Difference between revisions of "Yamato"

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The April 1943 government inquiry listing Japanese camera production mentions a company called '''Yamato Kōki Seisakusho''' and based in Tokyo, Azuma.<REF> Its address in 1943 was Tōkyō-to Mukōjima-ku Azuma-chō 8–1663 (東京都向島区吾嬬8–1663). Source: {{Inquiry1943 short}}. </REF> It was the maker of the Yamato Rapid shutter (B, 1–500) mounted on the [[Semi Gelto]] and [[Baby Leotax]] and of the Lead Rapid shutter (T, B, 1–500) mounted on the [[Semi Lead]]. It is not known if this was the same company as the postwar Yamato Kōki Kōgyō.
 
The April 1943 government inquiry listing Japanese camera production mentions a company called '''Yamato Kōki Seisakusho''' and based in Tokyo, Azuma.<REF> Its address in 1943 was Tōkyō-to Mukōjima-ku Azuma-chō 8–1663 (東京都向島区吾嬬8–1663). Source: {{Inquiry1943 short}}. </REF> It was the maker of the Yamato Rapid shutter (B, 1–500) mounted on the [[Semi Gelto]] and [[Baby Leotax]] and of the Lead Rapid shutter (T, B, 1–500) mounted on the [[Semi Lead]]. It is not known if this was the same company as the postwar Yamato Kōki Kōgyō.
  
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== Yamato Kōki Kōgyō ==
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== Yamato Kōki Kōgyō (Pax cameras, among others)==
 
'''Yamato Kōki Kōgyō K.K.''' (大和光機工業{{kabu}}) was a Japanese camera maker.
 
'''Yamato Kōki Kōgyō K.K.''' (大和光機工業{{kabu}}) was a Japanese camera maker.
  
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== Notes ==
 
== Notes ==
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{{Flickr_image
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|image_source= http://www.flickr.com/photos/54337958@N00/300559283/in/pool-camerapedia/
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|image= http://farm1.static.flickr.com/114/300559283_1c386e119f.jpg
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|image_align= right
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|image_text= The Pax M3 rangefinder camera with tele and wide converters plus tele and wide viewfinders
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<references />
 
<references />
  
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* {{Showa10}}
 
* {{Showa10}}
 
* {{Inquiry1943}}
 
* {{Inquiry1943}}
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== Links ==
 
== Links ==
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=== General links ===
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=== Miscellaneous ===
 
In English:
 
In English:
 +
* [http://www.submin.com/35mm/collection/boltax/index.htm Boltax, Dan and Minon 35 cameras] at [http://www.submin.com/ submin.com]
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* [http://cameracollector.proboards30.com/index.cgi?board=1930s&action=display&thread=1158180392 Post about the Dan 35] at the [http://cameracollector.proboards30.com/index.cgi Camera Collector forum]
 
* [http://www.pacificrimcamera.com/pp/yamato/yamato.htm Yamato page] in the [http://www.pacificrimcamera.com/pp/rindex.htm Pacific Rim Photographica Pages]
 
* [http://www.pacificrimcamera.com/pp/yamato/yamato.htm Yamato page] in the [http://www.pacificrimcamera.com/pp/rindex.htm Pacific Rim Photographica Pages]
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In Japanese:
 
In Japanese:
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* [http://www.hat.hi-ho.ne.jp/m-bon/camera/camera_082.html Pal Junior] at [http://www.hat.hi-ho.ne.jp/m-bon/index.html Bon's Homepage]
 
* [http://www.yamato-web.co.jp/kaisya.htm Chronology] at the [http://www.yamato-web.co.jp/ current Yamato website]
 
* [http://www.yamato-web.co.jp/kaisya.htm Chronology] at the [http://www.yamato-web.co.jp/ current Yamato website]
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=== Miscellaneous ===
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====Pax====
 
In English:
 
In English:
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* [http://www.submin.com/35mm/collection/boltax/index.htm Boltax, Dan and Minon 35 cameras] at [http://www.submin.com/ submin.com]
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* [http://www.pacificrimcamera.com/pp/yamato/paxm3.htm Pax M3] in the [http://www.pacificrimcamera.com/pp/rindex.htm Pacific Rim Photographica Pages]
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* [http://cameracollector.proboards30.com/index.cgi?board=1930s&action=display&thread=1158180392 Post about the Dan 35] at the [http://cameracollector.proboards30.com/index.cgi Camera Collector forum]
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* [http://www3.flickr.com/photos/54337958@N00/300559282/in/set-72157594396848311/ Pax 35] and [http://www3.flickr.com/photos/54337958@N00/300559283/ Pax M3] in [http://www3.flickr.com/photos/54337958@N00/ Century_graphic's Flickr page]
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* [http://photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=006DB7 Post with a Tower 55] at [http://photo.net/ photo.net]
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* [http://ptthome.club.fr/sld071.htm Pax M3] and [http://ptthome.club.fr/m3-manual.htm user manual] at [http://ptthome.club.fr/main.htm Peter's Homepage]
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* [http://www.butkus.org/chinon/pax-35/pax-35.htm Pax 35 user manual] at [http://www.butkus.org/chinon/ butkus.org's Orphan Cameras]
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* [http://photographic.co.nz/cameraworks/cameras/pax/ Gold Pax repair] at [http://photographic.co.nz/cameraworks/Default.htm Robert Ian Axford's Camera Works]
 
In Japanese:
 
