User:Hoary/draft
Contents
Different Tōyō company names
Listing of a camera under a company name should not be taken to mean that it was made by that company, merely that there have been more or less credible claims that it was associated with (made or sold by) that company. Description of these claims is the first purpose of this page; later, let's try to start to untangle the mess.
- 東洋精機
- Easternflex (1955)
- 東洋精機光学
- Elbow flex, Elbow six (1955)
- Princeflex
- Rolex (c1953)
- 東洋光機
- Elega, Elega flex (1951–55)
- Larkflex (c1953–4)
- Peacock (1939–44)
- Tone (1948)
- 東洋光学
- Elizaflex (c1953)
- Toyoflex (1954)
- 東洋商会
- Larkflex (c1953–4)
- 東洋寫眞機材
- Waltax (c.1947)
Cameras possibly linked with one Tōyō or another
Easternflex
Kanno gives Tōyō Seiki (東洋精機) as the manufacturer of the Eastern flex; distributor not specified.
The big ad book has no ad for or photo of any Easternflex, but lists the Easternflex (イースタンフレックス) A as item 381. It says it's from 東洋精機.
Niimi doesn't mention Eastern.
Elbow Flex, Elbow Six
Kanno gives Tōyō Seiki Kōgaku (東洋精機光学) as one of the manufacturers of the Elbow Flex, distributed by エルボー商会.
The big ad book is interesting here. It shows two ads for the Elbow Flex/Six (items 406–10). One is from an April '55 issue and gives the manufacturer as 東洋精機光学; the other is from a September '55 issue and gives the manufacturer as コスモカメラ製作所. In both, the address of エルボー商会 is 東京都文京区駒込東方町94. In the later ad, two 特約店 are specified: 全通 (of Nihonbashi) and 日東写真用品 (no address). (We encounter 日東写真用品 again under Elega(flex).)
Very disappointingly, Niimi doesn't mention Elbow. (My own utterly uneducated guess on the etymology is that the company was set up by a Mr Hijikata (土方) or similar. Elsewhere. hiji -- if written in kanji, then 肘 -- means "elbow", so this was his little joke. Again, I have no evidence for this whatever.)
Elega, Elegaflex
Pont and Princelle say that the Elega was made by Nitto Shashin Yohin.
Kanno lists the Elegaflex as produced by Tōyō Kōki (東洋光機) and distributed by Doi Shōten (土居商店).
Takeuchi says that the Elegaflex was produced by 日東写真／東洋光機.
The big ad book (items 418–25) does not mention 東洋光機 and neither does any of the ads within the book. A September '51 ad says that 土居商店 is at 大阪市北区曽根崎中1–32; later ads give the main address of 日東写真用品 as 東京都中央区日本橋本町1–6, and the Osaka address as the same as Doi's address. (There's also a Fukuoka address. The Osaka and Fukuoka addresses are of 営業所; the Tokyo address much more likely to be that of a trading company than a manufacturer.)
Talking of 1953 (and in the same paragraph as, and below, mention of the "Toyo Seiki Princeflex"), Lewis (p82): "Two Toyo cameras were introduced, the Larkflex and the upgraded Elegaflex".
Niimi (p.30) says the cameras are by 日東写真用品.
The nameplate of the Elegaflex at Aya's Camera clearly says "Nitto Shashin Yohin". (The cover of the finder is also clearly marked "ELG").
(We encounter 日東写真用品 again under Elbow Flex/Six.)
Elizaflex
Kanno gives both Tōyō Kōgaku (東洋光学) and 光洋精機 as the manufacturers of the Elizaflex エリザフレックス, without specifying its distributor.
The big ad book says that its manufacturer is 光洋精機 (item 404). The ad itself says that 光洋精機 is at 東京都台東区浅草三筋1–7.
No mention of Eliza by Niimi.
カメラ名前辞典五十音順上ア〜ト attributes it to 銀鈴光機.
Larkflex
Kanno gives Tōyō Kōki (東洋光機) as the manufacturer of the Lark flex, distributed by Tōyō Shōkai (東洋商会).
Takeuchi also gives Tōyō Kōki as the manufacturer.
Item 976 in the big ad book gives ラークカメラ製作所 as the manufacturer. An ad from a May '54 magazine gives the address as 東京都品川区大井山中町4143.
Talking of 1953 (and in the same paragraph as, and below, mention of the "Toyo Seiki Princeflex"), Lewis (p82): "Two Toyo cameras were introduced, the Larkflex and the upgraded Elegaflex".
