Nikon Catalogue

The History of Nippon Kogaku 1600 - 1949

Coffee, beer and Nikon

for the Nikon Historical Society 9th Convention, at the JCII in Tokyo, Japan February 22, 2004

for study only

Hans Braakhuis Table of contents 1 Preface...... 1 2 History of Japan in brief...... 4 3 Relations Japan - Holland...... 6 3.1 Dutch influence in Japan...... 6 3.2 How the coffee came to Japan...... 10 3.3 How the beer came to Japan...... 10 3.4 How the camera came to Japan...... 10 3.5 Cameras imported by the Dutch...... 12 3.6 Dutch time line in Japan...... 13

4 Industrial revolution in Europe and Japan...... 15 4.1 Industrial revolution in Europe...... 15 4.2 Industrial revolution in Japan...... 16 5 Optical industry in Holland...... 17 5.1 From craft to industry...... 19 6 Optical industry in Japan...... 20 6.1 Early telescopes...... 20 6.2 The start of the photographical industry...... 21 6.3 Japanese optical history...... 22 6.4 An example of military influence in 1931...... 26 7 Birth of Nippon Kogaku...... 27 7.1 The Mitsubishi zaibatsu...... 27 7.2 The birth of Nippon Kogaku...... 29 7.2.1 Iwaki Glass Seisaku...... 29 7.2.2 Tokyo Keiki Seisaku-sho...... 29 7.2.3 Fujii Lens Seizo-sho...... 29 7.2.4 Nippon Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha...... 30 7.2.5 The Ohi plant...... 31 7.3 European contacts...... 31 7.4 Co-operation with Canon...... 32

8 Pre-war and war production...... 35 8.1 Periscopes and first lens coatings...... 35 8.2 Rangefinders...... 36 8.3 Technologies gained on working for the Yamato class ships...... 37 8.4 High precision mechanical devices...... 37 8.5 Binoculars...... 38 8.6 Telescopes...... 44 8.7 Lenses...... 46 8.8 Cameras...... 46 8.9 Microscopes...... 50 8.10 Bomb-sight...... 51 8.11 Stereoscope...... 52 8.12 Who made these optical items?...... 52

9 Post-war production...... 53 9.1 Fluoro-Record Camera...... 55 9.2 Vertexometer...... 56 9.3 Others...... 57 9.4 MIOJ...... 57 9.5 Post-War comeback 1945 - 1954...... 57 9.6 Industrial Standardization Law...... 58 9.7 Other Japanese 35 millimetre cameras before the Nikon I...... 58 9.8 Early Japanese film format on 135 film...... 59 9.9 When Japan took over...... 59 10 Nippon Kogaku production list...... 62 11 Conclusions...... 68 11.1 Justification...... 68 11.2 Extra pictures...... 70 11.3 E-mails...... 72 11.4 Notes...... 76 Front picture: A statue of the Dutch V.O.C. vessel “De Liefde” at the entrance hall of the Mitsubishi Building.

That particular fact is called to Mitsubishi board member’s minds nearly every day by passing, at the entrance of their main office in Tokyo, Japan, a statue of a model of the first Dutch merchant vessel visiting Japan in 1600, named ‘de Liefde’. Every morning, before going to their work, all officials are bowing in front of that monument. Until recently the monument had its place outside, but as bowing in the rain wasn’t their favourite daily pursuit, they placed it in the main hall.

Mitsubishi Buildings in 2003 1

1 Preface

The Nikon Historical Society’s 9th convention is today on February 22, 2004 in Tokyo, Japan. Its theme will be: ‘Journey to Nikon’s birthplace’. This gave me the opportunity to write a publication on the history of Nikon Corporation. More than likely Nippon Kogaku’s official place of birth is the office of Mr. Koyata Iwasaki, who was the fourth president of the Mitsubishi zaibatsu. At the turn of the year 1916 his address was close to the Tokyo Central Railway Station at Marunouchi 2-chome in the Chiyoda-ku district in Tokyo. The present main office of the Nikon Corporation is just one bloc away. It was Mr. Koyata Iwasaki who took the decision of the merger of the three firms, which gave birth to Nippon Kogaku. And, above all, he raised the corporate starting capital.

Japanese-Dutch cooperation started already in 1600. Since 1635 the Netherlands was the only western country which was allowed to do business with Japan. That fact explains why all optical instruments were brought to Japan by the Dutch V.O.C. (Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie). The V.O.C. also exported Dutch inventions, like the binocular and the microscope, as well as European pre-industrial era products. The V.O.C. wasn’t actually focussed on exporting Dutch products but just in doing business. The Dutch and European industrial developments were of great importance to Japan. Many telescopes, range finders and clocks were sold to Japan. It took a merchant vessel two years to sail to and from Japan. The Japanese were very interested in lots of new products of those tall people with red hair and big noses. For Japanese the Dutch and the Britons are lookalike.

There are a lot of Dutch mysteries in Japan. I cannot explain why the Japanese and the Dutch are the only people on earth who favour raw fish. Neither can I explain why the Japanese and the Dutch are the only ones who can make driTnkhiabls ei scof anfee and free beer. publication Nowadays only three things in Japan remind us of the Dutch: coffee, beer and Nikon. In this publication I will explain why the Japanese do have such a wonderful coffee and beer. As a proof I would like to invite one of you to taste a bottle of this Dutch beer. The Dutch brewery was founded around 1600 and still uses the original recipe. The Japanese brand ‘Kirin” with the ”Original’ beer, is still using an original recipe, too. It is up to the taster to determine differences between the two beers. Since its foundation Nikon is a division or the Mitsubishi group. I’ve paid most attention to the history of the Mitsubishi group and some important divisions. The oldest division of the Mitsubishi group is, however, a forge and workplace founded by the Dutch. Without the Dutch neither Mitsubishi nor Nikon would probably even exist. That particular fact is called to Mitsubishi board member’s minds nearly every day by passing, at the entrance of their main office, a statue of a model of the first Dutch merchant vessel visiting Japan in 1600, named ‘de Liefde’. Every morning, before going to their work, all officials are bowing in front of that monument. Until recently the monument had its place outside, but as bowing in the rain wasn’t their favourite daily pursuit, they placed it in the main hall.

The birth of Nippon Kogaku was a decision of time. That time had some historical, cultural and political aspects. If you’ll understand these aspects, than you’ll know how Nippon Kogaku was born.

Nippon Kogaku was founded during the first World War at the Japanese army’s request. I’ve made a description of the role of the army and, particularly, the navy in Nippon Kogaku’s history. From various periodicals, like the NHS Journal, many books and also museums, like the local JCII Museum, and other informative sources I’ve tried to list as many Nippon Kogaku products as possible. The 50- and 75-years anniversary books, published by Nikon Corporation, were of great help. Being unfamiliar with the Japanese language and customs is, however, a handicap. I probably could have listed more products in the overview of the 1885-1949 period. I am waiting for the moment that the Nikon Corporation translate these important documents. Because not all authors authorized me to quote them and to make use of their materials this publication is limited. On the basis of international copyrights this publication may be used for non- profit and study purposes only. In this publication one may read two different opinions on the same subject. Quotations of all authors may be found in the appendix. Finally: I’ve tried to do my best. It’s the first time I’ve published a text in English, but, moreover, it’s the first text ever on the history of Nippon Kogaku in English. Herewith I invite everybody present today to help me to improve this historical survey.

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Nico van Dijk and Hans Braakhuis Takayuki Kawai in 2001 It is obvious that I cannot receive all credits of this work. Many friends assisted me in my research and writing. In particular I like to mention Nico van Dijk, a professional journalist, board member of the Nikon Club Nederland and editor of its quarterly Magazine and Nikon collector, who did a lot of research and the final editing of the entire text. Particularly chapters 4, 5 and 6 (partial) have been written by him. See also NHS Journal 71 for an artiTchile hes wisrote. an free publication A substantial contribution came from Jeff Alexander 1.

Also thanks to Yoshio Inokuchi, who is working at the JCII Camera Museum. Thanks for translating some Japanese texts: Wybe Kuitert and Noriko Nakamura. Others contributors are:

Peter Abrahams John Millham Tom Abrahamsson Robert Rotoloni John Baird Christophe Sap Google Les Seeligson Takayuki Kawai Steve Stayton Bill Kraus Mike H. Symons Richard Lane Akito Tamla Peter Lownds Jason Zoppel Karl Mantyla

Peter Lownds and Hans Braakhuis Hans Braakhuis Akito Tamla in 1996 3

It goes without saying that all trade names of companies, brands and products, mentioned in this publication, are the property of its official holders. Literal quotations (written in italic type) are made with reference to their respective authors.

A complete list of used texts is to be found at the endnotes and in the Justification chapter. Corrections or additions are invited. My home country is the Netherlands, although many use ‘Holland’ (which is the name of just a part of the Netherlands). As it is difficult to produce an adjective of both words in English, we use ‘Dutch’. All texts are translated to (Oxford) English.

The entire text nor parts of it may not be used or copied without a written permission of the author. Hans Braakhuis © the Netherlands 2004, Heisei 16. E-mail: [email protected] Last modified: Monday, February 12, 2004.

This is an free publication

From 1949

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2 History of Japan in brief

This time line 2 of the Japanese history is completed with some optical and other dates. “40,000 BC Stone age in Aichi and Tochigi. 14,500 BC Jomon hunting and gathering society. 551-479 BC Start of Confucianism. 239 Chinese kingdom of Wei records the visit of an envoy from Himiko, queen of Yamatai. 400 Use of the Chinese character for writing. 500 Start of Buddhism. 700-900 Japan under influence of Chinese culture and politics. 710 Nara becomes the capital of Japan. 794 Kyoto becomes the capital of Japan. 1274 Mongol invasion. 1281 Second Mongol invasion. 1542 Firearms introduced by shipwrecked Portugese. 1549 Francisco de Xavier lands at Kagoshima to promote Christianity. 1585 Dirck Gerritsz on board a Portuguese ship is the first Hollander to visit the country. 1592 Hideyoshi sends army to Korea. 1600 First Dutch merchant boat “De Liefde” arrives at Nagasaki 3. 1603 Tokugawa Shogunate divides people into hereditary classes: lords (daimyo), samurai, farmers, artisans, merchants. 1603 Most of the Dutch merchants merge to one company: the United East-Indies Company (V.O.C.) It was allowed to erect offices, houses and cargo stores at Deshima, an small island in the Nagasaki harbor. 1614 Christianity banned. 1635 Interaction with foreiThignerss i sres antricted free to Nagas publaki. ication 1641 All foreigners, except Chinese, Korean and Dutch, are banned. 1720 Yoshimune removed the ban on Western learning. In 1736, he ordered the importation and eventual translation of Dutch astronomical literature. 1853 Commodore Matthew Perry steams into Edo (Tokyo) Bay and demands trade. 1868 End of the Shogun-Bakafu-System. Restoration of imperial rule (Meiji Restoration 1868 - 1912); Tokyo becomes capital. 1894-5 War with China. 1904-5 War with Russia. 1910 Annexation of Korea. 1911 During the civil war in China after the Chinese Revolution this country was in chaos. Japan occupied lands north of the Chinese wall. 1914 Start of World War I. Japan joined the allied forces against Germany and therefore it could occupy Shantung and all other islands north of the equator colonised by the German. 1927 The Chinese, by general Tsjang Kai Tsjek, re-occupied some of their countries. 1931 Japanese army invade Manchuria”. 1941 Japanese army attacks Pearl Harbor.

This time line shows that Japan has been invaded by other countries several times. That’s why the Japanese opened and closed their doors for foreigners several times in their history. By the way, the Chinese are also foreigners for them. And China, almost next door, is a large country with many inhabitants. So keep your door well closed. From the sixth century up to the end of the sixteenth, Japan was strongly influenced by China. Buddhism, the script, technology and the arts, all derived from the mainland. Yet over the course of time all these attainments acquired a specifically Japanese character. The first Europeans - the Portuguese - first arrived in Japan in 1543, during a period of civil wars. In 1600 national unity was restored, but shortly after this, interference on the part of Catholics once more endangered the country’s political balance. As a result Japan was formally closed to the outside world in 1639. The only diplomatic contacts were with China, Korea and Ryukyu (Okinawa Islands), and the only western influence permitted came from the Dutch trading post of Deshima. Two centuries later, in 1854, Dutch ship enters harbor

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The United States compelled Japan to open its doors to American merchandise. This ended a long period of peace and relative prosperity. Living on a relatively small island, the Japanese knew that an successful industrialised country need food, cole, iron, oil, etcetera. Colonisation was ‘not done’ anymore but annexation could be useful. Under emperor Mutsuhito (1867 - 1912) a political system was formed that gave all formal power to the emperor. But in fact the real power was given to the civil servants. These civil servants were highly influenced by the zaibatsu’s. Iwakura made a report in 1873 including a future outline of all sciences and for the use of these sciences from mining till medical treatment.

In 1930 the Cherry Society was founded, which was a kind of a nationalist party. It believed in the emperor’s absolute power and was striving to end the Western influence in Japan. It asked for a military occupation of the northern Chinese province Manchuria. That was the place were most of the food, coal and iron came from. On September 18, 1931 the Japanese troops occupied, without an authorization of the Japanese government, the Chinese town Moukden and later entire Manchuria. After the Manchuria occupation all political parties in Japan were forbidden. All power came to civil servants who listened whatever the zaibatsu’s whispered in their ears. Dutch ship departs By 1937 the production of industry and agriculture doubled. High benefits to the Theavhisy iniduss antry inc freereased publ the producicatitionon of military goods. At the end of World War II Japanese influence was widened. If one take the Philippines as the centre and draw an circle starting from just above Australia it will include Dutch New Guinea, French Indo-China, Bangladesh, Beijing, Nanjing, Guangzhou, Shanghai in China and Manchuria. After the World War II the United States wanted Japan to become an allied force in their fight against communism. That’s why they spend a lot of money in starting up normal live in Japan. In 1951 the US spent $ 600 million, which was increased in 1953 to $ 800 million. US support to e.g. Burma ($ 200 million) and the Philippines ($ 550 million) was given under the condition that these countries should spend that money in buying Japanese goods.

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3 Relations Japan - Holland

Probably the Portugese where the first foreign visitors to Japan. They where looking for an other route to America, but evidently got lost. The Portugese, who tried to sell goods and Christianity, passed the ‘roadmap’ to the Dutch who were just interested in trade. That’s probably why the Dutch were allowed to stay. 3.1 Dutch influence in Japan The life in Japan after the visit of the first Dutch merchant ship “De Liefde” is illustrated below 4. “In 1600, a Dutch ship called the Love (in Dutch, De Liefde) landed in Usuki Bay in Bungo Province (now Oita-ken [prefecture]). The arrival of the Liefde marked the beginning of relations between Japan and the Netherlands, which commemorate their 404th anniversary this year. The surviving crew of the Liefde included two people who went on to earn important places in Japanese history: William Adams and Jan Joosten van Lodensteyn. Adams, an Englishman, was employed by a Dutch trading company to participate in the exploration of eastern trade routes. Upon his arrival in Japan, he met with Tokugawa Ieyasu, who was on the verge of establishing the Tokugawa shogunate, and became Ieyasu's advisor on diplomacy and trade. Adams was given a residence in Edo (now Tokyo), as This iswel anl as freelands i npubl Hemi iincati Yokosonuka, Kanagawa-ken that yielded 250 koku of rice a year (one koku equalled about 180 litres in the Edo period). Adopting the Japanese name Miura Anjin, he was granted the social rank of a samurai. A stone monument commemorating the site of Adams' residence still stands in the Nihonbashi district of Tokyo today. Anjincho is named after Adams. Also, the Anjin Festival is held every year in April in Hemi, where a memorial tower stands near the grave of Anjin's Japanese wife, Oyuki.

Jan Joosten van Lodensteyn became Tokugawa Ieyasu's statue of “De Liefde” advisor on military affairs, and reportedly taught Ieyasu how to use the cannons onboard of the Liefde. Like Adams, he was given a Japanese name (Yayosu) and a residence in Edo, close to Edo Castle (where the Imperial Palace stands today). A metal objet presented by the Dutch government and decorated with a likeness of the Liefde now marks the site where Joosten's residence once stood. Joosten's neighbourhood came to be called Yayosu, a name derived from Joosten's Japanese moniker, and that name survives today in a slightly modified form as Yaesu, the district on the eastern side of Tokyo Station 5. In 1633, the Tokugawa shogunate adopted a policy of national isolation that continued until the signing of the Kanagawa Treaty 221 years later in 1854. During that time, Japan maintained contact with only three countries: China, Korea, and the Netherlands. The Dutch were restricted to an artificial island called Deshima that was built in 1634 6 by the shogunate in Nagasaki Harbor. This narrow pipeline provided the only access to "Western Learning" (or, as it was more commonly called during this period, rangaku, "Dutch Science"). The first area of interest to Japanese scholars was Western medicine.

In 1771, Genpaku Sugita, Ryotaku Maeno, and other Japanese physicians and scholars attended the dissection of a criminal's body at the Kotsukahara execution grounds in Edo. Comparing their observations with the Tafel Anatomia, a book of anatomical tables written in Dutch, they were deeply impressed by the accuracy of the work and immediately set about translating it into Japanese. In an era when no Dutch- Japanese dictionaries existed, they worked doggedly for three

Hans Braakhuis 7 years, beginning with the names of body parts and extrapolating from there with the greatest of difficulty. In August 1774, they completed their five-volume magnum opus, Kaitai shinsho, thus initiating the era of Western Learning in Japan. The site in present-day Tokyo's Tsukiji district where Sugita and his colleagues worked is marked with monuments that identify it as the birthplace of Western Learning and Western medicine in Japan. Sugita's pioneering work was continued by others at various boarding schools dedicated to Western Learning, including Narutaki School (founded outside Nagasaki by the German / Dutch doctor Phillip Franz von Siebold), Teki School in Osaka, and Juntendo School in Chiba. Beginning in 1857, Japanese understanding of Western medicine was given a more orderly and systematic form by Johannes Lydius Catherinus Pompe van Meerdervoort, a Dutch naval medical officer who arrived in Japan aboard the Kanrin maru, a ship that the Tokugawa government had ordered from the Netherlands. Medicine was not the only branch of Western Learning that captured the interest of the Japanese. By the end of the nineteenth century, Tthehiy sh aisd an free publication assimilated an impressive body of Deshima after Japanese woodblock 1780 knowledge in such fields as physics, chemistry, photography, astronomy, calendar studies, gunnery, castle construction and fortification, shipbuilding, navigation, and military science, and had built the foundations for Japan's modern navy and national defence. There were three doctors employed at a Dutch trading post in Deshima who had a particularly strong impact on the relationship between Japan and the Netherlands: the Germans Engelbert Kaempfer and Phillip Franz von Siebold, and the Swede Carl Peter Thunberg. Kaempfer came to Japan early in the Edo period (1603-1867); Thunberg in the middle years; and Siebold near the end. Besides teaching medicine, all three taught natural history focussing on Japan's flora and fauna, and all three became well known in Europe for their work in disseminating their knowledge of things Japanese, including its plants and animals, among their countrymen. Siebold's written works, including Japan, Fauna Japonica, and Flora Japonica, are particularly noteworthy for their contribution to the systematic dissemination of Japanese studies in Europe. As the foregoing illustrates, doctors of different nationalities came to Japan in the service of the Dutch East India Company. In 1853, Commodore Mathew Perry, a US naval officer, arrived in Edo Bay (now Tokyo Bay) with a squadron of four gunboats and demanded that the Japanese open their country to the outside world. This led to the signing of the Kanagawa Treaty in 1854, the following year. Once the Americans had broken Japan's policy of seclusion, which had been in place for more than 220 years, other countries, including Great Britain, Russia, the Netherlands, and France soon flocked to Japan to sign treaties of amity and commerce of their own. Although Japan did not open its doors until Perry's gunboats sailed into Edo Bay, the Dutch had been Dutch lessons advocating a policy of free interaction for many years prior to Perry's arrival. In 1844, the Netherlands King Willem II, acting on advice received from the repatriated Siebold, sent a letter urging the Japanese to adopt an open-door policy. The letter was

Hans Braakhuis 8 delivered to the magistrate's office in Nagasaki, and was forwarded to Edo, where it was ignored. Beset by internal rebellion, the Tokugawa government feared that it would be toppled if it allowed foreigners into Japan. It was a curious move for the Dutch to advocate openness, since it would mean the loss of their monopoly over European trade with Japan. Willem's recommendation was based on the recognition that continued isolation would work against Japan's best interests and might even lead to the same type of colonization by Western powers that was already evident in the rest of Asia. When the letter was sent, Great Britain and France had al-ready occupied and colonized Hong Kong, Burma, Vietnam, and other countries. In 1852, Jan Hendrik Donker Curtius, the head of the Dutch trading post at Deshima, warned the Japanese of Perry's arrival in one of the reports on the status of foreign countries that he regularly sent to the central government. He had heard that Perry's squadron had been seeking news of Japan in India and Indonesia, and that they were preparing to sail to Japan.