In Japanese:
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* [http://www.hat.hi-ho.ne.jp/m-bon/camera/camera_082.html Pal Junior] at [http://www.hat.hi-ho.ne.jp/m-bon/index.html Bon's Homepage]
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* [http://clacamera.exblog.jp/i2 Pax series] at [http://clacamera.exblog.jp/ doraDD's clacamera blog]
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* [http://bal4u.dip.jp/mt/came/archives/2004/08/pax_m3a.html Pax M3] in [http://bal4u.dip.jp/mt/came/ Bal4u's camera blog]
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* [http://canon-a.fantastic-camera.com/dasoku/paxm4.htm Pax M4] at the [http://canon-a.fantastic-camera.com/index.html Canon A-series site]
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In Chinese:
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* [http://www.ccc2000.net/Camera/Details.aspx?ID=3888 Pax], [http://www.ccc2000.net/Camera/Details.aspx?ID=3856 Pax M2], [http://www.ccc2000.net/Camera/Details.aspx?ID=3857 Pax M3] and [http://www.ccc2000.net/Camera/Details.aspx?ID=3858 Pax M4] at [http://www.ccc2000.net/camera/ www.ccc2000.net]
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[[Category: Japanese camera makers]]
 
[[Category: Japanese camera makers]]
 
[[Category: Japanese shutter makers]]
 
[[Category: Japanese shutter makers]]

Revision as of 18:16, 5 March 2011

3085036141_00ed187d59.jpg
Pax Sunscope (export version of Pax Ruby)
image by Brian Cue (Image rights)

Various Japanese companies have the name Yamato (大和), which is another name for Japan.

Yamato Kōki Seisakusho

The April 1943 government inquiry listing Japanese camera production mentions a company called Yamato Kōki Seisakusho and based in Tokyo, Azuma.[1] It was the maker of the Yamato Rapid shutter (B, 1–500) mounted on the Semi Gelto and Baby Leotax and of the Lead Rapid shutter (T, B, 1–500) mounted on the Semi Lead. It is not known if this was the same company as the postwar Yamato Kōki Kōgyō.

Yamato Kōki Kōgyō (Pax cameras, among others)

Yamato Kōki Kōgyō K.K. (大和光機工業㈱) was a Japanese camera maker.

The origin of this Yamato company is unclear. It is known that the company was already active in 1952.[2] The first cameras made for sure by Yamato were the Minon 35, Pax 35 and Minon Six. Their roots can be traced back to two different companies.

On the one hand, the Minon 35 and Pax 35 were respectively developed from the Dan 35 III and Super Dan 35. Many sources say that all the Dan 35 models distributed by Hagimoto from 1948 to 1950 were already made by Yamato, but this is unclear (see Dan 35 I and II). Another possibility would be that Yamato took over the production of the Dan models after the failure of Hagimoto in 1950.

On the other hand, the Minon Six was an evolution of the Poppy Six by Shin Nippon Kōgyō, itself a derivative of the Gotex released around 1941 by Kigawa. The original Minon Six and early Minon Six II have SNK logos and were surely made by Shin Nippon Kōgyō, and the late Minon Six II and III were advertised as made by Yamato. It is not known if the production was transferred from Shin Nippon Kōgyō to Yamato Kōki Kōgyō, or if the latter was a renaming of the former.

Yamato continued to develop the Pax line into the early 1960s. It presented the Artronic F Zoom and Artronic L prototypes at the Photokina in 1963, the first cameras in the world to have an electronic shutter.[3] The company was probably not financially strong enough to manufacture them, and all trace of it is lost after that date.

Another company called Yamato Kōki Kōgyō K.K. is known to exist today (2008), and currently makes microtomes (medical research instruments). It was founded in 1926 as Kikuchi Seisakusho (菊池製作所) by Kikuchi Rikichi, and took its present name in 1944.[4] The history page on its website does not mention cameras, and its address from 1952 to 1984 was in Tokyo, Shinjuku, not the same as the address of the camera maker.[5] It is thus probable that the two companies were not related.

Bolta film cameras

The Dan 35 cameras are attributed by some sources to Yamato Kōki Kōgyō, but this is unclear. The development of the Dan 35 was supervised by Hagimoto.

35mm viewfinder cameras

35mm rangefinder cameras

6×6 folders

The attribution of the Bonny Six to Yamato is a mistake.

Yamato Shōkai

K.K. Yamato Shōkai (㈱大和商会) was a Japanese distributor based in Tokyo, mentioned as the authorized dealer of the Flora Six in 1953.[6]

Notes

300559283_1c386e119f.jpg
The Pax M3 rangefinder camera with tele and wide converters plus tele and wide viewfinders
  1. ↑ Its address in 1943 was Tōkyō-to Mukōjima-ku Azuma-chō 8–1663 (東京都向島区吾嬬8–1663). Source: "Kokusan shashinki no genjōchōsa" ("Inquiry into Japanese cameras").
  2. ↑ Advertisement dated July 1952 reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.198.
  3. ↑ Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.375.
  4. ↑ Official chronology of the current Yamato Kōki Kōgyō.
  5. ↑ Official chronology of the current Yamato Kōki Kōgyō. The exact address was Tōkyō-to Shinjuku-ku Hyakunin-chō 1–10–8 (東京都新宿区百人町1–10–8).
  6. ↑ Advertisement reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.177.

Bibliography


Links

Miscellaneous

In English:

In Japanese:

Pax

In English:

In Japanese:

In Chinese:

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