No mention of any Japanese Lark by Niimi (who does mention a US plastic "Lark" from 1964, p.104).
Peacock
Back in 1944, Tōyō Kōki Seizō (東洋光機製造) was the manufacturer and distributor of the Peacock III (3x4) and its Peacock shutter; and some Tōyō company -- either that or Tōyō Daikasuto (東洋ダイカスト) -- was the manufacturer of the Orient A shutter (as supplied with the Semi Clover, Semi Kreis III, Semi Kinkaa, Clover Six B, and Elmo Ref [spellings guessed from katakana]). [from the 1944 list]
The ad book (item 185) says that the Peacock II was made by 東洋光機; the Oct '39 ad for it doesn't mention this but says its from 伴野貿易 (Ginza, etc.).
Niimi says (p.103) that the Peacock of 1939 was from 東洋光機.
"Tokyo Kikuchi established Oriental Photo Industry in 1919, and by 1922 marketed the first Japanese photographic paper under the trade names Orient, Peacock, and OK" (Lewis p.30, my emphasis). Since Tōyō does after all mean Orient, I wonder if there's some connection.
Rebollo fr comments: The ad book draws the same connection (p.339, item 184): オリエンタル写真工業株式会社のカメラ部といったような関係にある東洋光機の製品. See also this page at Kan's Room, with an answer from someone at Cyber Graphics (the new name of Oriental): Tōyō Kōki was merged into Oriental in 1944, becoming its "optical instruments" (光機) branch. It was dissolved in 1945.
Princeflex
Kanno gives Tōyō Seiki Kōgaku (東洋精機光学) as one of the manufacturers of the Princeflex, distributed by 美馬商会.
Takeuchi gives Tōyō Seiki Kōgaku as the manufacturer of the Princeflex II, but Prince Camera (プリンスカメラ) as the manufacturer of the Prince Junior.
The big ad book gives プリンスカメラワークス as the manufacturer of all the prewar and wartime Prince models (items 224–31), and 深田商会 as their distributor. It gives 東洋精機光学 as the manufacturer of all the postwar models (items 792–4), and 美馬商会 as their distributor; however, the adverts give プリンスカメラワークス as the manufacturer.
Talking of 1953, Lewis mentions (p82): "Toyo Seiki Princeflex, a revived prewar design".
This page (at Japan Family Camera) says a camera labeled "Prince Junior" (referred to as Princeflex Junior) is by プリンスカメラ（東洋精機光学）. There's no explanation of this, or display of any mark identifying the maker. The page also says: 戦前のプリンスフレックスとはまったく別のメーカーである, again without explanation.
If the makers were different, the second one surely tried to give the contrary impression. First, プリンスカメラワークス is hardly a randomly chosen name. Further, most of the postwar ads for the Prince models are marked with a stylized "PCW" logo that's the same as one appearing in ads published in 1935 and 1937.
Niimi only mentions the miscellaneous Princes of the 30s, which he attributes to Fujimoto (p.34).
Rolex
Kanno gives Tōyō Seiki Kōgaku (東洋精機光学) as the manufacturer of a Rolex TLR, whose distributor he doesn't specify.
This page shows the Rolex-35. It's marked HACHIYO OPT CO around the shutter and TOYO SEIKO CO, presumably for Tōyō Seiki Kōgaku, on the top plate. 八陽光学工業 is the maker of the Alpenflex. As for the second company:
- この会社は、東洋精機光学でこちらも２眼レフのプリンスフレックスなどを作っていたメーカーです。このメーカーは謎が多くいろいろな卸商にカメラを提供していた形跡があります。プリンスフレックスに関してもプリンスカメラワークスというメーカー名で発売された経緯もあります。卸商の縮小、整理の為、昭和３１年前後に消えて無くなったメーカーでした。もしかしてまったく違う「とうようせいこう」という名のメーカーがあるのかもしれません。
At the foot of the page, he says that new info leads him to conclude that the camera is a ロレックス３５モデルIII and made by 東洋精機光学, but that the shutter is not an Orient II. The author says this is very similar to the Comex35:
- ＣＯＭＥＸ３５の輸出用やマイナーチェンジであればトップカバーの英文字はＴＯＳＥＩ．ＫＯＫＩ．ＣＯになっていなければならないと思うのですが実際はＴＯＹＯ．ＳＥＩＫＯ．ＣＯになっています。この２社はなんらかのつながりがありＣＯＭＥＸ３５のボディをなんらかの形で東洋精機光学が譲りうけ、八陽光学のオリエントⅡシャッターをつけてＲＯＬＥＸ３５として発売したことも考えられます。ＣＯＭＥＸとＲＯＬＥＸなんか似ていますから。
Below, he says it's very similar to the Camel 35 as well.