Meanwhile, Western Learning had been disseminated throughout the country, and Japanese nationals who advocated opening to the West had grown more active beneath an ostensibly calm surface. The combination of this internal movement and reports received from the Dutch made it possible for the Tokugawa shogunate to avoid what would have been a disastrous war with the United States. Unlike its Asian neighbours, Japan was thus spared the fate of colonization and embarked on the road to modernization. From 1868 on, Japan turned its energies to o v e r t a k i n g a n d This is an free publication surpassing the West t h r o u g h modernization. In the early Meiji period (1868-1912), the newly established Japanese government invited foreign experts from the US, Great B r i t a i n , F r a n c e , Germany, and other countries to teach. From the Dutch, they learned irrigation and c ivil engin e e r in g techniques, two areas in which the Dutch excelled, as might be expected from people who live in a country called "Netherlands," which means "Low C o u n t r y . " ( O n e - q u a r t e r o f t h e Dutch science Netherlands land area is below sea level, and one-third is reclaimed land.) It was Dutch engineers who oversaw the first civil engineering projects on Japan's main rivers and harbors. The Asaka Canal, which runs from Inawashiro-ko (lake) (the fourth largest lake in Japan) through the Koriyama Basin in Fukushima-ken, was designed by the Dutch engineer Cornelis Johannes Van Doorn. The irrigation obtained from this canal enabled the Japanese to plant rice fields, thus creating Japan's second most productive rice-growing area. The canal also permitted the development of hydroelectric power that spawned industry and transformed the village of Koriyama (which had a population of 5,000 before the canal was built) into a thriving regional city of 350,000. The people of Koriyama erected a monument to Doorn on the lake shore to express their gratitude. Another Dutch civil engineer, Rouwenhorst Mulder, was responsible for the construction of the eight- kilometre canal that connects Kashiwa-shi (city) and Matsudo-shi in Shiba-ken. By opening a water

Hans Braakhuis 9 passage between the Tonegawa (river) and Edogawa, the canal enabled much faster and safer shipping from northeastern Japan to Tokyo. Although it is no longer in use, both sides of the canal have been made into a waterside public park, with a monument erected with private donations commemorating Mulder's work.

Near the centre of the Japanese archipelago, there are three rivers (the Kiso, Nagara, and Ibi rivers) that converged in a single estuary, giving rise to frequent floods. Despite massive efforts on the part of the Tokugawa shogunate to prevent flood damage, the problem was never completely solved. It was up to the Dutchman Johannes de Rijke, who was a resident in Japan for nearly 30 years from 1873, to direct a construction project that separated the lower reaches of the rivers into three separate beds. Today, the area at the lower reaches of the Kiso river contains one of Japan's largest nationally administered parks, where citizens can come to relax. In the park's central area, a bronze statue of de Rijke was unveiled with great ceremony in 1988 in the presence of de Rijke's grandson and his wife. Dutch influence even extends to Tokyo Station, which was built in the heart of the capital city 90 years ago. The architect, Kingo Tatsuno, toured throughout Europe and is said to have taken the central station in Amsterdam as his inspiration for the design. Both stations were built on low-lying, soft ground, and both have a foundation reinforced by over 10,000 black-pine pilings. Plans to demolish Tokyo Station's beautiful brick building because of its age and decrepitude met with fierce public opposition, resulting in a restoration project in 2000.

Many Japanese think that the modernization of their country was achieved chiefly with the help of countries such as the US, Great Britain, France, and Germany, but the Dutch were providing Japan with a continuous link to Western culture long before these other countries entered the scene. It is legitimate to say that the Netherlands is the founding father of Japan's modernization. This is an free publication

2 microscopes and printed manual from Jan Paauw, Leiden, 1750 - 1800

Many Dutch words have made their way into the Japanese language, including kohi (koffie; coffee), biru (bier; beer), orugoru (orgel; music box), zukku (doek; canvas), hukku (hoek; hook), koppu (kop; drinking glass) and buriki (blik; tin). Lacking equivalents for these and other terms in their own language, the Japanese simply incorporated them as foreign loan words and continue to use them today”.

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3.2 How the coffee came to Japan

In 1615, the first shipment of coffee arrived in Europe at Venice from Turkey. Coffee houses quickly spread through Italy and to Vienna, then on to most of Europe. In the meantime the Dutch had obtained coffee seeds from Malabar in India and planted them in their colony at Java. At that time coffee was available from Mocha the main port of Yemen or from Java, giving rise to the famous blend of "Mocha-Java." In 1715 Louis XIV of France was given a single coffee tree brought from Java to Holland, and then to Paris for him by the Dutch. The first greenhouse in Europe was then constructed to house the single tree, where it flowered and bore fruit. Around 1720 the first sprouts from this single tree reached Martinique, a French dominion in the Caribbean, and the plant spread from there throughout Central and South America, notably to Brazil which today supplies over one third of the world's coffee.

In North America, European settlers brought tea to the New World. The Dutch had brought tea to New Amsterdam (Manhattan and Staten Island) before the British bought the colony from the Dutch and renamed it New York. When the British government imposed a tax on many items in America and the famous 1773 Boston Tea Party made tea drinking unpatriotic, coffee came into favour. It is not difficult to find good coffee in Japan. Though it has more of a reputation as a country of tea drinkers, coffee is very popular in Japan. There are many small coffee shops selling a variety of coffees and teas. Cans of coffee are also available at literally millions of vending machines all over the country. Japan, traditionally a tea-consuming nation and home of the green tea that is fast proliferating in tea markets across the West, might not naturally be considered a coffee-loving nation. But coffee is in fact more popular in both volume and value terms. Canned coffee, a Japanese invention, commands the biggest single share of the domestic soft drinks market at about 30 percent. Canned coffee producers are: Coca-Cola (Japan) Co Ltd (Georgia); Kirin Brewery Co. Ltd.; Asahi Breweries Ltd. and Suntory Ltd. This is an free publication “It is known that coffee was transmitted to Japan by trade at Deshima in Nagasaki in early stages of the Edo period. Doctor Siebold who came to Japan in the last stage of the Edo period introduced coffee as a medicine. But Japanese people didn't like coffee very much those days and coffee didn't spread. At last, people of an upper class drank coffee in early time of the Meiji period. They liked drinking coffee. Then, coffee generalized as a personal taste in Taisho and Showa” 7. 3.3 How the beer came to Japan

It's reported that even in the Edo Period, a good number of people had already come into contact with Dutch beer. From that time, that taste for beer spread widely throughout the general population, most likely through the army. In 1853, it is said that beer was first test-brewed in Japan by Koumin Kawamoto, a doctor of Dutch medicine, following a description in a Dutch book. Soon thereafter, in 1879 the Spring Valley Brewery, nowadays Kirin Brewery, part of Mitsubishi, started to brew Japan's first beer.

3.4 How the camera came to Japan The Dutch V.O.C. delivered a lot of goods to Japan. The V.O.C. was the world’s first multi-national (stock holder’s) company! They started at March 20 1602. In this pre-industrial time zone, they shipped a lot of Western inventions. In the next, far from complete, list you’ll find an overview of only optical items the Kirin Original Beer Dutch brought to Japan. From Japan the Dutch brought, among others, a lot of silk to Europe. For the V.O.C. the Holland - Japan trade was extremely profitable. The first foreign telescope arrived in 1613 in Japan, when H.M.S. Clove ( a British merchant vessel) arrived in Hirado; its Captain John Saris presented a telescope to 'Tycoon Ieyasu'. “In 1636, spectacle sales by the Dutch in Japan totalled 19,425, increasing to 38,421 in 1637. Japanese opticians (megane-ya) became widespread in the 1700s, selling 'Dutch glass merchandise' (Oranda gyoku shinajina), including telescopes, magnifiers, spectacles, mirrors, flasks & glasses. As lens making skills spread during this century, many of the goods sold as 'Dutch' were in fact of local manufacture” 8 The following V.O.C. merchant vessels made the long trip from Europe to Japan: “1725 the “'t Casteel van Woerden” brought from Amsterdam four telescopes (each of four inches in length) to the Governors of Nagasaki.

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1726 the Japanese requested a telescope with eleven or twelve elements and a range of twelve miles, noted in 1728 by the Dutch as not procurable. 1728 the “Rijgersbroek” brought a four inch telescope to the Governor of Nagasaki. 1729 the “t Casteel van Woerden” again brought an eight foot telescope from Holland, for steward Saguemondonne. 1737 the “Enkhuysen” brought three telescopes of four foot length each, and the “Abbekerk” brought three telescopes of five foot length each; all of which were a four-element telescope. 1741 the “Crabbendijke” brought two 6-inch telescopes to Governor Coeboeta. 1743 the “Polanen” brought an ivory telescope from Amsterdam to Governor Mattasiro Awa no Cammi Samma. 1747 the “Westcappel” brought two small telescopes to Japan, the “Beukesteyn” brought from Amsterdam to Japan two cameras obscura, and the “Maarseveen” brought two telescopes to Awa no Cammi Samma. 1749 the “Witsburg” brought from Amsterdam four telescopes of five inches length each, to Awa no Cammi Samma. 1749 the “Geldermalsen” brought to Kawachi no Cammi Samma, the Governor of Nagasaki, three telescopes of eight inches length, four telescopes of seven inches length, and three telescopes of six inches length. 1754 the “Vlietlust” brought to the Shogun and the Crown Prince six telescopes made of black ivory, aTndhi threes is other an free publication telescopes. 1756 the “Radermacher” brought for Sacquemon Samma four copper telescopes of four inches length and four black ivory telescopes of four inches length. 1757 the “Tulpenburg” brought two telescopes for a 'Burgomaster'. 1759 two ivory telescopes of 2 1/4 Rhineland feet (1 Rhineland foot = 0.314 m.) length, and two ivory telescopes of 4 ½ inches length, were delivered to Awa no Cammi Samma. Binocular telescope, Jan and Harmanus van Deijl, 1762 the “Overnes” brought a copper Amsterdam 1789 telescope, seven feet in length, for the 'Burgomaster' Setsje Dajou Samma. 1765 the “Burgh” brought ten small telescopes, requested in 1758, five from Hoorn in North Holland and five from Amsterdam. 1771 again the “Burgh” brought from Amsterdam two copper telescopes of eight feet in length each to the Chief Commissioner of the Money-Chamber in Nagasaki. 1794 the “Erfprins” brought a telescope for the Shogun. 1795 the “West Capelle” brought a telescope for the Shogun. 1800 the “Massachusetts” brought two telescopes for the Governor and one for the Shogun. 1801 the “Margaretha” brought a 'sun telescope with a steel mirror', and an 'object-telescope' for the Governor of Nagasaki. 1802 the “Samuel Smith” from Baltimore, Maryland brought a ‘most beautiful Early European clocks in National Science Museum, telescope, for day and night'. Ueno, Tokyo

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1803 the American merchant vessel “Rebecca” brought three telescopes. 1804 the “Maria Susanna” brought for the Governor Fita Bungo no Cammi Samma, three large telescopes and another, probably smaller sized telescope. 1806 the “Amerika” brought a 'large, splendid telescope' for the Shogun, three telescopes for other authorities, and two small telescopes for the College of Interpreters. 1807 the “Mount Vernon” brought a telescope for authorities in Nagasaki. 1809 the “Rebecca” brought six telescopes. 1809 Japanese authorities requested that the shipment of 1810 include these items: The Shogun requested a telescope conforming to a drawing submitted 13 years previously. The Governor of Nagasaki, Magari Boeti Kay no Cammi Samma, asked for three telescopes conforming to a drawing given three years previously, two day & night telescopes, and another telescope. The Governor Tsoetia Kie no Cammi Samma requested two day & night telescopes. The College of Interpreters requested a telescope. The 'Head-Burgomaster' Takasima Sviobij Samma requested a book on the construction of telescopes and tools for polishing glass for telescopes; both of Takasima's requests were repeated in 1814, 1818, 1819, and 1820. 1813 the “Charlotta” brought the Shogun a telescope. 1813 Magariboete Kay no Cammi Samma received seven telescopes, the Governor of Nagasaki Tsotsia Kie no Cammi received two telescopes, the College of Interpreters received one telescope; and further note is made of a splendid telescope of four feet in length, two splendid telescopes withT chioncsav ise andan c onvfreeex m publirrors, andication another telescope.

Records for 1814 to 1824 include 44 telescopes, including an 'astronomical telescope' in 1819 for the Governor of Nagasaki.

1832 the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies requested 10 telescopes and 12 opera glasses, to be used as gifts to the Japanese. Double frame nautical sextant, J.M. 1835 a Japanese client requested that a telescope be sent for Kleman and Son, Amsterdam 1800 repair to the Netherlands, which was fulfilled and returned - 1825 to Japan in 1837".

3.5 Cameras imported by the Dutch The Daguerreotype process of photographic reproduction discovered by Louis Daguerre in 1829. In 1848 the first Daguerreotype equipment came on a Dutch ship to Nagasaki. Mister Shunnojô Tsunetari Ueno (1790 - 1851) was the merchant who ordered this camera. The father of the photographer Hikoma Ueno (1838 - 1904) bought this first camera set. He did not received the order. By mistake, the equipment in the ship freight was not unloaded. So, later in the year 1848, the same camera set came for the second time to Japan. Probable the set was then sold to Samurai Daimyo 9 Nakaria Shimazu. The first Japanese photographers with an Daguerreotype camera were: Nariakir Shimazua from the Satsuma clan; Daimyo Tokugawa Nariaki; Sakuma Zôzan from Matsushiro - Daimyat in 1850; Iinuma Yokusai from the Oogaki clan in 1852 and Furakawa Shunpei from Fukuoka Daimyat in 1856. 10 In 1857 a Dutch medical officer 11 started a school for medical and photographical science in Nagasaki. One of his students was Hikoma Ueno who studied Chemic and Photography. At that time pictures with collodion were possible. In 1862 Hikoma Ueno wrote a text book about chemistry. One chapter in this book deals with photography. “Relatively little is known about photography in Japan before 1868, which is the first year of the Meiji Dynasty and the actual start of “modern” Japan. Daguerreotype cameras were imported, and there are records of wet plate cameras in Japan around 1857, but the country was isolated from the West during much of the industrial revolution, under a policy of the Tokugawa Shogunate. Photography was practised by a small group of “Dutch scholars”, Japanese intellectuals who pursued the western sciences imported by Dutch merchant ships” 12.

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The Dutch were allowed to set up a small trading post at Deshima, an island in the Nagasaki Harbour. It was connected to the mainland by small dike. That dike was fenced with a door and a wall, which had two small holes. Through the first hole the Dutch were able to look to the Japanese and trough the second hole the Japanese could look to the Dutch. At Leiden University in the Netherlands one can read the “Siebold papers”, in which the author describes what he saw in Japan 13.

As one can read in an earlier chapter the Dutch brought the first camera, telescope, binoculars, microscope, etcetera to Japan. The study of Western science and technology Deshima drawing by Keiga Kawahara 1810 was called "Dutch science" by the Japanese. The term refers to the years before the restoration, when the Dutch were the only Westerners in Japan, thus being the main source of Western knowhow. 3.6 Dutch time line Tin hiJapans is an free publication Dutch influence on the first Japanese photographers 14: “1646 The camera obscura arrives in Nagasaki via the Dutch settlement. 1788 Gentaku Otsuki, an apprentice of Genpaku Sugita, describes in an essay the camera obscura, hitherto called a "donkuru-kaamuru" in Japanese, based on the Dutch pronunciation. He also uses the term "shashin-kyo" (photo mirror) as a Japanese translation for "camera obscura." 1815 In a Dutch studies publication he issued, Genpaku Sugita translates "camera obscura" as "anshitsu shashin-kyo" (darkroom photo mirror). 1843 In Nagasaki, Shunnojo-Tsunetari Ueno (1790-1851) (father of Hikoma Ueno), a trader, brings a daguerreotype to Nagasaki, but it was not unloaded. (The daguerreotype was first introduced in Paris in Aug. 1839.) 1848 In Nagasaki, Shunnojo-Tsunetari Ueno (1790-1851), a trader, imports Japan's Microscope connected to Camera Obscura, 1871 first daguerreotype camera from Holland (his second attempt), the only Western country Japan could trade with. 1849 Lord Nariakira Shimazu, daimyo of the Satsuma Clan in southern Kyushu, acquired a daguerreotype from Shunnojo-Tsunetari Ueno and experimented with it. He did not succeed so well because the camera was probably defective. In 1858, Lord Shimazu perhaps took a collodion photograph of three women, titled "Three Princesses." The image is kept at the Shimazu family museum (Shoko Shu-seikan) in Kagoshima. 1856 American consul Townsend Harris and Dutch interpreter Henry Heusken arrive in Japan. Until 1859, they are the only Western foreigners living in Japan outside Deshima, Nagasaki. Heusken teaches basic photography to Shimooka Renjo in Shimoda. Shimooka later moved to Yokohama and opened a photo studio in 1862. 1857 Naval doctor Julius L. C. Pompe van Meerdervoort starts teaching photography at the Medical Institute in Nagasaki, the centre of Dutch learning. Among his students were Hikoma Ueno, Kuichi Uchida and Genzo Maeda. Meerdervoort and other foreigners introduce the wet-collodion process around this year and up to 1859. The three treaty ports of Yokohama, Nagasaki, and Hakodate become the centres of photographic learning in Japan.

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1862 Hikoma Ueno (1838-1904) (father Shunnojo Tsunetari Ueno), after learning photography and chemistry under Dr. Pompe van Meerdervoort, publishes the treatise, Seimikyoku Hikkei which described photographic techniques and the wet collodion process. Hikoma Ueno becomes one of the first professional Japanese photographer by opening a photo studio in Nagasaki called Ueno Satsuei-kyoku”.

This is an free publication

universal geometric instrument Wytze Foppes Leeuwarden Netherlands 1751

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4 Industrial revolution in Europe and Japan

4.1 Industrial revolution in Europe Until the 17th century in Europe one could hardly find large scale industries. Most enterprises were small and family run businesses. The owners were united in guilds which made them powerful. In many churches all over Europe one can find, sometimes bombastic, altars erected with funds from various guilds. Napoleon however dissolved almost all guilds around 1809. The accelerated development in technology and economy in the period of 1760 - 1830 lead to a concentration of industrial production in factories. The stunning invention of steam machines, - boats and - trains made a centralisation of the production possible. The most important boost was given in the British textile industry, where in the given period quite a number of technical inventions (e.g. power loom) improved the production process; the British steel industry came next and gave its spirit to continental Europe during the 19th century. By the end of that century This is an free publicatiindusontrial revolution started in Russia and Japan, while Great Britain got engaged in a competition with Germany and the United States. The production of iron was improved by the use of cokes. And iron made Gregorian reflecting telescope, P and J Dollond, London, pre the production of railway bridges 1789 possible, which improved the transport and distribution of various goods. The clothing industry flourished and made cheap cotton accessible for all citizens. This so called industrial revolution changed society radically. Home work came to an end. Around factories cities arose and the workman’s class was growing. This industry proletariat became later a breeding ground for communism.

Especially Great Britain was in a privileged position. It had cokes, steel and cotton. While continental Europe was in war Great Britain expanded its influence in Africa and Asia. Famous British inventions of that time were the steam machine of Newcomen, the blast furnace of Abraham Darby, the shuttle of John Kay, the spinning machine of Hargreave and Samuel Compton, the loom of Edmund Cartwright, the first steam locomotive of Richard Trevithick and the electrical telegraph of William Cooke. Also in other parts of continental Europe (Southern Sweden, Germany, Poland, Bohemia, Belgium, France and Northern Italy) steel-, textile- and food industries arose. Famous inventors like Diesel, Daimler, Benz, Von Opel (car industry), Jacobsen, Poupe, Heineken, Artois, Sedlmayr, Dreher (brewery), Von Thyssen, Cockerel, Mannesmann, Puch (steel), Siemens, Philips, Faraday, Marconi (electricity) and many others gave European industry an enormous boost. The industrial revolution also influenced various sciences (medicine, psychology, chemistry and sociology) and arts (music, opera, sculpture and painting), but also war related Barr & Stroud, Glasgow, range industries. Most optical industries were working for estimator 2

Hans Braakhuis 16 quarrelling European despots, producing telescopes, binoculars and other optics for their army and naval forces. The invention of the cinematographic film and camera’s lead to the production and refinement of lenses for camera’s, enlargers and projectors. But for that we had to wait until the 20th century, as the first projection of a celluloid film was organized in Paris in March 1895 by the Lumière Brothers. One year later, on June 9, 1896, the first ‘Cinématographe Lumière’ (film cinema) was opened in the ‘Palais de Dance’, next to the ‘Kurhaus’ in the seaside resort Scheveningen, the Netherlands. Nine years later the first ‘Biograph Cinema’ was opened in Wilton Road in London.

In the Netherlands agricultural revolution joined the industrial revolution. Steel works, coal mines and ship yards were established in the second half of the 19th century.

As you may read in the chapter on ‘Optical industries in the Netherlands’ modern glass production and research was mainly seen in the German speaking part of Europe (Germany and Austria), although one should not underrate developments in France and England. 4.2 Industrial revolution in Japan Industrial revolution in Japan started after the last shogun handed in his resignation in 1867. The Japanese shogun dynasty, the so called Tokugawa, came to an end. Since the 17th century Japan was only accessible for Dutch and Chinese merchants. In 1867 the Japanese emperor took up his residence in Tokyo (Meiji-restoration). During the regime of emperor Mutsjito (1868-1912) Japanese industry was modernized. Feudal conditions were abolTishihed,s ieducs anation free was refpublormed,icati theon first railroad (Tokyo-Yokohama) was opened (1872), Gregorian calendar (1873) and general conscription (1873) were introduced as well as the first political parties (1882) and a new constitution (1889) were accepted. Although around the turn of the century a war with China and with Russia delayed the development of Japans industry, the optical industry made the most of it. The Meiji-restoration gave ardent reformers power to readjust Japan in a tearing rush. Old Japan was dismantled literally, a brand new Japan was put into place. In Asia, Japan became the first industrial Leeuwenhoek nation. In fact, the Japanese liked the idea of microscope 1670 industrialization so much that the government made it a national goal in the late 19th century. The Japanese economy is dominated, however, by a system which doesn’t exist in the Western world. The ‘keiretsu’ (Japanese for ‘money clique’) are the great family- Mitsubsihi building # 1 controlled banking and industrial combines of modern Japan. The leading zaibatsu (called keiretsu after World War II) are Mitsui, Mitsubishi, Dai Ichi Kangyo, Sumitomo, Sanwa, and Fuyo. They gained a position in the Japanese economy with no exact parallel elsewhere. Although the Mitsui were powerful bankers under the shogunate, most of the other zaibatsu developed after the Meiji restoration (1868), when, by subsidies and a favourable tax policy, the new government granted them a privileged position in the economic development of Japan. Later they helped finance strategic semiofficial enterprises in Japan and abroad, particularly in Taiwan and Korea ( a keiretsu in Korea is called a ‘chaebol’). In the early 1930s the military clique Mitsubishi building # 2 tried to break the economic power of the zaibatsu but failed. In 1937 the four leading zaibatsu controlled directly one third of all bank deposits, one third of all foreign trade, one half of Japan’s shipbuilding and maritime shipping, and most of the heavy industries. They maintained close relations with the major political parties. After Japan’s surrender (1945) in World War II, the breakup of the zaibatsu was announced as a major aim of the Allied occupation, but in the 1950s and 1960s groups based on the old zaibatsu reemerged as keiretsu. The decision on the part of these groups in the post-World War II era to pool their resources greatly influenced Japan’s subsequent rise as a global business power. Nikon Corporation is member of the Mitsubishi-group. Elsewhere in this publication you may read the history of the Japanese optical industry which, just after the World War II became one of the world’s leading optical industries.

