Toho Six

From Camera-wiki.org
Jump to: navigation, search
This article needs photographs. You can help Camera-wiki.org by adding some. See adding images for help.


Japanese Six (6×6)
Postwar models (edit)
folding
Aires Viceroy | Angel Six | Aram Six | Astoria Super Six | Atom Six | Balm Six | Baron | Beauty Six (1950) | Beauty Six (1953) | Calm Six | Carl Six | Centre Six | Crown | Crystar Six | Daido Six | Dorima Six | Doris Six | Ehira Six | Elbow Six | First Six | Flora Six | Fodor Six | Frank Six | Fujica Six | Super Fujica Six | Futami Six | Gotex | Grace Six | Kohken Chrome Six | Kyowa Six | Liner Six | Lyra Six | Mamiya Six | Middl Six | Mihama Six | Mine Six | Minon Six | Mizuho Six | Motoka Six | Mount Six | Muse Six | Super Naiku | Ofuna Six | Olympus Six | Olympus Chrome Six | Orion Six | Oscar Six | Pigeon Six | Planet | Please Six | Pluto Six | Poppy Six | Press Van | Press Van-120 | Proud Chrome Six | Proud Super Six | Renown Six | Ricoh Six | Ruvikon | Ruvinal | Sanon Six | Silver Six | Sisley 1 | Sisley 2 & 3 | Sister Six | Tenar Six | Toho Six | Tomic | Toyoca Six | Ugein Six | Wagen Six | Walcon 6 | Welmy Six | Wester | Windsor Six
rigid or collapsible
Dia Six | Ehira Chrome Six | Enon Six | Flora | Flashline | Fujipet | Harmony | Mikono-6 | Orion | Ponix | Rich-Ray-6 | Shumy | Weha Chrome Six
Japanese 6×6 TLR, pseudo TLR and medium format SLR ->
Japanese Semi (4.5×6) and older 6×9 ->

The Toho Six is a Japanese 6×6cm folding camera, made in 1953 by Tōhō Kōgaku.

Description

The Toho Six I is a horizontal folder, with three-part folding struts inspired from the 6×6 Ikonta. It has two viewfinders contained in the top housing. The main viewfinder has a square window in the middle, and is certainly intended for 6×6cm exposures. The other viewfinder is offset to the right, as seen by the photographer, and has a round window; it is probably intended for 4.5×6cm exposures. The camera name Toho Six and MODEL–I is engraved above the two viewfinders. There is an accessory shoe and the folding bed release on the left. The shutter release is at the usual location on the right.

The film is advanced by a knob at the left end of the top plate, with an arrow engraved above to indicate the turning direction. The opposite side of the top plate has a similar knob, which has a decorative purpose only. The back is hinged to the right and contains two red windows placed one above the other, protected by horizontally sliding individual covers. The upper red window is for 4.5×6cm exposures and the middle red window is for 6×6cm. The company name TOHOKOGAKU is embossed in the leather under the red windows.

The shutter is an NKS (B, 1–200, self-timer), synchronized via an ASA bayonet post. The name NKS is engraved at the bottom of the speed rim and at the top of the shutter plate. The lens is a front-cell focusing Toho Special 80/3.5, and the aperture scale is above the shutter housing.

Commercial life

The Toho Six was featured in the September 1953 issue of Ars Camera and advertised in the October to December issues of Nihon Camera.[1] The November advertisement, placed by Tanaka Shōkai, lists the camera as the "Toho Six Model-1" (トーホーシックスⅠ型), offered for ¥9,400 (case included).[2]

Few surviving examples of the Toho Six I have been observed so far,[3] [4].

Notes

  1. Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.355.
  2. Advertisement reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.150.
  3. Example observed in an online auction.
  4. Toho Six 1 in a posting on the Reddit Cameras group.

Bibliography

The camera is not listed in Sugiyama.