No "Rolex" or "Camel" is in the big ad book. Item 520 is the Comex; the manufacturer isn't specified but sales are via 高砂商会 of Ginza (June '53 ad).
No mention by Niimi of Rolex, Comex or Camel. (NB we mustn't confuse the Japanese "Rolex" camera with the Japanese "Bolex" camera.)
Tone
According to this page, 東洋光機製作所 was the manufacturer of the Tone (トーン) mame-kamera submini (1948), distributed by 東信貿易. A logo inscribed on the top (shown in photos on that page) identifies it as "TOKO".
The big ad book says it's by 東洋光機 (item 615); its ad (May '50 issue) says it's from 東信貿易KK of 有楽町, very obviously a trading company. (Yet to be digested: the article on mame-kamera on p.189 of the big ad book.)
No mention of Tone by Niimi.
Toyoflex
Kanno gives Tōyō Kōgaku (東洋光学) as the manufacturer of the Toyoflex, without specifying its distributor.
Big ad book item 614 (ad in 54/5 magazine issue) shows 東洋光学, address 東京都豊島区要町1–35.
The Toyoflex is not mentioned by Niimi.
Don't confuse this with the Toyocaflex (on which see Toyoca below).
Waltax
Shortly after the war, the Waltax was distributed by Tōyō Shashinki-zai 東洋寫眞機材 (address 東京都千代田區神田淡路町２の４).
Cameras definitely NOT linked with one Tōyō or another
Toyo View, Toyo Field
In Japanese, トヨカメラ. Recently from (株)酒井特殊カメラ製作所, now from (有)サカイマシンツール. Now here.
Somebody might guess that トヨ is a back-formation from "Toyo", in turn a simplification for foreign consumption of Tōyō. If so, wrong: this is the toyo (豊) of Toyonaka-shi, where Sakai was based (Niimi, p.101).
Toyoca
Kanno does not give Tōyō-anything as the manufacturer of the Toyoca, and neither does the big ad book. Instead, all agree that it's 東郷堂. Niimi explains (p.93) that the name is from a Mr Toyoda (豊田), who set up the company.
- 東洋光学硝子製造所 was the name until 1960 of what would be Hoya, says this
- 東洋精機製作所, est. 1934.
- 東洋精機株式会社 (even older)
- 東洋精機工業, name since 1960 of a company with roots going back to 1944
Sources
- 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.
- Kanno (管野経敏). "A kara Z no kokusan niganrefu" (AからZの国産二眼レフ, Japanese TLRs from A to Z). In Miryoku saihakken: Nigan refu: Firumu kamera ha e no messēji (魅力再発見・二眼レフ：フィルムカメラ派へのメッセージ, Fascination rediscovery: TLRs: A message to film cameras). Tokyo: Shashinkogyo Syuppansha, 2006.
- 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) ISBN 0-935398-16-3 (hard)
- "Nihon de supuringu kamera ga zensei datta jidai" (the 1944 list)
- Niimi Kahee (新見嘉兵衛). Kamera-mei no gogen sanpo (カメラ名の語源散歩, Strolls in the etymology of camera names). 2nd ed. Tokyo: Shashin Kōgyō Shuppansha, 2002. ISBN 4-87956-060-X
- Pont and Princelle. 300 Leica Copies.
- Takeuchi Jun'ichirō (竹内淳一郎). "Nihon kamera no hinshitsu kōjō to yushutsu kensa" (日本カメラの品質向上と輸出検査, The quality improvement and export testing of Japanese cameras). Keizaigakubu kenkyūjo kiyō (経済学部研究所紀要) 33 (Nihon University, 2003), 163–94. here.
- カメラ名前辞典五十音順上ア〜ト
- Prince Junior at Japan Family Camera; about a camera inscribed "Prince Junior", though the author refers to it as "Princeflex Junior"
- Easternflex photo and some details within this (Swedish-language?) page
- Elegaflex at Easygoing Angler's Tanakarabotamochi
- Elegaflex at Aya's camera.
- Nazo no Kamera 1: Rolex 35 at Japan Family Camera