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5 Optical industry in Holland

Little has been published on Dutch optical glass industries. Many Dutch scientists, however, were involved in the development of optical glass, microscopes and telescopes.

Since 1270 the so-called “reading glass” was produced in the Arno Valley in Italy. Although the techniques of making glass were kept secret by Venetian producers, due to the very good relations between the Netherlands and Venetia glass production in the Netherlands started as early as the 14th century. Spectacle lenses were among the first products. It is recorded that locally produced spectacles were used by intellectuals in Haarlem around 1300. After 1500 the social status of a spectacle was changing as to take a spectacle stressed the physical handicap of the wearer. Wearing spectacles in the presence of a noble person was even impolite. In the 19th century the tide was turning and wearing spectacles was no disgrace. In the Netherlands one has to wait until the 17th century to find written proof of optical inventions.

1595 Zacharias and his son Hans Janssen from Middelburg produced their first compound microscope (which is a microscope that uses two or more lenses) - known as ‘Hollandsche Kijker’ - and sold it in their spectacle shop. It is recorded that they were instructed by an unknown Italian soldier. Earlier drawings of lens combinations do exist, but are impractical. 1602 Foundation of the United East-Indian Company (Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie - V.O.C.) in the Netherlands, the world’s first multinational stock company, to coordinate trade activities with Asia. The company was dissolved in 1798. Many optical instruments were exported and sold in Japan by the VOC. 1608 Hans Lippershey (1570-1619) applied for a patent on a telescope with concave and convex lenses. His patent on a binocular instrument was denied as Jacob Metius from Alkmaar (and later others) claimed to Tbehi thes inivsentor. an free publication 1621 Astronomer Willebrord Snell van Royen - also known as Snellius (1580-1626) introduced his refraction principle. 1636 Spectacle sales by the Dutch in Japan totalled 19,425, which figure was doubled a year later. 1654 Johan van der Wijck (a famous glass grinder from Delft) supplied Christian Huygens with special grindstones. 1655 Christian Huygens (1629-1695) produced 2 telescopes; one with a focal length of 4 metres and one with a focal length of 7 metres; his brother Constatijn discovered Titan (6th moon of Saturn) and the structures of Saturn. Christian also discovered and described spheric lens aberrations, although he did not know how to avoid them.

Christian Huygens is said to be less well known than his father, Constantijn Huygens, a gifted poet and brilliant figure in the literary history of the Netherlands. Rembrandt, Hals, Spinosa and Descartes were family friends. The last had a profound influence on Huygens and drew him into mathematics and Science. This is also the reason that there is now a famous self-portrait from Rembrandt and his Nikon rangefinder camera, first published at the NHS Utrecht Convention in 1994, in the Netherlands. Around 1650 Christian Huygens was just an unknown whizz-kid. But after Christian send some of his first microscopes to Japan with a vessel of the VOC, once a present came back. Including a small note: with this machine its possible to make drawings with light. Christian did not know what to do with this very, early rangefinder camera. So he thought, drawing with light, I’ll give it to Rembrandt, he is also a gifted drawer.

1656 Establishment of glass melting furnace in Den Bosch. 1665 Christian Huygens went to Paris and became a founding member of the French Academy and was granted a pension and an apartment. This pension is the only salary Christian ever earned. 1668 Anthonie van Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723) - the Father of Microscope - learned to grind and polish glass and started making simple microscopes; he is known to have made more than 500 microscopes in his lifetime. His microscopes were able to magnify up to 300 X!

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1670 Jan Swammerdam (1637-1680) produced optical systems, like a single lens microscope (using so-called bead-lenses). 1672 Christian Huygens introduced his ray of light principle. 1673 Anthonie van Leeuwenhoek began corresponding with the English Royal Society which published 375 of his papers over the next fifty years. 1676 Samuel van Musschenbroek (1639-1681) introduced the use of a diaphragm to improve image quality. 1678 Christian Huygens used a condenser lens, which was improved by Nicolaas Hartsoeker and - later - used by the British microscope producer Wilson. 1679 Nicolaas Hartsoeker (1654-1725) set up as an optical instrument maker and wine merchant. 1680 Christian Huygens became member of the prestigious Royal Society in London. 1685 Christian Huygens published a technique of grinding glass manually. Anthonie van Leeuwenhoek 1690 Johan van Musschenbroek (1660-1707) introduced a focussing method using a barrel with ball bearings (later known as the Musschenbroek Nuts). 1694 Nicolaas Hartsoeker published his ‘diopter essay’. In that same year he invented the so-called screw barrel telescope. 1770 Jan van Deyl (1715-1801) invented the achromatic microscope lens. 1798 Liquidation of the V.O.C.

Little was done to improve the microscope and other optical instruments until the middle of the 19th centuryThi wshen is great an sfreetrides wpublere miacatide andon quality instruments like today’s microscope emerged. Christian Huygens 1770 Glass production on an industrial scale started in Leerdam and later in Maastricht, Delft and Schiedam. 1878 Merchants Jeekel and Mijnssen set up a glass factory in Leerdam. Still known for its bottles and artistic glass. 1889 The first Dutch camera was build by Abraham Dirk Loman. 1904 Johan Steenbergen started a small camera factory in 1904 in Meppel. In 1908 he moved to Dresden to study optics. As an apprentice he gained experience at the Ernemann camera works. In 1913 he founded IHG (Industrie und Handels- Gesellschaft) in Dresden, which factory produced various camera’s. At the Leipziger Messe in 1936 he presented the world’s first single lens reflex (SLR) camera, the Kine-Exakta. Since 1972 the factory became state property (German Democratic Republic) and used the name Pentacon. After the unification of both Germany’s in 1990 Pentacon was liquidated and its brand name Praktica was taken over by Jos. Schneider Precision Mechanics Co. In 1998 Pentacon GmbH took over (or back) the production of Praktica camera’s. 1924 The micro-cinematographic artist Jan Cornelis Mol based his film on blood circulation on the findings of Van Leeuwenhoek. 1938 Frits Zernike (1888-1966) was a professor at the University of Groningen from 1915 to 1958. In a study of diffraction gratings, he noted that he was able to discern materials of different refractive indices despite their transparency, and discovered the phase contrast principle. Zernike built a microscope based on that principle and received the Nobel Prize in 1953. 1939 The optical industry (Optische Industrie de Oude Delft) was established. Dr. Albert Bouwers, director from 1941-1968, improved (in 1941) the mirror lenses and invented the Super Technirama 70 millimetre wide- angle film projection (by a self designed anamorphic lens), used by Walt Disney in 1959 at his premiere of the cartoon ‘Sleeping Beauty’. In the late 1940's, just after World War II, many camera producers in the Netherlands, were (re)established, like Foka/Fodor Alberts), Rotterdam Nefotaf (Nederlandse Fotografische Apparaten Fabriek), Weert Nedinsco (Nederlandse Instrumenten Compagnie), Venlo, Philips, Eindhoven Christian Huygens Prinsen, Amsterdam microscope, Den Haag Tahbes, Den Haag 1689

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Vena, Amsterdam.

They tried to present their products on the European camera market, but none of them survived (as a camera producer). However, Maus Gatsonides, a gifted engineer and rally driver since the early 1950's, became famous all over Europe with his Gatsometer camera: a special camera linked with a speedometer for checking speed. Gatsometer also produces red light camera systems and traffic enforcement systems using Nikon camera technology. The Netherlands nowadays does not have a serious and therefore competitive national optical industry. Nevertheless it hosts famous Japanese producers of fine optics, having their European Headquarters in the Netherlands, like

Nikon Corporation Canon Hoya. 5.1 From craft to industry It was not until the latter stages of the Industrial Revolution, however, that mechanical technology for mass production and in-depth scientific research into the relationship between the composition of glass and its physical qualities began to appear in the industry. A key figure and one of the forefathers of modern glass research in the world was the German scientist Otto Schott (1851-1935), who used scientific methods to study the effects of numerous chemical elements on the optical and thermal properties of glass. In the field of optical glass, Schott teamed up with Ernst Abbe (1840-1905), a professor at the University of Jena and joint owner of the Carl Zeiss firm, to make significant technolTogihicsal iadvs anances free. publication Another major contributor in the evolution towards mass production was Friedrich Siemens (1826-1904), who invented the tank furnace. This rapidly replaced the old pot furnace and allowed the continuous production of far greater quantities of molten glass.

The history of the manufacture of Optical Glass can be divided into three epochs: Pierre Louis Guinand's (1748-1824) discovery of the stirring process in 1798 and perfected in 1805; The work of Ernst Abbe and Otto Schott circa 1882, and

The development in England during the Great War (WWI). The method of manufacture is practically the same at the present time as in Guinand's day, any improvement being one of degree rather than of kind. Thus the glass is melted in special pots and furnaces, stirred after founding, and allowed to cool in situ. When cold it is broken up and examined. Defective glass is rejected, and the good glass is moulded into slabs, prisms or lenses, and finally annealed. Optical glass has to conform to a rigorous specification. It must have certain specified optical constants, must be free from striae, bubble, strain, and colour, and must be durable. The manufacture of optical glass is based upon continuous research into the properties of glass. The effects of composition upon density, refractive index, melting properties, durability, freedom from colour, and de-vitrification tendencies, have to be studied upon a small scale, and the results translated into terms suitable for works practice. The whole manufacture indeed is research upon a manufacturing scale.

Carl Zeiss microscope 1878

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6 Optical industry in Japan

In 735 a group of merchants sent from Japan to China returned with astronomical instruments. In 875 an observatory, which possibly may be the earliest astronomical observatory in Japan, was established at Asuka in the Nara Prefecture. In the Genna era (1615-1623) Tohichi Ikushima made a telescope, which caused the Tokugawa Shogunate to prohibit telescope manufacturing because of its possible military applications. During the Kioho era (1717-1735) Nizayemon Mori, an optician in Nagasaki, made an astronomical telescope, and/or a Sokugohyogi (type of transit instrument) for the eighth Shogun Yoshimune Tokugawa.

In 1859 observation towers were built on the coast at Kosetoura, Nomo and Noroshi Yawa, equipped with telescopes to view the Old astronomical observatory arrival of foreign ships. 6.1 Early telescopes “In the early 1700s, Japanese manufactured telescopes were becoming more common, and the general public would have seen only domestic models, but quality was inconsistent and imported telescopes were preferred, although Mitaku Yorai indicated that not all imports were so favoured: 'China has failed to Tsuhipplsy anyis ofan outs freetanding publ qualityicati', contionnuing, 'every now and again an inability to see much with a Japanese one is to be marked...Nagasaki plays the leading role (supplying telescopes to) show the moon up close'. In the 1770s, Swedish scientist Charles Thunberg described how lookouts were given telescopes and placed on mountains near the sea to spot distant ships. Circa 1790, Iwahashi, Zenbei, from Kaitsuka, Izumi, made an astronomical telescope, using an octagonal tube, circumference 27 centimetre, length about 270 centimetre, installed in the Government observatory, and Early Japanese reported to be as good as or better than imported models. By 10th moon of telescope, National 1795, he had a larger telescope. Zenbei was an optician who became an Science Museum Ueno active astronomer, observing the sun and other objects, and is also noted for making telescopes for a famous cartographer, Tadataka Ino.

Circa 1800, Goryu Asada ground lenses for a telescope that he used to observe the satellites of Jupiter. His 'Asada school' used European methods & modern instruments to obtain data, using specialized instruments, such as a transit to measure longitude and a quadrant to measure latitude. In the early 1800s, Japanese artisans mastered lens production and telescope building, and the range of Japanese made instruments expanded to include transits, quadrants, and further telescopes, with relatively few Dutch imports of telescopes and sextants. Smoked glass was made in Japan after 1800, and in the 1830s, solar observer Kunitomo Tohbei made an astronomical telescope judged better than any of the Dutch imports. Tohbei Nootoo Kunitomo, (1778-1841) was a famous gunsmith in Omi, 14th heir of a gun smithing business, and a telescope maker and amateur astronomer. He first used a telescope circa 1821-2, a Dutch instrument owned by a nobleman (Iba describes it as a Gregorian reflector at the Tokyo Observatory). In 1832, he began work on a Gregorian of 7 centimetre aperture, fabricating all parts except the brass tube, with a parabolic mirror, completing it in 1833 after many difficulties, and beginning observation & sketching of the sky (an image of the telescope is found in Yamamoto). Kunitomo made many speculum mirrors, studying the metal in old mirrors and deciding on an alloy of 65% zinc and 35% copper, and using a grindstone that was oval in shape. He fabricated eyepiece lenses of quartz crystal, using split bamboo tools and pine rosin.

Kunitomo telescope

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1836 was a year of famine in Japan, and Kunitomo sold some of his telescopes and drawings of the sun to assist his neighbours. He fabricated 'many' telescopes, which were given and sold to friends and patrons. Hazama, an astronomer at Osaka, bought a Kunitomo telescope and found it to be 'twice as efficient' as a Dutch telescope. A Kunitomo telescope and various parts survived in the home of a descendent as of 1937; where K. Nakamura of Kwasan Observatory tested two mirrors and found them excellent. However, the eyepieces he used caused chromatic aberration which Kunitomo was unable to correct.

The 1874 transit of Venus was photographed by Hikoma Uyeno in Nagasaki on December 9, which is considered the first celestial photography in Japan.

In the late 1800s, assistance from Western nations was provided for the astronomical measurements used to determine latitude and longitude for mapping. The Japanese Navy built Kanshodai Observatory in 1874". 15. Kunitomo drawings The National Science Museum 16 in Tokyo (at the Ueno Park) has a special department with early optical instruments. It shows some early Japanese telescopes and observatory instruments. In August 2004 it will open a new annexe with more optical items. I learned in this museum that the making of telescopes in Japan in the Edo period lagged far behind TEuropeanhis is an free publication countries, some of the first skilled telescope makers were Mr. Kunitomo and Mr. Iwahashi. 6.2 The start of the photographical industry Barr & Stroud 4½ Feet Type FA2 Range Finders became well known in the 19th century. They were introduced by Barr & Stroud (optical instrument engineers in Glasgow, UK since 1860) 17 in 1888 and the very high tech oriented Japan Navy immediately ordered them. The first one, bearing Admiral Togo on the bridge of batlleship Mikasa, He has an serial number 4, was installed on a Zeiss binocular. On the background an Barr & Stroud Japanese battle ship in 1894. By May rangefinder (picture 75 Year history) 27, 1905, every single battle ship of Japan’s Imperial Navy was equipped with this range finder, in fact every single cannon! So this will have cost Japan a lot of Yen. “Delving far back in to the records, it turns out that lens polishing was being done in feudal Japan in the ancient days of the Tokugawa Shogunate, before Commodore Perry knocked this island nation’s doors open to the Western civilization. Production on an industrial sale started in 1907 with the establishment of the Fujii Lens factory which manufactured binoculars for the civilian market as well as for use by the Imperial Japanese Navy. But it was not until the First World War that the optical industry really began spreading its roots. By this time the Navy had launched its own production of sextants, periscopes, and other optical precision instruments. The Navy also established its own research laboratory.

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Probably the biggest factor spurring the industry on at this time was the abrupt stoppage of lens glass imports because of the German wartime blockade. The industry had until the relied solely on these imported raw materials for the manufacture of finished products. In desperation, optical instrument manufacturers searched far and wide for other sources and, to their pleasant surprise, found an abundant source right in their own backyard; this was in 1921. Five years later, with several firms already in the lens-making business in addition to Fujii, yet another new establishment hung to sign that was to become one of the most famous names in the industry both at home and abroad. It was Nippon Kogaku, makers of the post-World War II Nikon cameras, Nikkor lenses, and a wide range of diversified optical instruments. Admiral Togo on the bridge of batlleship Mikasa, He has an This is anZei sfrees binoc ulpublar. Oni catithe baconkground an Barr & Stroud Up this point we have been talking rangefinder about the beginnings of lens and optical instrument making. It wouldn’t be accurate to trace the origins of the camera industry as such this far back, although, for the record, a handful of Japanese began dabbling experimentally in camera making in the 1880s. The first camera bearing the made-in-Japan tag hit the market in 1903. Several years before Henry Ford came out with his Model T. It was named the Cherry Camera (Cherry Portable) and it was an Meishi 18 format box camera, manufactured by the Konishiroku Photo Industrial Company, Limited 19, a firm generally recognized today as the oldest Japanese manufacturers in the industry not only of cameras but of a complete line of photographic film and printing paper. One of its best-known products today is the Konica 35-millimetre camera. Konishiroku Shasin Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha was founded in 1873. It was also known as Rokuosha. In 1928 they produced a four element lens in Tessar style. In 1931 they produced with Jena glass an 135 millimetre f/4.5 lens called Hexar. The design was a success, some said equal of the Zeiss Tessar” 20.

6.3 Japanese optical history This time line contains information based on a variety of sources 21: “1857 Naval doctor Julius L. C. Pompe van Meerdervoort starts teaching photography at the Medical Institute in Nagasaki, the centre of Dutch learning. Among his students were Hikoma Ueno, Kuichi Uchida and Genzo Maeda. Meerdervoort and other foreigners introduce the wet-collodion process around this year and up to 1859. The three treaty ports of Yokohama, Nagasaki, and Hakodate become the centres of photographic learning in Japan. 1862 Hikoma Ueno (1838-1904) (father Shunnojo Tsunetari Ueno), after learning photography and chemistry under Dr. Pompe van Meerdervoort, publishes the treatise, Seimikyoku Hikkei which described photographic techniques and the wet collodion process. Ueno Hikoma becomes one of the first professional Japanese photographer by opening a photo studio in Nagasaki called Ueno Satsuei-kyoku. 1864 Kokichi Kizu opens a photo studio in Hakodate (Hokkaido), one of the ports which were opened to foreigners. 1865 Kuichi Uchida, who studied under Hikoma Ueno, and Shinsuke Nakagawa both open a studio in Osaka. 1865 Yohei Hori (Masumi) opens a photo studio in Kyoto. 1866 Rihei Tomishige opens a photo studio in Yanagawa, Fukuoka Kyushu. 1870 The number of professional photographers in Japan exceed 100. 1871 Tokichi Asanuma establishes Asanuma Shoten, a photo supply shop in Nihonbashi, Tokyo.

