in Asahi Camera January 1939, p.A25.
  14. 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 Advertisement on p.24 of Nihon Shashin Kōgyō Tsūshin, December 15, 1939, reproduced on p.58 of Hyaku-gō goto jūkai no kiroku.
  15. 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 Advertisements in Asahi Camera April 1940, pp.A21–2, and May 1940, pp.A21–2.
  16. 16.0 16.1 Advertisements reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.76.
  17. Spelling inferred from the katakana ニトラ.
  18. Spelling inferred from the katakana ウルトラ.

Bibliography

Original documents

  • Asahi Camera. Advertisements by Ueda Shashinki-ten:
    • January 1939, p.A25;
    • April 1940, pp.A21–2;
    • May 1940, pp.A21–2;
    • April 1941, no page number.
  • 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. Advertisement on p.58, corresponding to p.24 of the December 15, 1939 issue.
  • Ueda Ginzō (上田銀蔵). Jicchi shashin-jutsu (実地写真術, Field photography). Ōsaka: Ueda Shashinki-ten (上田写真機店), June 1912. Available in electronic form at the National Diet Library.
  • Ueda Shashinki-ten. Saishin kogata kamera (最新小型カメラ, Latest small cameras). Catalogue published c.1935, date not indicated. Document reproduced in this Flickr album by Rebollo_fr.
  • Ueda Teijirō (上田貞治郎). Saishin shashinki (最新写真機, Latest cameras). Ōsaka: Ueda Shashinki-ten (上田写真機店), April 1907. Available in electronic form at the National Diet Library.
  • Ueda Teijirō (上田貞治郎). Shashinki to kyōgyoku (写真機と鏡玉, Cameras and lenses). Ōsaka: Ueda Shashinki-ten (上田写真機店), September 1909. Available in electronic form at the National Diet Library.
  • Ueda Toranosuke (上田寅之助). Jicchi shashin-jutsu (実地写真術, Field photography). Ōsaka: Ueda Shashinki-ten (上田写真機店), July 1906. Available in electronic form at the National Diet Library.

Recent sources

Links