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1873 Matsugoro Asakura is sent to Austria by the Japanese government to study the manufacturing of optics. He returned to Japan in 1875 and started to build a lens factory with government approval. Matsugoro died before finishing the factory, which was completed in 1876, producing ophthalmic lenses using imported glass. His son, Kametaro Asakura, developed a photographic lens after 1883, exhibiting it in 1890, the first known Japanese made multi element photographic lens (there were earlier singlet objectives). 1873 Konishi-ya, forerunner of Konica, is established in Kojimachi, Tokyo. It later moves to Honcho in 1876 and changes its name to Konishi Honten. 1876 Students of Matsugoro Asakura complete the lens factory and start to produce ophthalmic lenses with imported glass. (Glass melting technology was still undeveloped in Japan.) 1877 The number of professional photographers in Tokyo alone exceed 100. 1879 "Shashin Shimbun," a weekly photo by Zenshin-sha, is published with albumen prints pasted on. Publication ceases after 10 issues. 1883 Matsugoro Asakura's son, Kametaro Asakura, developed a photographic lens at his factory in Yotsuya Denmacho and displayed the lens at the 3rd National Industrial Exhibition in 1890 where it won 1st prize. This was the first photographic lens produced in Japan, except for simple single-element lenses. 1892 Take a look at a row of Japanese cameras an you’ll notice shutters bearing the name of “Seikosha”. This firm opened for business in 1892 as a manufacturer of watches and clocks, and its scale of operations and exports today make it easily the biggest of its kind in the Far East. In 1930 they started making shutters, and today almost all Japanese cameras are equipped with Seikosha shutters. 1902 Konishi Honten establishes Rokuoh-sha in Tokyo, a division dedicated to produce photosensitive materials (dry plates, etc.) and later photographic equipment. 1903 The Cherry Portable, the first portable Japanese camera, is made by Konishi Honten (forerunner of Konica). The box-shaped camera used a magazine which held twelve 2 1/4x3 1/4 inch dry plates. Konishi Honten Twenthi son itos mak ane vfreearious otherpubl camerasication. Paper-backed roll films were still not made in Japan. Only sheet film and glass plates were being made in Japan. Imported roll films were still very expensive and usually arrived in poor condition because there were no refrigerated cargo holds. 1903 Japan's first photographic paper, the Sakura Hakkin type paper, is marketed by Konishi Honten. 1907 Kuribayashi Seisaku Sho, the forerunner of Petri Camera, is founded as an photographic accessory manufacturer. The first camera was made in 1919, the first lens in 1942. There was an bankruptcy in 1977, closed down in 1979. 1907 Konishi Honten markets Japan's first single-lens reflex camera, the Sakura-reflex Plano with a Tessar f/6.3 lens. Priced 225 yen. 1908 Ryuzo Fujii establishes the Fujii Lens Seizosho factory. Ryuzo was a Mechanical Engineering major at the Tokyo Institute of Technology and became a naval engineer. He was sent to Europe for three years to study optical design and lens manufacturing in Europe (mainly Germany). He returned to Japan in 1901 and quit the navy in 1908 to start his company. His younger brother Kozo joined the company after quitting his job at the Aichi Cement Company. They studied the production of prisms and lenses in a rented dirt-floored entrance hall of a house. In March 1909, they moved to a new factory in Shiba, Tokyo and equipped it with the latest lens manufacturing equipment from Germany. It became Japan's first modern lens factory. 1909 The Japanese Army had in this year already established an optical research laboratory 22 in Tokyo, and in 1909 a repair facility was further established in order to service optical weapons belonging to the Japanese army. Combined with the experience gained in maintaining instruments such as field binoculars and cameras, the facility also began producing telescopes and microscopes for a variety of applications. Shortly thereafter, production expanded to include prisms for binoculars and even lenses for photographic cameras. By the outbreak of the First World War in Europe, however, the question of self- sufficiency in optical munitions had yet to be seriously considered. Japan’s armed forces were almost entirely dependent upon overseas suppliers of optical weapons, and this supply was sharply limited during the war as the combatant powers suspended their exports of munitions in general. 1911 Rokuoh-sha markets Japan's first pocket-size camera called the "Minimum Idea." Its relatively affordable price of 9 yen and 50 sen creates a Minimum Idea boom among amateurs. 1915 The Japanese Navy starts to develop optical glass manufacturing since glass imports from Germany stopped due to World War I. 1917 Nippon Kogaku K.K. (forerunner of Nikon) was established in Tokyo as a munitions optical instrument shop to meet the needs of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The company was a consolidation of three companies: Tokyo Keiki Seisaku-sho's optical division, Iwaki Glass Seisaku-sho, and Fujii Lens Seizo-sho. Nippon Kogaku head 1918 The significance of this over-dependence upon foreign suppliers was office building ca 1917

Hans Braakhuis 24 not lost upon the army or navy, which made serious efforts after 1915 to address the problem of domestic production of both optical glass and optical munitions. In 1918 navy researchers at the Tsukiji Arsenal, south of Tokyo, began to produce seven types of optical glass in quantities of up to 300 kilogram melts in an effort to compensate for the interruption of German imports—theretofore Japan’s primary supplier. 1919 Asahi Kogaku Goshi Kaisha (forerunner of Asahi Optical Company, Ltd., maker of Pentax cameras) is established in Tokyo by Kumao Kajiwara as a manufacturer of ophthalmic lenses. Although it was not until much later that it added cameras to its line of products. In 1923 Asahi produced their first photographic optic, the Aoco motion picture projection lens. In 1929 Asahi began to manufacture lenses for still photography and by 1943 the company was a major supplier of lenses for other camera manufacturers, like Minolta and Konishiroku. After the war, most of the factories where destroyed. In 1948 Asahi Optical reopened with manufacturing binoculars for export. 1919 Takachiho Seisaku-sho, the forerunner of Olympus Optical Co., Ltd., is established as a microscope manufacturer. In 1936 Olympus made its first photographic lens, a 75 millimetre f/4.5 copy of the Zeiss Tessar. Olympus also made lenses for Mamiya, Elmo, Aires and Walz. 1920 Shigejiro Nishimura & Sons, in Kyoto, began by making reflectors, managed by K. Nakamura of Kyoto Imperial University. As of 1931, Nishimura had produced one 10 inch f3.8 photographic reflector, three 8 inch, three 6.5 inch, twenty five 6 inch, and over two hundred 5 inch & smaller reflectors, all with mirrors by K. Nakamura. In 1929, Nakamura made a 6 inch refractor, on a mount designed by Nakamura, which was the first equatorial refractor built in Japan (followed closely by a Nippon Kogaku 6 inch equatorial of Zeiss design)”. 1921 The Osaka Industrial Material Testing Laboratory starts research on optical glass melting. Completely independent from the Navy, this Laboratory belonging tot the Department of Agriculture and Commerce. Prior to this time optical glass was imported from Germany, France and England. 1921 Nippon Kogaku Kogyo TK.K.hi shi resis eianght Gfreeerman publengineersicati andon scientists on a 5-year contract. They worked on optical design, product design, and lens and prism grinding and polishing. One of them, Heinrich Acht, extended his stay until 1928. He produced samples of photographic lenses, the first ones to come from Nippon Kogaku. Kakuno Sunayama took over lens design after Acht and improved upon Acht's 50 centimetre f/4.8 lens in 1929, calling it "Trimar." In the same year, he later produced the "Anytar" 12 centimetre f/4.0 lens based on the Carl Zeiss Tessar lens. 1922 The Astronomical Herald published articles by Masamitsu Yamazaki on making reflecting telescopes, which resulted in an amateur telescope making movement, numbering over 200 by 1931. (The Herald is the monthly of the Nihon Tenmon Gakkai, Japan Astronomical Association) 1924 Masashige Tomioka founded Tomika Kogaku Kenkusho in the Shinagawa district of Tokyo to develop photographic lenses. In 1932 the laboratory became a manufacturing facility, Tomioka Kogaku Kikai Seizosho, and made original lenses for camera companies. Today they produce most Yashica lenses. 1925 In June, Konishiroku Honten Co. introduces the Pearlette camera, an imitation of the highly successful Vest Pocket Kodak. It had a bellows and an imported lens and shutter. It used 127- type roll film. The Pearlette line was in production for 20 years and was improved over time. 1926 Seizo Goto founded Goto Optical, in Komazawa, Tokyo, in August of that year. 1928 Kazuo Tashima establishes the Nichi-Doku Shashin Shokai company, the forerunner of Konica Minolta Camera Co. The corporate name was changed to Molta Goshi Kaisha in 1931 and to Chiyoda Kogaku Seiko K.K. in 1937 when the company began lens production. The name also changed to Chioda Kogaku Seiko Kabushiki Kaisha. The first Minolta Rokkor lens was an 200 millimetre f/4.5 for an portable aerial camera in 1940. By order of the Imperial Japanese Navy, Minolta started to develop and produce optical glass at Itami, near Kobe. In 1942, the company was ordered by the Imperial Japanese Navy to manufacture optical glass near Kobe. The 75 millimetre f/3.5 Rokkor lens, modelled after the Carl Zeiss Tessar lens, fitted on the Minolta Semi IIIA camera in 1946 was the first Japanese lens with anti-reflection coating. 1931 Nippon Kogaku Kaisha, in Shiba, Tokyo, had produced hundreds of refractors by 1931, as large as 8 inches, on equatorial mounts. Prototype 20 inch fork mounted reflectors had been made. 1931 Hirowo Mohri of Konishiroku Honten Co. produces a f/4.5, 4-element H-type lens with Jena glass. The lens, named "Hexar," was based on the Carl Zeiss Tessar lens. "Hex" is for Rokuemon Sugiura where "Roku" means six. The lens was a success and claimed equal performance to the Tessar lens. The "Hexar" label was used on Konishiroku's top-quality lenses up to 1959, when the lenses were renamed Hexanon.

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1931 Military & Naval optical instruments were made by Government Optical Works. 1932 Nippon Kogaku Kogyo K.K. manufactures its first Nikkor photographic lens. This was later mounted on the Hansa Canon camera in 1936. All lenses from Nippon Kogaku were labelled "Nikkor" from this year on. And all pre-World War II Canon cameras were fitted with Nikkor lenses.. 1932 Tokyo Optical (Tokyo Kogaku Kikai Kabushiki Kaisha) began in 1932, under the direction of the Imperial Japanese Army. The optical division of the Seikosha factory of Hattori Tokei, a clock and watch manufacturer , was merged with Katsuma Kogaku Kikai Seisaku Sho. The new company was formed to manufacture photographic lenses and precision optical and mechanical instruments 23. By 1934, it had produced two triplet photographic lenses, the State and the Toko, in f/6.3 and f/4.5 apertures. The designer, Ryoii Tomita, made an 50 metre f/0.7 design in 1944, which was later sold to the US Occupation forces. After the WWII they made Topcon single lens reflexes and Topcor lenses. 1933 In November, Seiki Kogaku Kenku Sho (Precision Optical Instruments Laboratory), the forerunner of Canon Inc., is established by Goro Yoshida (1900-1993) and Saburo Uchida (1899-1982). They are soon joined by Takeo Maeda and they produce the prototype Kwanon 35 millimetre camera six months later. The production model introduced in 1935 was called "Hansa Canon." It used a Nikkor lens from Nippon Kogaku. Yoshida left Seikos Kogaku in the fall of 1934, less than a year after setting up Seikos Kogaku. 1934 Fuji Photo Film Company (Fuji Sasin Film Kabushiki Kaisha) is established in Jan. to produce photosensitized materials. In 1938, it announced that it would develop all photographic equipment including the melting of optical glass and lenses. During World War II, it made aerial cameras and lenses. After the war, it concentrated on optical glass and studio camera lenses, named Rectar. In 1954, all lenses were named Fujinar or Fujinon. 1935 In April, the "Super Olympic" with a lens shutter is marketed by Asahi Bussan (forerunner of Ricoh). This is the first 35 millimetre camera made in Japan. 1935 In May, Mitsubishi PaperT hiMilsls andis anKoni sfreehiroku cpublompletiecati joint onresearch to develop Japan's first practical fiber-based photo paper. 1935 In June, Takachiho Seisaku-sho, forerunner of Olympus Optical Company, makes its first photographic lens, a 75 millimetre f/4.5 modelled after the Carl Zeiss Tessar lens. "Zuiko" was the name chosen by the company for its lenses. 1935 In July, the Semi Minolta, Japan's first 6x4.5 centimetre format camera using 120 roll film is marketed by Molta Goshi Kaisha. 1936 The Riken Optical Industries Limited established. Heir mass production method for making Ricoh’s and Ricohflexes today provide part of the reason why it is Japan’s largest manufacturer of popular priced cameras. 1936 In September, the Hansa Canon, Japan's first 35 millimetre rangefinder camera with a focal-plane shutter is produced by Seiki Kogaku Kenkusho (forerunner of Canon) and sold by Omiya Photo Supply Co., Ltd. It had a Nikkor 50 millimetre f/3.5 lens and a pop-up viewfinder. The Hansa Canon was an imitation of the Leica II. The name "Hansa" was a trademark of Omiya Photo Supply Co., Ltd. Seiki Kogaku, a virtually unknown company, still had no distributor for the camera so it gave sole distribution rights to Omiya and permission to incorporate the "Hansa" trademark. 1936 In November, Japan's first 2 1/4 square (6x6 centimetre) format camera, the Minolta 6, is marketed by Molta Goshi Kaisha. Hansa Canon 1937 In August, Canon forerunner Seiki- Kogaku Kenkusho (Precision Optical Laboratory) incorporates into Seiki-Kogaku Kogyo K.K. (Precision Optical Industry Co., Ltd.). This is Canon Inc.'s official year of founding. The new company is headed by Saburo Uchida one of the original founders of the Laboratory. 1937 Konishiroku Honten changes its name to Konishiroku Co., Ltd. and began making aerial cameras and X-ray photographic equipment. 1940 In January, the Leotax camera is sold by Showa Kogaku Seiki. It was a copy of the Leica 35 millimetre camera except for the rangefinder which was not coupled to the lens. 1940 On July 7, camera production was restricted for military purposes only, stunting the growth of the Japanese camera industry.

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1940 In September, Mamiya Koki Seisakusho produces the first Mamiya Six camera. 1941 In July, the Zenkoku Shashin Kikai Seizo Kogyo Rengokai association of photo equipment makers is formed to negotiate with the government on photography equipment matters such as official pricing revisions and equipment procurement and exportation. 1941 Mamiya Camera Co. was founded, and earned its first laurels with the Mamiya Six, a folding type camera whose most outstanding recent innovation is a device which permits the back of the camera to move back and forth for focussing instead of the traditional lens-movement focussing”. 1944 Due to a military supply company law enacted in Dec. 1943, most of the major Japanese photo equipment and materials manufacturers are forced to co-operate in the war effort. 1945 During the first few years after the war ended in 1945, Japan faced severe shortages of raw materials. Camera companies were short on materials and capital to rebuild. They had to think about sheer survival rather than developing new cameras. Thus, the first Japanese cameras after the war were pre-war carry over. 1945 In December, the domestic manufacturing of film and cameras was restarted. However, the production volume was still low and most of the output went to supply the Occupation Forces, leaving little for the rapidly-increasing domestic demand. In large cities, a black market for film and cameras appeared. 1947 Camerabug American soldiers of the Occupation Forces commented that there were too many names to remember with regard to Canon cameras: lenses by Serenar, cameras by Canon, and the manufacturer was Seiki-Kogaku Kogyo. Company president Takeshi Mitarai took this to heart and changed the corporate name to Canon Camera Company Ltd. on Sept. 15, 1947. This name was later modified to Canon Camera Company Inc. in early 1951. The present corporate name of "Canon Inc." was adopted in 1969. 1948 Chinon Industries, Inc.'s forerunner, Sanshin Seisakusho, is established by Hiroshi Chino to manufacture lens barrels and mounts for cameras such as Olympus, Ricoh, and Yashica. It started manufacturing lTenshiess fro ism 1an959 .free The corporate publ inamecati onwas changed to its current one in Jan. 1973. After being dissolved after the war which destroyed most of the factory, Asahi Optical Co. was restarted. It made binoculars for export. 1949 In April., Canon Camera Company markets the Canon IIB 35 millimetre rangefinder camera having a viewfinder which could switch magnifications to match the field of view for the 50 millimetre, 100 millimetre, and 135 millimetre interchangeable lenses. This useful and unique feature helped to establish Canon's reputation for the following 10 years. The camera remained in production for 3 years. 1949 Takachiho Seisaku-sho is renamed Olympus Optical Company, Ltd. (Olympus Kogaku Kogyo K.K.)”.

6.4 An example of military influence in 1931 “Domestic lens manufacturing in 1931 was a goal of both the photographic industry and the Japanese military. Under official auspices, a number of firms were engaged in optical research including: Nippon Kogaku Kabushiki Kaisha; Konishiroku Honten / Rokuosha; Oriental Shashin Kogyo; Takachihi Kogaku Kikai Seisakusho, now Olympus; Tokyo Kogaku Kikai K. K.; Molta Goshi Kaisha, originally Nichi Doku Shashinky Shoten, now Minolta; Tomioka Kogaku Kenkusho; Asahi Kogaku Goshi Kaisha; Inoue Kogaku and Yamazaki - Shuzando. The first lenses were shown with the first Japanese between-the-lens shutters. In 1931, Konishiroku Honten / Rokuosha produced with German glass, what is generally considered the first Japanese photographic lens 24, the Hexar 105 millimetre. F/4.5 a four element lens in the configuration of the Tessar. In the same year, Nippon Kogaku completed a 120 millimetre. Anytar lens for the 6.5x9 centimetre. format. which was never commercially produced. That year Asahi Optical completed a three element triplet, the Coronar 105 millimetre f/4.5, which was sold by Molta Goshi Kaisha with its Eaton and Happy Hands cameras. Asahi Optical had begun in 1929 to prepare photographic lens production; by 1934 it had become a specialized lens producer, and is believed to have made the lens for the Pearlette, the first camera of complete Japanese manufacturer” 25.

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7 Birth of Nippon Kogaku

Before Nippon Kogaku was born, its parents, brothers and sisters already belonged to the Mitsubishi zaibatsu. The start of that zaibatsu is described below.

7.1 The Mitsubishi zaibatsu In 1857, at the request of the Tokugawa Shogunate Government, a group of Dutch engineers, bringing their own tools and machines, arrived at Nagasaki and started with the construction of a foundry: Nagasaki Yotetsusho. Nagasaki Yotetsusho was the first naval and merchant ship repair plant in Japan 26. Nagasaki Yotetsusho is nowadays the oldest firm inside the Mitsubishi zaibatsu. In 1860 this foundry was redesigned into ironworks and was renamed "Nagasaki Seitetsusho." This ironworks was completed by the Dutch in 1861. In 1868 the ironworks Nagasaki Seitetsusho, was taken over by the Meiji Government and put under the control of Nagasaki prefectural judiciary. On July 4, 1884 the Mitsubishi Company leased the works from the Japanese Government. Three years later, Nagasaki Seitetsusho 1870 in 1887, the Mitsubishi CompanyThis is an free publication purchased the whole works from the Japanese Government. In 1893 the works was renamed Mitsubishi Shipyard of Mitsubishi Goshi Kaisha. In 1917 the works was transferred to the control of Mitsubishi Shipbuilding & Engineering Company, Ltd. “Mitsubishi founder Yataro Iwasaki was born in 1834 in the village of Inokuchi on the island of Shikoku. Yataro started a shipping company in October 1870 under the name Tsukumo Shokai, and that was the beginning of Mitsubishi. The company grew rapidly while undergoing a number of name changes: to Mitsukawa, Mitsubishi, Mitsubishi Steamship, Yubin Kisen (Postal Ship) Mitsubishi. In 1885, Yataro Iwasaki lost control of his shipping company in the wake of a political struggle that had buffeted Japan's marine transport industry. The company merged with a rival and became Nippon Yusen (NYK Line), which would return to the ranks of the Mitsubishi companies in later years. Though Yataro lost his shipping company, he had established other businesses that formed the foundation for the Mitsubishi organization. One, Mitsubishi Yataro Iwasaki Kawase-ten, was a financial exchange house that also engaged in warehousing business. It was the forerunner of today's Mitsubishi Bank and Mitsubishi Warehouse & Transportation. Yataro Iwasaki also had purchased a coal mine and a copper mine and had leased a Nagasaki shipyard from the government. He had participated in establishing the insurance company that now is Tokio Marine and Fire. He even headed up the school that became the Tokyo University of Mercantile Marine. Yataro Iwasaki died 1885. Yanosuke Iwasaki succeeded his older brother, Yataro, as the head of the Mitsubishi organization in 1885. The following year, he incorporated the Mitsubishi operations as a modern corporation. Yanosuke set about rebuilding the organization around its mining and shipbuilding businesses. He also expanded the organization's positions in banking, insurance, and warehousing and thus laid the foundation for future growth and development. Yanosuke Iwasaki ceded the Mitsubishi presidency to Yataro's son, Hisaya Iwasaki, on the occasion of a reorganization of the company in 1893. Hisaya Iwasaki divided the Mitsubishi organization into semi autonomous divisions. Those divisions were banking, marketing, coal mining, metals mining, real estate, shipbuilding, and Hisaya Iwasaki administration. Among the Mitsubishi companies established Yanosuke Iwasaki

Hans Braakhuis 28 while Hisaya was president were businesses that now are Mitsubishi Paper Mills, Asahi Glass, and Mitsubishi Cable Industries. Some of Hisaya's private investments are part of today's Mitsubishi companies. He purchased the Kobe Paper Mill, which is today's Mitsubishi Paper Mills. And he backed the founding of Kirin Brewery. His cousin Toshiya Iwasaki founded Asahi Glass, Japan's first successful manufacturer of plate glass. Mitsubishi management modernized further when Yanosuke's son Koyata succeeded Hisaya as president in 1916.

Koyata Iwasaki, a graduate of Cambridge University, incorporated the divisions as semi autonomous companies. He steered Mitsubishi to leadership in such sectors as machinery, electrical equipment, and chemicals. The companies that later became Mitsubishi Heavy Industries developed automobiles, aircraft, tanks, and buses. And 27Mitsubishi Electric became a leader in electrical machinery and in home appliances.”

Toshiya Iwasaki Other Mitsubishi companies before 1920 year name later names founder 1857 Nagasaki Yotetsusho Foundry Nagasaki Shipyard & Machinery Dutch engineers; Works Yataro Iwasaki 1868 Spring Valley Brewery Japan Breweries Co. Kirin Beer William Copeland + Corp. Emile Wiegand; This is an free publication Hisaya Iwasaki 1868 Takashima Coal Mine Goryota; Thomas Glover; Hisaya Iwasaki 1870 Tsukumo Shokai Mitsukawa, Mitsubishi; Mitsubishi Yataro Iwasaki Steamship; Yubin Kisen (Postal Ship) Mitsubishi 1875 Kobe Paper Mills Co. Japan Paper Making Co., Ltd.; Thomas and John Mitsubishi Paper Mills Walsh; Hisaya Iwasaki 1879 The Tokio Marine Insurance Hisaya Iwasaki Co., Ltd. 1880 Yokohama Specie Bank The Bank of Tokyo Hisaya Iwasaki Limited 1881 Meiji Life Insurance Meiji Fire Insurance; Tokio Taizo Abe; Hisaya Marine Iwasaki 1884 Mitsubishi Mail Steamship Co. Mitsubishi Honsha, Ltd. Hisaya Iwasaki 1884 Nagasaki Shipyard Nagasaki Zosensho Hisaya Iwasaki 1887 Tokyo Warehouse Mitsubishi Logistics Yanosuke Iwasaki 1888 Nippon Oil Company Limited Hisaya Iwasaki 1907 Nippon Cable Co., Ltd. Hisaya Iwasaki 1907 Asahi Glass Co., Ltd. Toshiya Iwasaki; 1911 Tokyo Cable Mfg. Co. Hisaya Iwasaki 1916 Tokyo Steel Works Tanaka Iron Works; Yahata Steel Hisaya Iwasaki; Works; Wanishi Iron Works; Koyata Iwasaki Japan Iron & Steel Co.,Ltd.; Mitsubishi Iron; Fuji Steel; Kyusyu Steel; Tokyo Steel; Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.; Mitsubishi Steel Mfg. Co. Ltd. 1917 Nippon Kogaku Kogyo Nippon Kogaku; Nikon Koyata Iwasaki Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation 1918 Edogawa Barium Industry Co., Koyata Iwasaki Ltd. 1921 Mitsubishi Electric Corporation Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. Koyata Iwasaki year name later names founder So the Mitsubishi zaibatsu was able to offer the Japanese Government a variety of Japanese goods, like steel, coal, oil, glass, means of transport, munition, etc.

Hans Braakhuis 29

7.2 The birth of Nippon Kogaku Mitsubishi zaibatsu’s fourth president, Mr. Koyata Iwasaki, decided to form Nippon Kogaku and raised the necessary funds for an operating capital of 2,000,000 ,= Japanese Yen. The Nippon Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha was started up in Tokyo on July 25, 1917 as an optical instrument shop in order to meet the needs of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The aim was to put an end to the import reliance of the Japanese industry and army in this field. The company was formed through the consolidation of three smaller firms: Iwaki Glass Seisaku-sho, Fujii Lens Seizo-sho, and the optical division of Tokyo Keiki Seisaku-sho. Koyota Iwasaki The Nikon Corporation is stating nowadays that the acquisition of Fujii Lens Seizo- sho (Fujii Lens Works) took place after that Iwaki Glass and Tokyo Keiki merged. 7.2.1 Iwaki Glass Seisaku The Iwaki Glass Seisaku-sho 28 had been operating since 1881 29. In 1885 they made a mirror for a searchlight. And designed 60 centimetre and 75 centimetre (hobutsenankio) searchlights for the Imperial Japanese Navy in 1914 and 1915 respectively. In 1914 Iwaki Glass started experiments to produce optical glass. After that they had also the capability of melting optical glass. An other part of Iwaki Glass stayed in business after 1917. Since 1955 it was working togetherThis wisith anAsahi free Glass publ(foundedicati in 1907on by Toshiya Iwasaki, the second son of the second president of Mitsubishi Corporation). Iwaki Glass has for many years set the pace with innovative specialty glass products, especially heat resistance glass as its core business. On January 1, 1999 Iwaki merged with Toshiba Glass, one of leading glass manufacturers, to form “Asahi Techno Glass” (ATG 30). Maker of headlight glass, bulbs, electronic and industrial glass materials, cookware, and ceramics. 7.2.2 Tokyo Keiki Seisaku-sho

Tokyo Keiki Seisaku-sho, a metal factory, has been established in 1896 in Koishikawa, Tokyo as Japan's first measuring instrument manufacturing plant. It started with the production of pressure gauges, followed in 1901 by compasses, depth sounders, and other navigation instruments and equipment. Since 1913 the optical branch of this firm also produced rangefinders. Only the optical department of Tokyo Keiki became part of Nippon Kogaku. Even today Tokyo Keiki still exist. Since 1990 they are known as Tokimec 31. Nowadays they are producing: Marine Systems, Hydraulic Equipment, Fluid Measurement Equipment, Web Inspection System and RF (microwave) devices.

7.2.3 Fujii Lens Seizo-sho In 1909 32 Fujii Lens Seizo-sho opened a factory (after renting a dirt floor room in a residence, for research work) in Tokyo. Ryuzo Fujii graduated in mechanical engineering from Tokyo Institute of Technology and became a naval engineer. Assigned to study science in Europe, he spent three years in Germany studying optical design and lens fabrication. His younger brother Kohzo (or Mitsuzo) graduated from Tokyo Imperial University in applied chemistry, and became director and manager of the Aichi Cement Company. In 1908 the two brothers started their own company, which they called Fujii Lens Factory. In March 1909, they created Japan’s first modern optical plant in the Shiba district of Tokyo, which they equipped with German fabrication equipment and Zeiss measuring instruments. In 1909 Fujii Lens began repairing military products. The Fujii Brothers were the first binocular manufacturer in Japan, producing their first model with 33 34 Lensplan written by Ryuzo Fujii prism in 1911. This was the Fujii Brothers Victor 8x20 . This (picture 75 Years) binocular was sold to the Imperial Navy. Galilean field glasses

Hans Braakhuis 30 might also have been made. The Imperial Army and Navy placed enormous orders for telescopes and binoculars, with which one was able to measure exact distances. The WWI brought on difficulties in obtaining the German optical glass used in these early models, but production continued. 6x15 and 6x20 binoculars were exported to Russia and England. “During the first year it performed optical research. As it happened, Fujii´s brother Kohzo, who had earned a degree in chemistry, became interested an soon left his job to join the new Fujii Lens Seizo Sho company. They had a new plant constructed in the spring of 1909 located on a lot nearly 13,000 square feet in Tokyo´s Toshima-ku section. It was a modern two-story building with an total work area of 1279 square feet. To equip their new plant they imported lens grinding and polishing equipment from Europe, and optical measuring instruments made by Carl Zeiss. The first floor featured the metal fabricating and rough lens grinding shop. The final assembly and repair shop, with the two lens polishing and one lens element rounding and centering machine, was located at the second floor. Fujii Bros. Victor 6x30 During the first two yearsT hiFujsii Lensis an spec freeialized publ in fixinicatig importedon optical instruments for the Japanese Army. In addition to Ryuzo´s training in Germany, the company gained much knowledge about construction methods and design foreign- made optical instruments. It is important to understand that at this time Fujii Lens did not have the equipment or skills necessary for the production of optical glass. Their emphasis was on grinding and polishing lens elements , as well as the fabrication of related metal parts. For projects requiring optical glass, Fujii Lens uses glass imported from Germany or made by the Japanese company Kato Kogaku located in Tokyo. In 1910 Fujii Lens designed and made prism binoculars which were placed on the market the following year. Produced in a test run, these binoculars had an 8x20 field Carl Zeiss microscope and were called `Victor`. It is assumed that they were sold to the Japanese 1925 military. There are indications that in the same year Fujii experimented with photographic lenses. As it is now understood, the company never actually manufactured any of these lenses. The probable reason for this was that the demand for domestic binoculars was greater than the need for photographic optics. I n Japan at that time photography was not widespread, and besides, any Japanese made lens would have to compete with high quality lenses imported from Germany. With the successful test run of Victor binoculars, the Fujii Brothers decided in 1912 to venture int the mass production of optical instruments. Their production of binoculars was to be increased, and they planned also to begin melting optical glass. The new glass shop was a direct result of the experience and knowledge gained by the company. To house these activities, a much larger second building was constructed. In 1913, with its increased manufacturing capacity, Fujii Lens brought out a variety of prism and Galileo-type binoculars. These binoculars were called (interestingly enough!) “Nihongo”, and had 6x24 and 8x24 fields for the prism models. Later in the same year the company introduced a refractive-type telescope” 35. “An earliest NK binocular is marked: Fuji Bros. Tokyo. On the Left marked: "S.I." Magnification 6, No. 75213. It appears to be 6X21 or 6X22 design. Marked with British broad arrows on front prism covers. I have not heard of Fuji Bros. or NK supplying England with binoculars in the early years, but it is interesting to speculate based on this one example. Have you seen others with the British military marking?” 36. 7.2.4 Nippon Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha The activity of the three factories covered fields such as measurement techniques, manufacturing of optical glasses and lenses, in fact three basic branches necessary to manufacture optical equipment. Having been founded in the late 19th century, the three companies had by then adequate manufacturing experience.

Hans Braakhuis 31

The newly consolidated company Nippon Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha started up with some 200 employees and produced optical equipment. It had to fulfill the optical needs of the Imperial Japanese Navy as well as the Army. Its first products were also used in the scientific and industrial world. By the time the Ohi plant (still being the main plant of the conglomerate) became fully operative in late 1918, World War I came to an end, but it did not changed the government’s intention to establish an independent optical industry. Mister Yoshihara Wada was the first president. But Jeff Alexander says that: Kahei Wada, the head of Keiki Seisaku-sho, was selected during the incorporation to stand as the combined firm’s first president.

Yoshihara Wada It is not affordable to stop the production capacity of Tokyo Keiki, Iwaki Glass and the later joined Fujii Lens. Because of the huge number of employees, there must be an big production. And there was no import of German glass. So I suppose, that with the optical glass production of Iwaki Glass a lot of binoculars and other optical instruments could have been made since 1917. But Richard Lane 37 says that Nippon Kogaku started with optical research and production first began in 1918, 7.2.5 The Ohi plant In 1918 it opened the Ohi factory in Shinagawa, south of Tokyo. In the same year Nippon Kogaku build an This isex anperi mfreeental glpublass melicatiting on furnace, which lead to the start of the production of optical glass. The research and design department nowadays still uses these premisses. In 1922 Nippon Shiba factory 1923 Kogaku bought a Naxos- Union optical grinder in Germany. Ohi factory 1996 Nippon Kogaku established a glass research facility on the same Ohi premisses in 1923. It also built a glass melting furnace with a capacity of 350 kilo, followed by a glass melting furnace with a capacity of 500 kilo in 1927. In 1920 a BOA tester, a device to test the axle of a cannon barrel was made. In 1924 Nippon Kogaku built and installed a concussion machine for testing, with forces up to 10 G. The first successful experiments with melting with the use of electricity were performed in 1930. In the basement of the factory No. 1 a deep freezer was installed in 1935. 7.3 European contacts

Ryuzo Fujii travelled in 1918 to Europe, mainly to Germany. He had contacts with Carl Zeiss Jena and the glass factory of Schott Bros. To form a joint venture with Carl Zeiss wasn’t a success, although even today Nikon Corporation is still buying Schott glass. According to some sources Nikon Corporation tried twice in its history to buy the Schott company. In 1921, eight German scientists & engineers were hired by Nippon Kogaku K.K. for five years: Heinrich Acht, (the principal engineer) product design and drafting; Ernst Bernick, mechanical engineering; Hermann Dillmann, optical computing; Max Lange, optical design; Albert Ruppert, prism grinding and polishing Adolf Sadtler, lens grinding and polishing; Heinrich Acht and Otto Stange, product design and drafting and notes about an optical Kurt Weise, lens grinding and polishing 38. plan written on 1924- 06-04 (picture 75 Max Lange and Adolf Sadtler died in Japan, five others went back to Germany Years History)

Hans Braakhuis 32 in 1926, but Heinrich Acht stayed in Japan until 1928. The Germans did an efficient job in different fields ranging from organisation to optical design. Heinrich Acht extended his contract for another three year period and he was in charge of managing optical design until the end of his stay. In those days there was in fact just one very good optical firm in the world: Carl Zeiss (including Schott) from Germany. I’ve never discovered where these eight German engineers worked before they came to Japan. They received their invitations in 1919, which is one year after the World War I and at that time Germany was facing a high unemployment rate. There is no personal record of these 8 gentlemen. Because two of them died in Japan and the others went back rather quickly most of them might have been older than 50 or 60. As we can read in several books of Nippon Kogaku’s history (50 & 75 years) and other documents Nippon Kogaku was and is still very proud of its German engineers. This proud may lead to the assumption that the Germans might have been former employees of Carl Zeiss, as one isn’t proud to employ some unemployed German engineers but one will be proud to steel them from the “horses mouth”. There are two other sources: “I know Zeiss sent a team out to Nippon Kogaku in the 1920s” 39: Stephen Sambrook. “It is interesting to consider if N.K. obtained the production rights (or license) from Zeiss to produce this artillery telescope in the early 1920s” 40 One of the first tasks for the group was redesigning Nippon Kogaku binoculars, resulting in the Luscar, Mikron and Atom models of 1921. The German group also helped Nippon Kogaku in 1921/22 to design and produce some refractor type telescopes, like the 5 centimetre, 10 centimetre and an 50 centimetre reflector models, for astronomical use. In 1922 they constructed another telescope with an 50 centimetre mirror. This isT hean Germ freean team publ alsoi catiassistedon in the production of photographic lenses. The first was an 50 centimetre anastigmatic triplet lens. In that same period, Kakuya Sunayama started up as a engineer for optical items. With help of the German team he became the most promising candidate for the optical design Lenses made by H. Acht (picture 75 department. Years History) In 1928 Kakuya Sunayama visited for a period of 8 months several optical industries in Germany, France, England and the Netherlands. Maybe he has been assisted on parts of this tour by Heinrich Acht, as Mr. Acht travelled back to Germany on the same ship. After his return to Japan Mr. Sunayama became head of the commercial photographical lenses design department.

In 1929 Sunayama designed and improved a 50 centimetre f/4.8 aerial lens, called the Trimar, and a first experimental version of the 12 centimetre f/4.5 Tessar type for 6.5x9 plate cameras, called Anytar.

7.4 Co-operation with Canon “Goro Yoshida (1900-1993) was one of the two founders of Seiki Kogaku Kenkyusho in 1933. Mr. Yoshida was the first person to turn his attention to the production of Japanese small precision cameras. Despite of several Leitz patented ideas, Mr. Yoshida had various ideas in order to develop new focal distance adjusting mechanism. The first idea was “a camera with an attached rangefinder” with registration number 220536. In November 1936 Yoshida registered more ideas: 230748; for a device on a camera that adjust the position of the object lens according to the shooting distance. 245135; a device on a camera that adjust the object lens automatically to the shooting distance. 254037; a device that adjust freely the ratio of the rangefinder movement and the ratio of the focussing movement of the lens in the middle of the coupling section. These last three ideas were made in a period that Yoshida already left Seiki Kogaku. His ideas were not used by Seiki Kogaku. The other founder of Seiki Kogaku was Saburo Uchida. They were soon joined by Takeo Maeda and they produced the prototype Kwanon 35 millimetre camera in 1934. Also in 1934 Saburo Uchida consulted his older brother Ryonosuke Uchida, about getting hold of high performance lenses for small precision cameras and solving the problem of focus adjustment mechanism. Ryonosuke, a graduate of the Naval Academy at Edajima, had been a navy officer and was an expert on gunnery. When he was making fuses for shells at Nippon Kogaku, he was the supervisor in that division at the Ohi factory. He recommended that Uchida seek assistance from Nippon Kogaku on this matter. By the end of the summer in 1934, Uchida, together with Maeda Takeo, visited Nippon Kogaku. They took with them the prototype Kwanon camera in a nice silver box. At Nippon Kogaku, Shigeji Yamamoto, the sales section manager, and Noboru Hamashima, the chief of the civilian supplies, received the Uchida party. Later

Hans Braakhuis 33

Sunayama, the design division director, joined the meeting. Uchida asked for co-operation and Sunayama agreed. Sunayama must have been eager to give full support to the realisation of the first Japanese 35 millimetre camera, which Seiki Kogaku was about to perfect. Sunayama had been pouring his passion into developing lenses for 35 millimetre cameras. The Nippon Kogaku lens that had no prospect of selling, finally found a marketing channel” 41. Nippon Kogaku agreed to co-operate with the company which was later named Canon. It designed and manufactured coupled rangefinder mechanism, which were mounted in cameras. Those cameras were already fitted with shutters, so Nippon Kogaku in fact did the finishing touch. Nippon Kogaku had already succeeded in designing and manufacturing 35 millimetre camera lenses, and thus, by installing its lens, was able to complete the camera that Yoshida had dreamed about. In Arakawa’s “Forty Years” there is a remark saying that “with support from our company, Seiki Kogaku was founded in November, 1933. After a considerable struggle it succeeded in manufacturing a small camera” 42.

Eiichi Yamanaka, who entered Nippon Kogaku in 1931 and who worked in the civilian supplies design department, was given the task to design This is an free publicationthe focus adjustment mechanism. This marked the beginning of Nippon Kogaku’s involvement in of 35 millimetre cameras mechanism.

Yamanaka’s idea brought about the unique focus adjustment mechanism that distinguishes the Hansa Canon camera. The application for a patent on this invention was submitted on June 27, 1935, in the name of “a device which adjusts the position of the object lens in a camera to accommodate the shooting distance”. The inventor was Eiichi Yamakana, the applicant was Nippon Kogaku, and the registration number was 229211". “Nippon Kogaku, at that time, had already established its position as the largest optical equipment manufacturer in Japan with advanced manufacturing system specializing in military equipment. Since Saburo Uchida's brother, Ryonosuke Uchida, was once an auditor at Nippon Kogaku, Saburo Uchida was introduced to Toyotaro Hori, the executive vice president and the counsel of Nippon Kogaku.

Those days, under Nippon Kogaku's policy to enter the civilian product market, Hori was in charge of studying non-military products. He was interested in the application of high-grade lenses for civilian use. The timing of the request for co-operation by Precision Optical Instruments Laboratory was perfect. Recognizing benefits on both sides, Precision Optical Instruments Laboratory and Nippon Kogaku came to an agreement to develop the "Hansa Canon (Standard Model with Nikkor 50 millimetre f/3.5 lens)" with the full support of Nippon Kogaku. The first Canon camera under this joint development was introduced to the market in February l936 (although some have said that the actual date was October l935). In manufacturing the "Hansa Canon," Nippon Kogaku was responsible for the lens, the lens mount, the optical system of viewfinder and the rangefinder mechanism, while Precision Optical Instruments Laboratory was responsible for the main body including the focal-plane-shutter, the rangefinder cover as well as the assembly of the camera body. The "Hansa Canon (Standard Model)," became Canon's first commercial camera. Later, the name of the "Kwanon" changed to "Canon" 43. Why would Canon choose a lens made by its rival for their first camera? The simple fact is that half a century ago Canon and Nikon weren't rivals. Back then, it took both companies to produce a quality camera. So the lenses produced by Nippon Kogaku K.K. were the first lenses (made in Japan) ever capable of replacing high quality foreign-made lenses. Although the know-how and the technological aspect of the lens design came from Europe. A legacy of lens-making technology left by Heinrich Acht,

Hans Braakhuis 34 an engineer who came to Nikon from Germany in the 1920s - which enabled Kakuya Sunayama, the head of Nikon' s Design Departments to attempt to develop a camera lens. After innumerable trials, Mr. Sunayama finally succeeded in creating a high quality lens in 1932 44. “When in 1935 Seiki Kogaku started manufacturing their own cameras, Nippon Kogaku began supplying them with finished optical lenses in metal tubes. Seiki Kogaku placed these tubes into lens mounts ready for mounting onto the required cameras. Early in 1939. Seiki Kogaku purchased 2 lens generators, 5 lens polishing machines and an lens checker or Vertometer. Mr Ryozo Furukawa, a lens designer was transferred to Seiki Kogaku from Nippon Kogaku. Mr. Furukawa’s job was to help set up these optical machines in the Nakane-cho Meguru factory. He had previously worked at Nippon Kogaku under Mr. Kakuya Sunayama, their chief lens designer” 45. Robert Rotoloni mentions in his article about “Who made what?” in NHS Nikon Journal 46, that he thinks that Nippon Kogaku also provided Seiki Kogaku with lenses after 1947. The common 5 centimetre f/3.5 Nikkor on most of the Canon S-II body’s before 1947 are similar with the later 5 centimetre f/3.5 Serenar on Canon S-II body’s between 1947 and 1949. The first lens for a 35 millimetre film format camera, a 5 centimetre f/3.5 - was produced in July 1935 by Nippon Kogaku, and built in the Hansa Canon camera. Somewhat later a 5 centimetre f/4.5 was produced.

In August 1937 a 5 centimetre f/2 Nikkor lens, and later in January 1939 a 5 centimetre f/1.5 Nikkor lens were produced for the Canon cameras.

There is an nice article about “the earliest Nikkors”from Hayato Ueyama in NHS Journal 22. In 1939 Seiki Kogaku made itsT fihirst slens is, anan 50 mfreeillimetre publ f/1.5 iSeicatiki Serenaron for an X-ray camera. Then in 1940 Seiki Kogaku made an 75 millimetre f/4.5 lens for military purpose.

At this moment, the Canon Corporation says on their web site 47: that the Serenar 35 millimetre f/3.5 (1950) was the first photographical lens they made. “Before joining Seiki Kogaku in 1939, Ryozo Furukawa worked under the head lens designer at Nippon Kogaku, Mr. Kakuya Sunayama. During this period of time, the 5 metre f/3.5 Nikkor was designed for the Kwanon, which was renamed the Hansa Canon camera. In June 1934 Seiki Kogaku presented Nippon Kogaku with an German 5 centimetre f/3.5 Elmar lens, which was examined by Sunayama. The first 5 centimetre f/3.5 was completed in December 1934. Made entirely from glass melted at Nippon Kogaku, it was patterned after the Zeiss Tessar. In January 1935, Furukawa checked the performance of the then new 5 centimetre Nikkor against that of the 5 centimetre Elmar and found the performance of the German optic to be better than that of the new Nikkor lens. This comparison came as a surprise to Sunayama and Furukawa, since they believed that their Nikkor was the world’s number one copy of the original Zeiss Tessar lens. This situation was complicated even more by the fact that the Tessar-based Elmar was the product of a much smaller company: Ernst Leitz from Wetzlar. Subsequent improvements in optical glass allowed this situation to be corrected in May 1937, when Nippon Kogaku improved the performance of its 5 centimetre f/3.5 Nikkor. It has been thought that because Sunayama was really never satisfied with the optical performance of the original 5 centimetre f/3.5 Nikkor, he went on to design the sharp 5 centimetre f/4.5 Nikkor. Not introduced until 1939, this lens and its companion 5 centimetre f/2.8 Nikkor were designed during 1935-36 before the performance of the 5 centimetre f/3.5 was improved as a sharper alternative” 48.

Hans Braakhuis 35

8 Pre-war and war production

8.1 Periscopes and first lens coatings The very first submarine periscope, Model I, with a focal length of 7 metres, was produced in 1919; it has a magnification of 1.5x or 4.5x. The second model (also 7 metres and using aspherical lenses) of 1921 has a magnification of 1.5x and 6x. “Nippon Kogaku's first periscope was produced in 1918, and had an overall length of 7 metre and 49 centimetre. Following the First World War, the company began to produce periscopes based upon German designs, manufacturing between 50 and 60 units between 1920 and 1922 49. By the mid-1920s, German technicians were hired by the company to aid in the development of new models, and records indicate that by the beginning of the Showa period, large numbers of 9 metre and 10 metre periscopes were being produced 50. Nippon Kogaku was also called upon to make working periscopes for the over 300 midget submarines that were produced across their various classes 51.

Added to the optical engineering of the periscopes themselves was an ongoing effort made by Nippon Kogaku to increase the transparency of their glass surfaces. The standard 10 metre periscope produced by the company featured 33 individual optical elements and its complexity 52 resulted in dramatic light losses . In the interest of maintaining their 7 metre periscope 1934 strategic advantage, JapaneseT shiubmaris isne an command freeers publ wishedicati to useon their periscopes at dawn and in the low light of early evening, but the initial inferiority of the optics prevented them from doing so without difficulty. These commanders placed great pressure on the navy and on Nippon Kogaku to improve the performance of their periscopes under low light conditions, and the company responded by initiating research into new lens coating techniques aimed at increasing their transparency. According to the US naval investigators, the company had developed two methods for coating glass surfaces; ‘a chemical method, in which the glass was treated with nitric acid'; and an ‘evaporation method, in which cryolite is evaporated and deposited upon the glass surface' 53. These procedures were evidently conducted at the Nippon Kogaku's optical factory at Yokosuka, in coordination with Periscope Improvement 5 the navy's submarine base at Nagura Harbour. During their analysis of the plant, the US Navy investigators noted: ‘Evidence was found that lens coatings had been carried on', and recorded that ‘a few samples of apparently experimental coatings and coating material were obtained' 54. Such experimental work demonstrated the kinds of subsidiary technologies generated by the company's efforts to deliver on Imperial Japanese Navy optical contracts. Efforts made in the field of experimental periscope lens coatings would be of particular importance in the postwar period as such

Hans Braakhuis 36 coatings were later found to have a variety of applications in photographic lens design. Periscope production also continued after the war, and Nikon manufactured instruments for construction surveying, as well as a series of 10 metre periscopes for use in the railcar bays of the shinkansen, or bullet-train railway line 55.” 56:

“The decision had been made to manufacture periscopes that were even shorter than the shortest model at that time (1945) it was type #97 and rumour had it that they were for human torpedos 57 “Kaiten”. In May 1945, we were asked to manufacture immediately a periscope with the span of about 1 metre, which we guessed would be fitted to a torpedo. This was a single magnification device and had the company nickname of S5 Metalware. The plan was to design the product in the Naval Optical Experiment Division, to manufacture the glass portion at Toyokawa Navy Arsenal and the metal portion at our company. We were to manufacture 130 of them immediately” 58. Nippon Kogaku also made several trench periscopes (binoculars), so you could look to the enemy, without being hit by bullets.

In 1939 Nippon Kogaku introduced Trench binocular vacuum damping of lens coatings to (picture made at Nikon eliminate internal reflections in lenses. But Museum) one year earlier, with the production of searchlights, Nippon Kogaku used an anti-condensation coating. FoggiThings of ilenss anes is freea big probl publem, iandcation an anti-condensation coating could help. Periscope for man controlled torpedo Kaiten 8.2 Rangefinders `With the increasing demands being made by the military for optical devices capable of seeing extreme distances or in specific dimensions, Nippon Kogaku’s research was also directed toward the development of adequate gun cameras, bomb-sights, wide-angle lenses, and even infrared imaging devices 59. Among the most technically demanding of these projects was the creation of optical rangefinders, or fire-control directors for the first Imperial Japanese Navy capital vessels to be built in Japan. In an era before computer-enhanced imaging systems, assessing the range to a target 2.5 metre rangefinder required warships to employ a variety of purely optical instruments. These devices produced a stereo optical image of a target for a vessel’s fire-control command centre, which together with corrections for the target’s course and speed would enable the shagekiban, or fire-control computer, to calculate accurate gun-sight values for the turret 60. As the various instruments grew in scale, so too did their individual optical components, or ‘elements’, such as lenses and prisms. Larger and more ambitious element designs, in turn, fuelled the proportional expansion of the firm’s production facilities and equipment. Following the arrival of the British-made battle cruiser Kongo in 1913, which featured rangefinders produced by maker Barr & Stroud, the Imperial Japanese Navy began to design comparable fire-control optics for future vessels 61. Kongo was the last of the Imperial Japanese Navy’s capital ships to be built outside Japan, and during its construction by Vickers & Sons, a series of three sister keels was laid in Japanese naval yards at Yokosuka, Nagasaki, and Kobe 62. Over the next 10 years, Imperial Japanese Navy optical researchers at the Tsukiji Arsenal made considerable progress in the field of optical engineering, but their efforts were reduced to ashes in the earthquake and fire of 1923. From this point forward, the Imperial Japanese Navy came to rely on private domestic manufacturers for the satisfaction of its optical requirements, not the least of which included rangefinders. The optical fire-control contracts awarded to Nippon Kogaku by the Imperial 8 and 1.5 metre Japanese Navy would stretch the company’s technical capabilities to their rangefinders (picture 75 limits and necessitate the expansion of its research team to include a wider Years History) cast of experts in the field of optics. The largest of the high-angle directors were produced especially for the Yamato class of super-battle-ships, plans for which were drawn up after the failure of the second London Naval Limitation Conference in 1936. Each of these 70,000 ton vessels was designed to feature three 18.1 inch turrets, and represented the

Hans Braakhuis 37 firm determination of the Imperial Japanese Navy to outrange all other navies. Superlative artillery, however, also necessitated superlative fire-control optics, and Nippon Kogaku was therefore tasked with the production of eight 15 metre rangefinders capable of providing images of targets at distances of over 35 km 63. One of the finished devices were affixed to each of the three main turrets aboard both the Yamato and the Musashi battleships, with a fourth installed on their forward fire-control towers. The creation of these massive instruments involved such a high degree of engineering precision that the standard of accuracy in their prism construction was 60 times greater than that which had been applied to conventional projects 64. Nippon Kogaku had not only set new design standards when it had furnished the Imperial Japanese Navy’s flagship Yamato with the optics necessary to fight, it had also raised the technological capability of the Japanese optical industry as a whole` 65. The 15 metre rangefinder (93 model) and the shagekiban fire-control unit were installed on the Yamato in 1941. The first penta prisms for rangefinders were made in 1927.

8.3 Technologies gained on working for the Yamato class ships The Yamato, lead ship of a class of two 65,000-ton (over 72,800-tons 66 at full load) battleships, was built in 1940 at Kure, Japan. She and her sister Musashi were by far the largest battleships ever built by the Imperial Japanese Navy 67. Equipped with nine 460 millimetre (18.1-inch) main battery guns, which fired 1,460 kg (3,200 pound) armour piercing shells. Speed: over 30 knots. Range: 8,000 nautical miles at 18 knots. The third Yamato class ship was converted into an aircraft carrier: the Shinano. AsT ahi carris iers s hean w asfree to carry publ 20 ication fighters, 20 bombers and 7 scouts. All mentioned ships were sunk during WW II 68. “After the war, the American troops in Japan made a small list of optical and precision equipment used on the Yamato and the Musashi. In most cases: made by Nippon Kogaku. YM108 Low Angle Director and 15 m Rangefinder 1 per ship YM109 Low Angle Director and 10 m Rangefinder 1 per ship YM110 4-5 m Rangefinder Type 94 HA/F/Control 1 per ship YM113 Searchlight 150 centimetre 4 per ship YM114 Signal Lamp 60 centimetre 2 per ship YM115 Daylight Signal Lantern 2 per ship YM128 4.5 m Rangefinder 1 per ship YM133 1.5 m Rangefinder 2 per ship YM101/135 Complete Set Precision Control Fittings” 69.

15 metre rangefinder for Yamato (picture 75 Years history)

In a catalogue, dated 1942, of the Ministry of Industry, 22 different precision instruments of Nippon Kogaku are listed. 8.4 High precision mechanical devices I’m not sure when Nippon Kogaku made its first sights and view finders. I’ve found the following models. In 1934 there is a model 93 "shahoban no. 1". It combines a rangefinder and a gun or cannon. But in 1932 Nippon Kogaku also built two model 93 binoculars; a 4x40 and a 6x40 with 6.5E for use on a

Hans Braakhuis 38 cannon called "Kanimegane". Even earlier, in 1923, there is an rangefinder, binocular type with 50E /10x50, sold to the Navy. In 1925 a 6x18 binocular for aiming a cannon; in 1929 a 7x model 89 binocular for the Army; in 1931 a model 91 binocular 15x75, periscope style 45 centimetre and with a 60E field of vision. With 45 centimetre it is a very wide (almost rangefinder alike) binocular. If these 89, 91, 93 models make aiming possible, one can call them a sight.

A translation of pages 111 - 116 of the ‘Nikon 75 Years History’ book only would not be sufficient. In my listings I’ll just mention binoculars and rangefinders, but if I read the specifications these early versions may have a link to sights and other fire-control devices.

8.5 Binoculars During World War I Carl Zeiss binoculars were imported by Konica. Many people in Japan's Navy were using them. Why? In those days, after you’ve shot cannon balls, you used binoculars to check how far you missed the target. Because Japan had chosen to join the Allied Forces, it was impossible to continue to import binoculars from Germany. So there was a need and a desire by the Imperial Japanese Navy to produce itsT owhin sbinoc isul anars. free publication “In 1915, due to the difficulties in importing German optical glass, the Japanese Naval Institute of Technology in Tokyo began to develop optical glass manufacture, also sending students to Germany and England; with the design and production of lenses beginning in 1918. The Nikon Corporation’s web site lists 1918 as the year that optical glass research and production began at Nippon Kogaku. 15 metre rangefinder on towerbridge (picture 75 Years History)

In 1918, Nippon Kogaku exported over 15,000 prism binoculars (in 18 models 70) to England, France, America, and Russia 71. In 1921, eight German engineers came to Japan. One of the first tasks for the group was redesigning Nippon Kogaku binoculars, resulting in the Luscar & Mikron models of 1921. The Mikron 72, in 4x and 6x, were very small, weighting only 90 grams for the 6x models. The Orion 6x24 and 8x26 73, and the Novar series 74, appeared in 1923. Nippon Kogaku also started with the construction of an Spica and Capella Nikko 4x17 monocular. For military purposes a 10x70 binocular was produced.

Luscar

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In 1931 Nippon Kogaku introduced an 20 centimetre "refractor" telescope. Later also two 91 centimetre telescopes with photo-electrical "reflectors". An 50 centimetre "Schmidt" telescope, and a lot of several accessories to match for the telescopes. In September 1931 the Japanese army occupied Manchuria, therefore a binocular to see the enemy could be useful. But the normal going price of a prism binocular at those days was 80 Yen. That was to expensive for the Japanese Army. Nippon Kogaku could get a large order but only at a price of 30 Yen. Nippon Kogaku Mikron 6x15 1921 (picture made at Nikon designed then an binocular of the Galilean type, Museum) and because of the huge quantity these binoculars could be delivered for the agreed price. On the inside of the binocular lines to check the distance were etched. During the 1930s, the Japanese Army decided to issue a binocular to all non commissioned officers. Prism binoculars cost at that time 80 Yen, and Nippon Kogaku was asked to produce a binocular costing 30 Yen. The result was the Imperial Army NCO field binocular type 93, a Galilean with a reticle This is an freefor es publtimatingi catidistancone. Reticles are not used in Galilean binoculars because there is no internal focal plane, but in the Nippon Kogaku design, a scale was etched on the inner surface of the objective, and a convex lens was glued to the upper half of the ocular, to focus on the scale. This design is unique among mass produced binoculars and is quite effective.” 75. “Besides Nippon Kogaku, also Toko (Tokyo Kogaku Kikai, Tokyo Optical) and Nikko 76 produced large numbers of military binoculars during WWII. Most eyepieces were variations of the standard 5 element Erfle design, with 60 degree apparent field and low eye relief. External eyepiece mounted polarizing and haze filters were usually provided and Imerial Army NCO binocular gas charging ports are found on all models, some with internal desiccant in a silk bag. The US giant binoculars used during WWII were mostly directly copied from captured Japanese models” 77. Some examples:

Collimation by adjusting eccentric ring objective cell: 60 millimetre, 80 millimetre, 105 millimetre, 120 millimetre, and some of the 150 millimetre models. Collimation by adjusting prisms: Some 150 millimetre models, and the 180 millimetre model. “The Nippon Kogaku, Nikko 5x6 Fujii Bros and 6x24 Nippon 10x70 was no doubt the Kogaku Orion most impressive hand held binocular produced by Japan during World War II. It is said to 20 cm binocular with infrared have been used by airmen. This transmitter would seem to concur with the 12 cm binocular

Hans Braakhuis 40 parachute cord strap and wooden case. Although uncoated like other Japanese optics of that time, its optical performance is very high. The objectives are air spaced. Baffles are incorporated in the objective tube. I am not able to see any light leakages in the image, though there are ghost reflections from bright light sources that would be reduced by coatings. The wide field of view has excellent correction, with just a small amount of distortion, field curvature, and astigmatism noticeable at the edge. The individual focus eyepieces have winged rubber eyecups and an unusual latch mechanism for holding the focus. The right eyepiece has a reticle with right angle markings (0,20 vertical and 0, 20, 40, 60 horizontal). Although the eye relief is fairly good, it is not easy to use with glasses due to the eyecups and slightly recessed eyepieces. It is believed that Bausch & Lomb produced very limited quantities of its own wide field 10x70 based on this Nippon Kogaku, Nikko binocular” 78. WWII Nippon Kogaku 10x70 binocular, Nikko Aviation Binoculars Type-I for the Imperial Army Air Force. Their 70 degrees of AFV exceed their post war counterpart, Nikon 10x70 Type I (65 degree). Name plate on the box. It says "Aviation Binocular Type-I. Serial number (very faint, but it reads No.5) and the date of manufacture year 12 of the Showa era (1937). “The date indicated in the last line of the paragraph is "year 12 of the Showa era (1937)". This date is not the correct Showa date. The binoculars listed in this section were once owned by me and the Showa date was not "12". The data plate was difficult to read and I believe it was actually "18" for 1943. The "Type 1" designation for these binoculars would indicate their original production started in 1941" 79. Nikko 18.8 x 150. 18.8 x 3 degrees, known is serial number 374. See NHS Nikon Journal 47. Serial number 399, see NHS Nikon Journal 42.

Nikko 20x120. 45 degree inclined eyepieces. Erfle eyepiece, 60 degree field. 45 degree Schmidt prism with swivelling This is anrhom freeboid pri spublm to adjicatiust IPD.on Made by Nippon Kogaku and with the Nikko logo. Performance excellent.

Nikko 20 x 120 submarine binocular, Type 97, mounted outside submarines. Serial number 311, made in 1944. See NHS Nikon Journal 43. Nikko 33x200. Folded optical system: from objective lens, through two 90 degree prisms, through two 45 degree prisms, to eyepiece. 1400 millimetre focal length, 787 millimetre physical dimension. Erfle eyepiece, 60 degree field. Cooke triplet objectives. Cast bronze body, weighs 50x250 cm (picture 75 Years) over 250 pounds without mounting. Optics are not coated. Performance quite satisfactory. Labelled (translation:) '20 centimetre. Telescope #2, Manufactured at the Japanese Naval Technical Centre, February 1932.'

4x17 Nikko Erfle type

Nikko 15x 4' (picture made at Nikon Museum) Hans Braakhuis 41

Nikko 50x250 and an Nikko 83x250. Turret mounted eyepieces. Both made by Nippon Kogaku with the Nikko logo, in the early 1939, used at the Russian - Japanese front for artillery spotting, one destroyed in action, one returned to Japan during the war. These were the largest binoculars using lenses. The 50x250 with serial number 1, is now at the National Science Museum (Ueno park) in Tokyo, modified to 40x250. Brass, weighs over 300 pounds without mounting.

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Nikko 50x250 at National Science Museum (picture Peter Abrahams) Periscope binoculars for cavalry or infantry. These are for hand held use. Periscope binoculars for artillery were much larger and used on a tripod. Artillery periscope binoculars were manufactured by Tokyo Kogaku but these smaller infantry periscope binoculars were made by Nippon Kogaku. “A report issued in 1944 by the US-War Department entitled ‘Handbook on Japan’s Military Forces’ describes captured Japanese optics as ‘outstanding 80“ 81. “Night-Vision Technologies. While Nikon would like to continue to produce periscopes after the war, research into night-vision technology was prohibited by the United States after 1945. Until the end of the war, however, Nippon Kogaku pursued a variety of projects 50x50 # 1 (picture Peter Abrahams) designed to aid the Imperial Japanese Navy in its prosecution of nighttime surface combat. These included the development of powerful binoculars with unusually large 21 centimetre lenses that had superb light-gathering capabilities, as well as 12 centimetre and 5 centimetre models. The last of

Hans Braakhuis 42 these was named the Nova-type 82, and each pair was fitted with detachable night-vision enhancing filters designed to better refract and capture available starlight and moonlight. Combined with the navy’s considerable training in night-combat manoeuvres and its development of parachute-suspended star shells, these advanced optics put the Imperial Japanese Navy far ahead of its rivals in its readiness for night surface engagements. While US naval war-gaming at Newport during the 1930s led the Americans to underestimate the value of night-combat readiness (with costly results in 1942), radar did indeed prove to be the superior technology, and it soon rendered the Imperial Japanese Navy’s night-vision optics tactically obsolete “ 83. Further research into night vision technology was prohibited by the United States after 1945.

In several articles Richard Lane (NHS member) describes in the NHS Nikon Journal that military binoculars were brought to the US. In NHS Nikon Journal 44 is a picture of a nameplate with the text: “Naval bridge binoculars taken from the wreck of the Imperial Japanese Navy Battleship Nagato in Tokyo Bay in September 1945 by SK 1/C JG Griffiths USS Piedmont”. In NHS Nikon Journal 43 Richard Lane says: “that they were shipped to the US Naval This is an free publiGuncati Facontory at Washington DC In NHS Nikon Journal 42 he says ”They could often spot American ships, before US Navy radar could detect Japanese ships”. These are the reasons that most of the Nikko binoculars went to the USA as war prizes. All Nippon Kogaku items were sought-after trophies of US Naval officers. And that all US military personnel went to Japan, thinking, I’ll hope to bring a pair of binoculars with me home. That must be the reason that Nippon Kogaku made only binoculars immediate after the WWII. I n an NHS Journal 31 article about “early binoculars”, John Baird tries to determine some Fujii, Nikko and Nippon Kogaku binoculars with help of the used logo.

Hans Braakhuis 43

10x70 20x120 telescope 3.5x Spica 1946 binoculars

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Nova 1945, 7x50 with Signal Corps logo (Nikon Museum) Nova 1945, 7x50 with Navy logo (Nikon Museum)

Mikoron 7x35 (picture made at the Nikon Museum)

Hans Braakhuis 44

8.6 Telescopes

30 cm telescope 20 cm telescope 20 cm telescope This is an free publication

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In 1922 Nippon Kogaku presented at the Peace Memorial Exposition in Tokyo a 20 Inch Casse grain- type telescope for the research of celestial bodies. This was a civilian product, as earlier considerably smaller telescopes (sized 1, 2 and 3 inches) of Tokyo Keiki and Nippon Kogaku were produced for military purpose. Also in 1922 Nippon Kogaku made two 4 and 6 inches astronomical telescopes.

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Navy 6.5 cm telescope type submarine deck gun sight

75 Ota Chou, 'Women Observing the Stars' (hoshi wo miru josei), 1936, 273 x 206 cm, paper, National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo Old telescope20 centimetre refractor at National ScSmiencall me odelMus eumteles cinope Ueno. at National Science (pictures 75 Years History) Musuem Hans Braakhuis 46

8.7 Lenses “Nippon Kogaku Kogyo K.K. hires eight German engineers and scientists on a 5-year contract. They worked on optical design, product design, and lens and prism grinding and polishing. One of them, Heinrich Acht, extended his stay until 1928. He produced samples of photographic lenses, the first ones to come from Nippon Kogaku. Kakuno Sunayama took over lens design after Acht and improved upon Acht's 50 centimetre f/4.8 lens in 1929, calling it "Trimar." In the same year, he later produced the "Anytar" 12 centimetre f/4.0 84 lens based on the Carl Zeiss Tessar lens” 85. In 1929 Nippon Kogaku made several "Anytar" and "Tessar" type lenses. They were from 7.5 to 18 centimetre in length. These lenses were probably the first made for civilian consumers. Probably only the 12 centimetre type sold with a fabulous number of 20 pieces to the Rokuoh-sha factory for their "Lily Hand Camera". Al the others types remained unsold. Probably Nippon Kogaku assembled the lens at the Lily Hand Camera, as at that time there was no bayonet. The Lily Hand Camera, fitted with a Compur shutter, takes 6,5x9 centimetre glass negatives. With this camera Nippon Kogaku studied its possibilities to 12 cm f4.5 Anytar bring an own camera to the market. With the debut of its 75 millimetre (Tessar-type) f/4.5, 105 millimetre, f/4.5, 120 millimetre, f/4.5 and 180 millimetre, f/4.5 Nikkor lenses in 1932, Nippon Kogaku started with the supply other Japanese optical manufTachiturisng ifsirm ans wit hfree the le nspubles ication needed to produce cameras. This is also the first time that Nippon Kogaku used the “Nikkor” name for lenses.

In 1937 Nippon Kogaku made a whole range of 50 millimetre lenses for the 35 millimetre film format. The apertures ranged from f/2.0 and f/4.5. And, as stated earlier, there was the order from the "Seiki Kogaku Precision Optical Research Institute” in Roppongi-Tokyo" for their first "Hansa Canon" camera. The 12 cm f4.5 Anytar in a dial set f/3.5 five centimetre lens was developed by mister Kakuya Compur from Sunayama Sunayama from Nippon Kogaku. His colleague mister Eiichi Yamanaka developed for this Hansa Canon bayonet catch. Until 1948 Nippon Kogaku made all 5 centimetre lenses for the Canon-S, Canon-J, Canon-JS and the Canon-S2.

In 1937 Nippon Kogaku made their first 55 millimetre enlarging lens. This lens got the name "Hermes". In 1948 the second enlarging lens was made: the EL Nikkor 5 centimetre f/3.5.

8.8 Cameras The first camera from Nippon Kogaku everybody knows is the Nikon Camera (type I), a 35 millimetre rangefinder camera. And we all know that after WWII Nippon Kogaku also had plans to make an 6x6 camera. A blue print design of this camera can be found all over the internet. We also know now that Nippon Kogaku worked around 1936 at the Hansa Canon camera and probably at the Canon Jr around 1939. We also know now that Nippon Kogaku worked on the Lily Hand Camera in 1929. “Of primary importance to Nikon’s postwar development is the company’s initial interest in the design and manufacture of cameras. It must be noted, however, that Nippon Kogaku was initially founded as an optical Prototype # 1 at JCII Museum 2003 firm, and not as a camera manufacturer.

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Until the 1930s, its production line was limited to telescopes, microscopes, surveying equipment, and a variety of optical measuring devices of use to science and industry 86. As noted above, the company’s research into photographic lens production was largely an effort to duplicate existing German designs and to become a supplier of lenses to camera manufacturers. With the advent of the London Naval Conference of 1930 and the Naval Supplementary Bill of the same year, however, the navy began to put pressure on Nippon Kogaku to begin designing cameras for reconnaissance aircraft. According to the company’s own history, the Imperial Japanese Navy had theretofore depended entirely upon the import of aerial reconnaissance photographic equipment from France 87. After 1930, the company’s researchers were encouraged to develop a series of simple prototype cameras to satisfy the navy’s demands for increased self-sufficiency in the field of aerial photography. The first models ranged from 700 millimetre to 1200 millimetre in focal length and were characterized as simple, unsophisticated structures 88. Following this project Nippon Kogaku began to manufacture a range of artillery cameras for land use, a project that was its first foray into the production of photographic munitions 89. The significance of the company’s early efforts in the field of camera manufacturing is rooted in the source of the incentive to pioneer such designs. Nikon states categorically ‘… it was primarily in response to the demands of the navy that [Nippon Kogaku] took up camera research’ 90 91. As a result, the seeds of the company’s postwar design and manufacturing focus were sewn by the navy’s plan to reduce its dependence upon foreign suppliers of vital photographic equipment. This forced realignment of Nikon’s manufacturing priorities would ultimately lay the foundations for its success in postwar camera production.

From these early efforts, Nippon Kogaku went on to produce a variety of increasingly sophisticated cameras for a wide range of military uses. After 1932, the designs had become ‘authentic, full scale’ aerial and land-based cameras, and each constituted another level of technological achievement for the company in its efforts to meet the navy’s demands 92. In the field of reconnaissance photography, the first small aerial camera to be mass-produced featured a 180 millimetre infrared lens and a focal plane shutter. This is an free publication Cameras were the most complex and intricate designs produced by the firm to that date, and they represented a determined step forward in the miniaturization of its optical instruments. Added to the design challenges presented by demands for smaller and smaller optical components, the need for mechanisms such as motors, gears and shutters further forced the company to broaden its design and manufacturing focus. With the diversification of Nippon Kogaku’s product line came the addition of a new factory at Hoyama, and together with aerial cameras came a series of designs for land reconnaissance cameras featuring telephoto lenses”. 93 “It says in “40 years” that Nippon Kogaku began experimenting with manufacturing photo equipment around 1931. Masatomo Godai, who was an engineer, broadened his knowledge in this field from his trips to Europe and the US. Upon returning, he focussed his work on development in this field (p.546).

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Camera in Radio Museum Yokohama

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Hotaikyo Camera 96 accessoires

Hotaikyo Camera 96

Hotaikyo Camera lens

Hotaikyo Camera boxed Hotaikyo Camera boxed

Army Aero Camera Mark 1 Type 2 in Yokohama Museum

Hans Braakhuis 49

Godai visited five countries (Germany, Italy, France, England and the US) in February - August of 1930. The official purpose of this trip was to inspect the current status of the optical industries overseas, and he went as an commissioned worker to the Ministry of the Army. He had since been the central figure in camera production, although the cameras were for the military.

I did some research on the military cameras that were manufactured by Nippon Kogaku in pre-war Japan. The main products were the 5 metre telephoto camera, the periscope style telephoto camera, the automatic aerial camera, the small aerial camera, and the micro aerial camera. All the mechanical parts for these products were made by Godai and his crew.

Of these cameras, the small aerial type camera began being developed at Nippon Kogaku in 1933. The lens had an 18 centimetre focal length, and the shutter was of the Compur style. One set the shutter by rotating the handle that holds the camera, and each of the twelve dry plates would fall in to place as one pulled the lid of the holder. A separate film holder was manufactured. The camera had a full complement of functions. This was adopted by the Army as “the 96 style small aerial camera.94” This camera was made of a lot of parts, and it required a high degree of precision to manufacture: only Nippon Kogaku was able to produce it. Later the 18 centimetre lens was not good enough as photos had to be taken at higher altitudes. Eventually, it was replaced by the “100 style small aerial camera, produced by an other company. In 1935 three companies, Nippon Kogaku, Tokyo Kogaku and Konishiroku, completed to produce the “micro aerial camera” for which the military specified a focal length of 7.5 centimetre with a format of 6x6 centimetre, an automatic coil system and the use of Kodak Brownie Camera film. The camera was to be used by fighter air plane pilots as well. I heard that the first prototype was made by Nippon Kogaku, under Godai’s guidance” 95. “Aerial Camera SK, type 96,T modelhis 2is. The an model free 2 was publ madeicati from on1936, the lens is an rare 179.5 millimetre f/4.5. See also NHS Journal 3 & 7 for similar lenses. It could be used with roll film or plate film

Later, the preference with the micro aerial camera shifted to a much smaller and lighter camera that used 35 millimetre film. A test was done attaching a handle to a Leica. This resulted, in 1940, in a new prototype by Nippon Kogaku and Konishiroku called the “99 style micro aerial camera” 96. “The Hotaikyo Camera 96 or also known as the Artillery Telescope Camera was developed for the Japanese Imperial Army (artillery) to take pictures on the battlefield. Nippon Kogaku thus first developed this camera in 1936 which uses 82x107 millimetre dry-plates and the focal length of the relay lens was about 20 centimetre and combined with the telescope was about 200 centimetre. The camera was produced through the end of the war” 97. The Hotaikyo Camera 96 98. The camera has number 292. In this article is a picture of the Artillery telescope MK-93. These binoculars could be attached to the camera with the auxiliary connection arm to increase magnification. “The Artillery camera could also be attached to the 10x4.5 artillery telescope (trench binoculars)” 99.

"Nippon Kogaku manufactured a large-scale aero camera of the name of 'Army Aero Camera Mark I' in Showa 19 (1944). This camera is a reconnaissance camera manufactured by the instruction of the Japanese Imperial Army. Increasing production was necessary, and Nippon Kogaku manufactured one model mark II only by 50 centimetre F/5.6 lens. This lens was designed for using by 10,000 metre high sky. The large-scale reconnaissance camera was an electric controlled. The exposure adjustment and the film wind up were able to be done electrically. These 600 cameras were produced by Showa 20 (1945) when the war had ended." Quotation from Nikon History 75 Years, Page 78" 100: Army Aero Camera Mark 1 Type 2. This big reconnaissance camera had an electrically controlled exposure adjustment and film winder. This camera was mounted in Japanese Imperial Army Reconnaissance Air plane. Lens: 50 centimetre F/5.6 Film: 23 centimetre width roll film”. Nippon Kogaku made in 1940 an 5 metre f25.0 telephoto camera, for the Japanese military for photographing manoeuvres at great distances. It was permanently mounted on a flat-bed truck. Pictures of this item appeared several times on the internet and historical Nikon literature 101. “In 1945 a story was told that in the Ohi factory there was a shelf full of completed “F”Telephoto’s (two metre 5 metre telephoto camera (75 Years)

Hans Braakhuis 50 telephoto cameras) because the army wouldn’t pick them up” 102.

“Nippon Kogaku manufactured the SK-100 camera bodies and lenses. An example was depicted in "NHS-57" 103. “The WW2 vintage Aero-Nikkor matches the Aero-Nikkor lens No_38317436 f/3.5, 20 centimetre". Rear barrel diametre is about 2.8" and there is a screw-on 3 ear bayonet mount” 104. “The 20 centimetre lens was made for the SK-100 aerial camera. Nippon Kogaku was one of many manufactures of this camera and lens. The SK-100 was also designed for use with a 40 centimetre lens. The bayonet mount on these lenses allowed them to be removed and interchanged” 105

“The Camera is a model 100, #2353, with Aero-Nikkor 20cm, f 3.5 lens. No. 38317453. The second lens, same markings is 38317438. I was told they are from 1941 from photos I took to NKK about 20 years ago, but I see from your list lens no. 38317436 is listed as 1944, so maybe my items are from 1944 also. I believe the NKK people may have just taken a guess. I don't think they looked it up in the archives. The label on the wooden case the camera came in has the same markings and number as on the camera, but the place for monthThis and is y earan free publication are blank. The #2353 is identical to the one shown in the article (#2360 with lens 20 centimetre lens SK-100 (Jason Zoppel) #38317420). I guess that would make it an SK-100, circa 1944? ” 106. “A 500 millimetre Aero-Nikkor. The serial number of this lens (38352328) raises some questions, mainly due to its length. We are all aware of Nippon Kogaku’s practice of using three or four digit number blocks at the beginning of the serial number to indicate dates of either development or production.... eg. “609" indicating September 1946; “801"for January 1948; “5005" for May 1950, etc. The serial number on this lens doesn’t seem to follow this logical pattern. If one were to break down this number into definable blocks, can it be argued that the first three digits comprise the date... “383" for March 1938? This being the case, would it also indicate that this was the 52,328th such lens produced? That seems highly improbable. Perhaps on items produced for the miltary a completely different numbering system was used, one that we collectors, are not familiar with. Another possibility is the serial number can be broken into three different segments, such as... 12.5 cm f4.5 from 1929 383-date identification (March 1938) 52- product identification code (50cm/f5.6) 328-number of units made. Naturally, all this is mere speculation, but I’m sure if records were ever found, some logical numbering scheme would be evident” 107. In 1936 Nippon Kogaku produced its very first rangefinder to be used on camera’s. The “Microtester”, produced in 1937, was able to measure horizontal lengths. Aero lens 8.9 Microscopes The microscope “Victor II” was the first microscope Nippon Kogaku made in 1923. This type is listed in “Nikon 75 Years History”, but I can’t find a Victor I, except a Victor binocular, made by Fujii Lens in 1911. So I think the Victor might be a prototype, or the Victor I is the Fujii binocular. In the same year Nippon Kogaku also produced a microscope with scale graduation and co-ordinate comparator. Production of a microscope model, named “Joico” started in 1925. This compound monocular microscope is fashioned from brass and has a black-enamelled horseshoe base. The revolving

Hans Braakhuis 51 nosepiece holds three objectives that are interchangeable with standard screw threads 108. The flat, square stage is fixed to the limb with a plate attachment. A substage Abbe condenser collects light from a double mirror mounted on a tailpiece. The limb is connected to the base with a pivot mechanism and contains the rackwork for the fine and coarse focus adjustments. Maximum magnification is 765x. In 193 5 Nip pon Kog aku ma de a mic ros cop e mo Victor # 2 (left) and Joico First Nikon microscope del (Nikon USA) “Nikko”. This microscope made magnifications from 20x to 1350x. In the years 1920 to 1947 the "NIKKO" sign was frequently used 109. Microscope model O This is an free publication (Nikon Museum)

8.10 Bomb-sight

Gun sight (Nikon Museum) In 1937 Nippon Kogaku bought a small aeroplane to test bomb-sights. The aeroplane was called “Nikko”, had place for three people and had 450 horsepowers. The Haneda airfield became its home base. The “type 90 Bomb-sight model 2" was made in June 1937. It was used on the Nakajima B5N2 Type 97 Bomber air plane (Allied name Kate). Probably a 100 bombers used this bomb-sight. (Extracted from Richard Lane’s text) 110.

The “Type 95" Nikko bomb-sight is an non-magnifying sight with a field of 20 degrees. The sight measures 27 inches long with a diametre of 1¾ inches, It weights just under 6 pounds. The optical system of 6 elements in 3 groups, provided a eye-relief of 74 millimetre. Therefore it was possible to mount the bomb-sight on the nose of an Aichi D3A1 type 99 (Allied name Val) air plane, just in front of the windshield. The reticule was a rectangular Torpedo launch sight (Nikon Museum)

Hans Braakhuis 52 grid pattern with scale markings. The “Type 95" was also used on the Mitsubishi F1M2 type Zero observation Seaplane (Allied name: Pete). This type bomb-sight was made in 1941 and used for the Pearl Harbour attack. There is an earlier type know, build before 1941, without an protective front cover. (Extract from Richard Lane’s text) 111.

8.11 Stereoscope In 1925 Nippon Kogaku started with the technique to mark stereo photo’s. The Nippon Kogaku “stereoscope” (stereo viewer) is now known in two versions: Type 97 112. This stereoscope was designed for viewing maps in stereo mode. By viewing in side-by- side stereo mode, it is possible to determine elevation differential and thus terrain. Type 98 113: The type 98 stereoscope can be used to look to stereo graphic prints from 3x5 to 8x10 inches. The stereoscope is made of brass with black enamel paint. There is an thumbscrew on the button used to “lock in” the adjustable interocular distance between 58 and 68 millimetre. There are eyelet slots for a neck strap. The oculars have an detachable rubber eyecup, to minimize stray light. There are two prisms, but there are no optical elements for increase magnification. 8.12 Who made these optical items? In the Yokohama Japanese WWII Radio Museum 114 you can see several camera’s and other optical items:

Army GSK-99 Aero Camera Navy Type F8 Aero Camera This is an free publication Army Model "Hayth" Aero Gun Training Camera Army Model "Rubaroa" Aero Gun Training Camera Army Model 1 Aero Gun Training Camera

Cameras in Radio Museum Yokohama Navy Model 89 Aero Gun Training Camera Periscope Type 1 Improvement 5 Navy 6.5 centimetre Telescope Type 2 I-401 Submarine Deck Gun-sight Navy Model 1 Gun-Bomb- sight Controller Type 2, 3 Gun-sight Navy Model 96 Range Finder (66 centimetre) Navy Model 96 Sextant

Navy 15x 4"logo (nikon Museum) Hans Braakhuis 53

9 Post-war production

The allied occupation forces demanded that Japan's large industrial groups disband. Mitsubishi Headquarters disbanded on September 30, 1946, and many of the Mitsubishi companies split into smaller enterprises. The trading arm fragmented into 139 companies. Most of the Mitsubishi companies abandoned the name and emblem under pressure from the occupation forces. On the outbreak of the Korean War, the occupation policy shifted to an emphasis on industrial and economic reconstruction. Some of the Mitsubishi companies reconstituted themselves, and most began using the name and emblem again. But they retained their autonomy. The companies achieved far more individually and independently than they ever could have accomplished as a single organization. At the same time, they benefit from the shared sense of community that accrues from a common history and corporate culture.

At the end of WW II Nippon Kogaku had 19 factories and 23,000 employees 115. The American Forces closed down all Nippon Kogaku factories. Except the Ohi facility and the Ohi Glass factory. Nearly all the personnel was send home, including 5.000 soldiers, delinquent workers, several mobilized student workers and several civilian volunteers. With 1,400 or 2000 people the production started at the Ohi site. For obvious reason, the American occupation authorities forbidden its further development and supply of weapon-related products of such nature and the company, like many others are desperately to look for a substituting market, which is abroad for its continual survivor 116.

Following Japan’s surrender on August 15, 1945, Nippon Kogaku’s operations were halted and its plants remained idle while the occupation authorities SCAP (SCAP = Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers) considered howT thehi scom ispany an shoul freed be publreorganiicatized. Undeterredon by the layoffs that would cut its workforce to a mere 1,725 employees 117, firm’s directors set about coordinating a series of 15 working groups to examine its potential manufacturing options. These groups were essentially tasked with the creation of a product line that would enable the company to employ its considerable technical skill to the continued production of existing designs. “The company had been founded solely to produce optical weaponry and had produced military products exclusively up to he day of the defeat, but then the company made an about face and began producing commercial items for civilians, a task for which it had absolutely no previous experience.

On August 16 and 17, 1945, so the first day after the surrender, there was a meeting chaired by mister Koshiro Shiba, who was chairman of the board between 1924 and 1944. All the officers and directors were called to attend the meeting.

Shiba proposed the following 118: Our company developed solely by military production. Given the current situation, it would be impossible to continue the business at the present scale. So we have to lay-off and downsize the production, and the numbers of personnel” 119.

I’ll think that the business re-started on August 18, 1945 with producing and selling of binoculars, microscopes and measuring instruments. Nippon Kogaku could used old stock and replacement articles to start with. Nippon Kogaku wartime binoculars were outstanding. Every US soldier liked to bring one back home. From all warships, submarines, 10x70 sunk ore not, the binoculars came of first. There were more soldiers than binoculars. The first three questions after the war were: who 10x70 Aviation type I, Imperial made these bino´s? Are there more bino´s in stock? Can you make Army Airforce more of these bino´s? In 1945 Nippon Kogaku sold the 3.5x25.5 Spica binocular; the 6x24 and 8x26 Orion binocular, the 7x50 type, and I’m sure that they sold numbers of the (military) 10x70 binocular. If you look nowadays on the

Hans Braakhuis 54 internet for buying an Nikko 10x70 binocular, there is only one country were these binoculars are sold: the USA. It is told that General MacArthur asked to produce camera’s "so that the G I’s could buy cameras and not spend their money on sake and whores. “Four key innovations made by Nippon Kogaku during its years as an optical munitions supplier would later prove to be of paramount importance to the company’s postwar manufacturing success 120. “First, the experience gained in the production of prisms for periscopes and rangefinders was to be of crucial significance. Nikon would later find itself in a position of leadership during the revolution of the photography world by the reflex camera—of which prisms were the vital component.

Second, the innovative lens coatings designed for submarine periscopes were later found to improve the performance of photographic lenses. Coatings that utilized as few as four elements were able to increase the transparency of the glass and reduce light loss, thereby improving the overall performance of the optics 121. Third, the company’s own wartime systems of mass-production for such items as binoculars provided the experience needed to begin producing instruments in higher volumes.

Finally, the early experimentation that had been conducted by the company into the rudimentary integration of optics, electronics, and mechanical devices would enable it to continue on as a pioneer in that field 122.

While most of these key considerations were not yet evident to the company’s 15 working groups in the fall of 1945, their aim was to piTnpoihints Niisppon an Kogak freeu’s spubltrengthsicati as anon optical manufacturer and assess their potential value to the civilian market. They were tasked, however, with the evaluation of over 70 possible designs, including cameras, telescopes, surveying equipment, projectors, clocks, spindles, lights, calculators, and even surgical equipment 123. The groups began making their assessments on 1 September 1945, and by 20 September they had selected 38 of the designs as the most eligible candidates. The most successful items chosen for production were the binoculars previously designed for the use of Japan’s military forces during the war— models that featured names such as Galileo, Nova, and Orion 124. Many of these wartime-issue binoculars had already become highly sought-after trophies of US Naval officers, and American servicemen continued to be the company’s most eager customers after production resumed in April 1946 125. By that date, a mere eight months since the end of the war, the company began manufacturing a line of products that included: camera lenses, five types of binoculars, a pocket telescope, a microscope, a water level, land-use and astronomical telescopes, and several types of spectrographs 126. In September 1945, Nippon Kogaku’s Consumer Goods Production Subcommittee also proposed the production of a camera, and by November of that year the Camera and Projector Committee had started its investigation of the designs 127. Engineers began working with designs for an 80 millimetre twin-lens reflex camera, as well as a small coupled rangefinder camera with a focal plane shutter and an interchangeable lens that would use 35 millimetre film. The 80 millimetre TLR design was eventually abandoned, however, and the smaller model was selected and given the name Nikorette 128. Shortly thereafter, the abbreviated version of the company name, Nikko, was changed to Nikon, and when this name was applied to the firm’s prototype 35 millimetre camera it became known as the Nikon 1 129. Twenty prototypes were ordered in 1946, and in March of that year the company’s new name was officially announced. Finally, in February 1948, the camera was released” 130.

The Capella binoculars were produced immediate after the end of the war. These were the first civilian products. Mostly these binoculars have no MIOJ gravure, because that came later. These Capella binoculars were cheap, but at the end of 1945, and beginning of 1946, more Japanese optical industries start the production of binoculars. These binoculars were cheaper, and were not so good as the Capella. But the Capella binocular did not sold much, because of the price. That’s why the Capella very collectable now. First production after the war: In 1945 Production of Capella binoculars. In 1946 Production of the f/4.5 75 millimetre lens for the Mamiya Six. In 1946 Production of Look binoculars. In 1946 Production of Eyeglass Lens Pointal. In 1946 Starting developing x-ray camera 6x6, production ready in 1947. In 1947 Surveying Instrument: the “Tilting Level Type E”. Later that year also “Transit Type G”. In 1947 First lens: 135 millimetre f/4.0.

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On March 7, 1948 first rangefinder camera model I and lenses 85 millimetre f/2.0; 35 millimetre f/3.5. In 1948 Microscope model “O”. In 1949 Profile projector type I; In 1949 Lens 50 millimetre f/1.5.

9.1 Fluoro-Record Camera “Due to malnutrition and the bad hygienic environment, Tuberculosis of the lungs prevailed. In order to cope with this situation , the government, under the guidance of General Head Quarters (GHQ) (the US occupation forces) organized a commission and took measures to promote group x-ray examinations of the public. For mass examinations in those days they used x-ray fluoroscopy by 35 millimetre cameras with a format size of 24 x 32 millimetre. However, among the Commission members there was a strong opinion that the image size should be much bigger in order to mis- diagnosis. At the urgent request of the Commission we (Nippon Kogaku) started to design a fluoroscopy camera of 6 x 6 centimetre format, and in October 1947 we put it into production. The prototypes were tested by the Commission and the results were satisfactory. They made a concrete plan to switch the format from 24 x 32 to 6 x 6 centimetre. Unfortunately, the plan was rejected by the government due to the very poor financial situation of the country, and we stopped production”. There were only 30 to 50 units made. Some of these bodies were later converted into the 6 x 6 Nikon Sky camera”.131.

In 1992 a Nikon 6 x 6 camera with number 22790 is reported to have been seen in the New Jersey area (USA). Complete with a Regno-Nikkor-C lens, 10 centimetre f/1.5 with number 71028 (October 1947) ... the 28th production lens. In 1993 Fuji Collectable Cameras from Boulder Co, USA purchased a camera body with number 80282 an a lens with number 71085. This can mean that Fuketa’s numbers maybe wrong, becausTehi thiss hasis an hi gherfree num publber thanicati 30 oreon 50.

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9.2 Vertexometer “An Vertexometer is an Nippon Kogaku word for a Dioptometer. It measures the diopto magnification (of a lens). There is an type I and one type II. See “75 years of Nikon”. Type I is 270 times produced between 1947 and 1953". It gives an Vertex power of +/- 25 diopters. The diopter scale appears in the same view field of target. Measurements can be done in 0.25 diopter” 132. The first model has a semi-circular cradle and was imported from 1949 into the early 1050s in the USA. The second model probably dates from the mid-Fifties. They are also called lensometers. Not too common in the United States because Nikon Inc. (Ehrenreich) did not import "instruments" until the late 50s.

Vertexometer type I (Nikon Museum)

This is an free publication

Vertexometer type II (Nikon Museum)

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9.3 Others

Trench binocular Trench binocular

This is an free publication

Same theodolite and box (Nikon Museum)

Theodolite, according P. Lownds: 1926

9.4 MIOJ

On February 20, 1947, the US General MacArthur signed the document SCAPIN 1535, which required all export items carry to carry the MIOJ mark for 'Made in Occupied Japan'. SCAP Post-war control of Japanese exports was held by US military offices until August, 1949.The MIOJ requirement was in force until SCAPIN 2061, December 5, 1949, (another source places this date at the treaty signed on September 8, 1951, becoming effective April 28, 1952). After one of these dates, 'Made in Japan ' or 'Japan' were used. In 1952, the military occupation of Japan ended”. 9.5 Post-War comeback 1945 - 1954 “Despite the marked social despondency and scarily of commodities in Japan just after the war, production of cameras was resumed surprisingly quickly. The reason for this was that the General Headquarters of the Occupation Forces ordered that cameras be supplied by Japan for sale to military personnel, for private use. This earned hard currency which could be used to help purchase imported food, essential to rescue Japan from starvation. In 1950, more than 100,000 pieces of 35 millimetre, folding, twin-lens and other cameras were produced. These were all marked “Made in Occupied Japan”. Theoretically, these could officially be sold domestically, but with an 120% tax levied on them, they were simply beyond the means of most Japanese at the time. Consequently, many different types of cheap mini-cameras (these took 14 millimetre width roll film with backing paper) were made and sold.

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Although the cameras produced in this period were basically the same as previous pre-war models, wartime optical precision instrument technology, had a very strong influence on the camera industry and cameras that were much more advanced than those produced before the war began appearing. Among these were the Nikon type M, the Canon IV Sb and other models.

In 1950, during the Korean War, photos taken of the war with a Nikkor lens by a Life magazine cameraman, Mr. David D. Duncan, were very well received. The boost this unexpected praise gave the Japanese camera industry is almost unbelievable. While the Life photographers were not blown away by the Nikkor wide-angles, they really loved the 50, 85 and 135 millimetre lenses and shot the Korean War with them. The optical performance was such that those pictures made Nikon's reputation 133. Economic expansion resulting from the Korean War stimulated domestic demand for cameras and brought an unprecedented boom. Countless small and large companies were pitted against each other and there were about 80 types of twin-lens reflex cameras being produced. With the end of the Korean War in 1954 came a sudden depression. As a result of this, small manufacturers with weak management structures became insolvent one after another, and thus only companies that could withstand the excessive competition advanced as leading manufacturers.

But even these leading manufacturers had to take stringent measures to rationalize, and it could be said that they were forced to explore sales routes overseas. They realized the importance of co- operation and established JCIA (Japan Camera Industry Association) and JCII (Japan Camera Inspection Institute) in 1954" 134. There were also an Japan TelTeshicopess i sIns anpecti onfree Insti tutepubl (JTII)icati and anon Japan Optical and Precision Instruments Manufactory Association.

9.6 Industrial Standardization Law The first Industrial Standardization Law was announced in 1949 leading to the establishment of the Japanese Industrial Standards Committee (JISC). In 1952 the JISC became a member of the International Organisation for Standardization (ISO) followed in 1953 by its membership of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). Therefore Japanese standards are known now world wide.

9.7 Other Japanese 35 millimetre cameras before the Nikon I The Nikon I was the first 135 format rangefinder camera made by Nippon Kogaku in 1948. Ideas for this camera came mostly from an Contax II and an Leica III, 135 format rangefinder camera. Since 1940 Nippon Kogaku made already 135 millimetre format cameras for the Army. But there were in Japan already more home made 135 format (or smaller) cameras 135: year camera type format manufacturer 1912 Radio Special 31 mm Ueda Camera Store 1926 10 Record Box 35 mm Konishiroku Honten 1935 4 Super Olympic Miniature 135 Asahi Bussan 1935 9 Hansa Canon Miniature 135 Seiki Kogaku Kenkyusho 1938 8 Boltax Viewfinder 24x24 Minagawa Seisakusho 1939 2 Canon Jr. Viewfinder 135 Seiki Kogaku Kogyo 1940 99 style micro aerial camera 135 Nippon Kogaku 1947 5 Minolta 35 Rangefinder 29x32 Chiyoda Kogaku Seiko 1947 11 Bolty Spring 24x24 Chiyoda Shokai 1948 5 Minion 35 Viewfinder 24x32 Tokyo Kogaku 1948 8 Olympus 35 I Viewfinder 24x32 Takachiyo Kogaku Kogyo 1948 9 Hansa Jupiter Box 135 Omiya Photo Supply 1948 10 Nikon camera type I Rangefinder 24x32 Nippon Kogaku Kogyo 1948 10 Mamiya 35 Rangefinder 135 Mamiya 1949 2 Canon II B Rangefinder 135 Canon 1949 3 Minolta 35 Rangefinder 135 Chiyoda Kogaku Seiko 1949 7 Nikon type M Rangefinder 135 Nippon Kogaku Kogyo

This list makes clear that Nippon Kogaku was not the first Japanese producer of a 135 format Rangefinder camera.

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9.8 Early Japanese film format on 135 film

There was an preference in the Japanese market for the 24x32 millimetre film frame format instead of the standard 24x36 millimetre format used by most manufacturers. This smaller format saved film, permitting an increased number of exposures on a roll film. There was a number of Japanese professionals who advocated this format because it permitted enlargements to 8x10 Inch, without cropping. However, the reduced size was not continued because it was not compatible with automatic processing and printing machines used worldwide. The Allied Occupying Forces required that the format be changed. It was allowed to make the 24x34 format, for use in Japan only. The new format could be achieved easily without retooling of the basic camera housing. It was the Nikon type S with the smaller format, bought in Japan, which found its way to the Korean War. manufacturer camera production from : till format size mm Asahi Bussan Corporation Super Olympic 1935 24x36 Seiki Kogaku Kenkusho Hansa Canon 1935 24x36 Minagawa Seisakusho Boltax 1938 24x24 Chiyoda Kogaku Seiko Minolta 35 1947 24x32 Tokyo Optical Corp, Ltd. Minion 35 1948 24x32 Takachiyo Kogaku Kogyo Olympus 35 1948 24x32 Nippon Kogaku Nikon camera type I 1948 1949 24x32 Nippon Kogaku Nikon type M 1949 1951 24x34 Chiyoda Kogaku Seiko Minolta 35 II 1949 24x32.5 Chiyoda Kogaku Seiko Minolta 35 III 1949 24x34 Chiyoda Kogaku Seiko Minolta Memo 1949 24x36 Nippon Kogaku Nikon type S 1950 1954 24x34 Nippon Kogaku ThiNisk oins ty anpe S2 free publ1954icati 1957on 24x36 The change to 24x36 in 1954 by Nippon Kogaku is a very late change. At that time Nippon Kogaku should know that most of their production went abroad. And that the price in Japan was much higher because of taxes.

9.9 When Japan took over “When Japan took over, Japanese products have not always been symbols of high technology and good quality. Not so long ago the words 'Made in Japan' meant cheap rubbish. But that image was to change, and it all began with a camera lens. One result of World War II was that an entire industry moved from one continent to another - from Germany to Japan. The production of cameras and lenses, once almost a German monopoly, emerged in the 1970s as a Japanese speciality. This underlying reason for this lay in the dramatic change in the circumstances that affected production following the war.

Different circumstances At the end of World War II, Germany and Japan were in total collapse; not only had they been defeated, but civilian life was in disarray. Cities and communications had been bombed beyond recognition, the economy brought to a standstill, and food production and distribution devastated. New circumstances affect people differently - some win, some lose. For the photography industry, the war meant that most of the German production of cameras and lenses ended up under Soviet military administration, a climate scarcely conducive to enterprise. Added to this, the western allies declared all German patents invalid. They had their own industrial ambitions, and the German assets were thought of as trophies of war. In Japan the situation was quite different. The American administration here served almost as an umbrella sheltering free enterprise. It was seen as a means of binding the country to the western hemisphere and to a more western way of thinking. Conditions were thus very different in the two countries, with far-reaching consequences.

The change in Japan The Japan Optical Company (Nippon Kogaku) was Japan's leading company in the optical industry. Having made a leap in scientific application and practical industrial production in the 1920s, with the help of German consultants, the company developed into the leading supplier of optical equipment both to the Japanese military and the civilian administration. Theirs was a high-class outfit at the forefront of research, a fact known to a limited circle of specialists, but totally unknown to the general public outside Japan. Come the end of the war and the company's market changed completely because domestic demand abruptly ceased, and the American military had no use for Japanese products because they considered themselves already so well equipped. Nippon Kogaku found itself in

Hans Braakhuis 60 a very difficult situation, and a radical change was needed if it was to keep its knowledge base - and its chance of success in the market in the future.

The only market If the current demand for products in Japan was nil and the American military was indifferent, who was going to buy the company's products? The answer was American occupying force, for each solider was also an individual with money in his pocket. The priority was to produce goods he wanted and that he would later take home and spread the word about. As early as October 1945 Nippon Kogaku had appointed a study group to prepare the production of a Nikon range finder camera and a range of Nikkor lenses. The camera body took its inspiration mainly from Contax, and the series of lenses were copied straight from well-known Zeiss lenses. It was plagiarism, but well-informed and competently executed plagiarism. They were in such desperate straits that they did not have any time for product development of their own, and instead gratefully accepted the opportunity presented by the release of the German patents.

An American in Japan The strategy chosen by Nippon Kogaku proved successful. By the end of the 1940s, eighty per cent of their production was sold to the American occupying force. This attracted the attention of American magazine Life and their photographers, who organized a proper comparison test through the Eastern Optical Company. The man in charge, Mitch Bogdanovich, later said: 'I said I thought the Nikkor lenses were as good as the Zeiss lenses, but people reckoned I had lost my mind.' Among the Life photographers who had begun to realize that Japanese lenses could be useful was the famous photo- journalist David Douglas Duncan, who was stationed in Japan. In 1950 he was given the opportunity to put a Nikkor 2/85 through its paces, and he was so convinced of its quality that he swapped some of the Leica lenses in his personal equipment for Nikkor lenses. That started the ball rolling, but it would be another couple of years before rumours of the extraordinary Japanese lenses spread outside a limited group of specialists. This is an free publication The Korean war On the morning of June 25, 1950, the North Korean army passed the 38th parallel and the Korean war was underway. The war was to give Nikon a major opportunity to show what their products could offer. Again they were lucky - Germany was far away, Japan was close. Tokyo was David Duncan's obvious choice as a base, and he was joined by other American journalists on their way to and from the war zone. Nikon delivered lenses in Contax or Leica mounts, the cameras most often used by the photographers covering the Korean war. The hard life at the front guaranteed that lenses would be damaged or ruined, and Nikon set up a quick-repair shop in Tokyo where lenses could be repaired or replaced. At the airport, neatly dressed Nikon representatives invited the media to information lunches with the company management. The president had one message: 'Tell me what you liked, but above all, tell me what you didn't like.' The Korean war meant that many pictures taken with Nikkor lenses ended up in editorial departments all over the world and were scrutinized by experienced picture editors. The first, difficult step had been taken, and Nikon was now ready to conquer bigger markets.

An angry man in New York City In December 1950, the rumour of the superb Japanese lenses had reached New York Times, which ran an article with a test comparing the Nikkor 1.5/50 and the lens it was modelled on, the Zeiss Sonar 1.5/50. The results showed that the Nikkor lens was superior, especially at large apertures. It was not long before the New York Times received an outraged phone call. It was Dr. Karl Bauer, the president of Carl Zeiss Inc. USA, a person known for his hot temper. Incandescent with rage, he berated the editors: 'How can you claim that a Japanese lens is better than a Zeiss? It's a con, a complete lie! The test was done wrong. I'm pulling all our adverts from your paper, you'll never see another dollar from Carl Zeiss Inc.!' Gradually the good doctor calmed down, but only after he had been promised the right to a rejoinder, and that the conditions of the test would be re-examined carefully. The Zeiss lens in the test had been manufactured just after the war, when production had been speeded up by the occupying Soviet administration, and was not up to their usual standards. New tests were done with a new lens manufactured the same year as the Nikkor lens and the Zeiss came out better, but by a very small margin. However, Nikon had to all intents and purposes won the fight. The peculiar situation arose that by winning in the test the German lens industry lost its position. It was now obvious that you could take pictures with a Nikkor lens that were as good as the pictures you got using the lens considered to be the finest in the world, and for a much lower price. New York at the end of 1950 and beginning of 1951 marked the starting point of an amazing Japanese success story. It also presaged the rise of Honda, Matsushita, Nissan, Sony, Toyota, Yamaha and all the other companies that were to make Japanese technology known and indispensable all over the world. These are technical systems that now dominate many markets - but it was all made possible by a camera lens, the Nikkor 1.5/50. Nippon Kogaku constructed a 1.5/50 lens 1949. Around 800 units were produced and sold during 1950. The lens came with bayonet or screw thread, and fit Nikon, Canon, Contax and Leica cameras.

Hans Braakhuis 61

An assessment Despite everything, how could this happen? How was it possible for nearly the entire camera industry to move from one continent to another? Just before the war, the leading German camera manufacturer had thirty-two models in its catalogue. The German companies dominated the market completely. For generations of photographers German cameras were synonymous with photography. You can of course argue that the Japanese came when all the hard work had already been done, and critics have spoken of the legalized theft of technology. It is clear that only one of the key patents held by the German optical industry could have prevented all the Japanese expansion: under normal circumstances, the technique of multi-coating a lens would have remained protected for Zeiss until the mid-1960s. The image of the Japanese camera industry as a gang of soulless plagiarists lived on for a long time, even though it was mostly unfounded. In a difficult situation where the survival of the company was at stake, they had to start as best they could. They developed their own lines soon enough. At the end of the 1940s, to be able to make a lens that could compete with the Zeiss lenses was a great achievement, even if it was basically the same construction. They had a great deal of luck, but also a great deal of knowledge. They showed enormous energy and great ambition, and above all a sure understanding of the market and photographers need. The Germans on the other hand were almost arrogant towards the market in general, and more specifically towards any Japanese competition. They rested on their laurels, and refused to notice any changes. At a crucial moment, Nikon proved that Japanese products could measure up to the best on the market. In doing so, they wrote themselves into history - not only the history of photography, but of all post-war industry in the land of the rising sun”.

Right after the war ended in 1945, the camera industry in Japan was in ruins. The few subsequent years were spent on producing products that would sell so that they can build the capital to do their own R/D. The first 8 years wasT indeedhis i spent an on free produc publing camerasicati foron the US forces which was occupying Japan at the time. Japanese camera manufacturers had access to patents which were seized by the Allied forces, which helped jumpstart the camera industry. By early 1950's, Japanese companies were manufacturing respectable products: Nikon S, and a slew of Leica copies. Douglas David Duncan's reportage of the Korean War using Nikon equipment graced the pages of Life magazine, and the superior quality of Nikon lenses made an article on New York Times. In Japan, numerous companies were rebuilding after WW2. Mamiya was fortunate enough to receive a large number of camera orders from the United States Central P.X. Procurement Office which aided them in rebuilding a new factory in Tokyo. Asahi Optical Company began again in 1948 the same year Chinon was established. Minolta started operation again in an old school building in 1946 and produced the Minolta Semi IIIA which sported a Rokkor lens, the first time anti-reflective coatings were used on a Japanese lens. In 1947, Seiki Kogaku Kogyo was renamed the Canon Camera Company and would produce lenses now bearing the Canon name”136 .

Hans Braakhuis 62

10 Nippon Kogaku production list

For me, the production list started with an translation of a part of pages 111 till 122 of the 75 Years Nikon History book appendix. After that I updated this list with all other items I found, except non optical weaponry. The translation was very difficult. In the original text there is sometimes difference between an binocular (with or without scale), an periscope, an tank eye glass, an trench periscope, an sight, an telescope, a rangefinder, etc.

Product till year name centimetr f1:/ format style 1949 e auto 1942 Auto collimator to measure flatness civil collimator binocular 1911 Fujii Lens Victor 8x20 civil binocular Fujii Lens Victor 12x civil binocular 1913 Fujii Lens Nihongo civil binocular 1913 Fujii Lens Nihongo 8x24 civil binocular 1915 Fujii Lens 6x15 civil binocular 1915 Fujii Lens 6x20 civil binocular 1917 Opera glass Galileo 3x civil binocular 1917 binocular 6x Navy binocular 1918 Orion 60E 6x24 binocular 1921 Mikron 4x civil binocular 1921 Mikron 6x civil binocular 1921 Luscar 6x20 civil binocular 1921 Atom This is an free publication 6x15 Army binocular 1921 Bright 8x24 binocular 1922 Orion 6x24 civil binocular 1922 Orion 8x26 civil binocular 1922 small model 40E 8x26 Army binocular 1923 binocular 8x15 binocular 1923 Novar 6x30 civil binocular 1923 Novar 7x50 civil binocular 1923 Novar 8x35 civil binocular 1923 10x50 binocular 1923 Nikko binocular telescope 15x80 binocular 1924 Orion 6x civil binocular 1925 panoramic field binoculair 3x12 binocular 1925 for cannon direction 6x18 binocular 1926 binocular 15x binocular 1926 binocular 20x binocular 1927 binocular 20x binocular 1929 89 model 7x Army binocular 1929 Nikko 10x70 binocular 1930 Nikko 65E 10x70 binocular 1931 91 model, periscope style 45 60E 15x75 Navy centimetre binocular 1931 15x75 binocular 1932 binocular telescope 30x180 Army binocular 1932 binocular telescope 22.5x180 Army binocular 1932 binocular and microscope, scale Navy lines binocular 1932 93 model 4x40 Navy binocular 1932 93 model for cannon: "Kanimegane" 6.5E 6x40 Navy binocular 1933 97 model tanks (looking glass 2x8 Army window to see outside) binocular 1933 Nikko 33x200 Army binocular 1934 92 model binocular "nr 4" or "nr 5" for 10E 5x17.5 Army machine gun binocular 1934 scale graduation binocular Navy

Hans Braakhuis 63

binocular 1939 binocular 250 50x250 Army binocular 1939 binocular 250 83x250 Army binocular 1940 Nikko 70E 10x70 navy binocular 1940 for mock battle simulators nr 2012 20x120 Army military binocular 1942 Nikko with pillar support 20x120 binocular 1943 Nikko 15x80 Navy binocular 1944 with Schmidt prisms for Noctovision x17 cm Navy binocular 1944 Nikko 7x50 Army binocular 1945 Nikko with light blue tint coating 15x80 Navy binocular 1945 Opera glass Spica 3.5x25.5 civil binocular 1945 Nikko Tokyo Novar 7x49 civil binocular 1945 Nippon Kogaku Tokyo Novar 7x50 civil binocular 1945 Orion 6x24 civil binocular 1945 Orion 8x26 civil binocular 1945 Caluma, Compact Dach Series 4x civil binocular 1946 Opera glass Capella 2x25.5 civil binocular 1948 Mikron 6x15 civil binocular 1948 Mikron 7x35 civil binocular 1948 binocular with roof prisms 70E 8x30 civil binocular 1949 Tropical 6x30 civil binocular 1949 Tropical 7x50 civil bomb-sight 1937 Nikko bomb-sight model 2 type 90 bomb-sight 1940 Nikko bomTb-shiights is an free publication type 95 bomb-sight 1941 number 1, to aim bombs Navy bomb-sight 1941 model 2 number 1, prototype Navy bomb-sight 1942 model 3 aiming device with coating Navy bomb-sight 1943 model 2 number 1 Navy bomb-sight 1944 model 10 Army camera 1929 Konishi Lily Hand Camera (Nippon 12 4.5 Kogaku sold Anytar lenses and helped with lens mounting?) camera 1933 Small Camera an Nikkor lens, also 18 4.0 Air force used by the Army camera 1933 96 model small aerial camera, with 18 4.5 dry plates Air force Nikkor lens camera 1935 camera with binocular 300 Navy camera 1935 Konishi Idea Hand Camera with 10.5 45 6.5x9 cm Nikkor lens camera 1935 Hansa Canon (Nippon Kogaku made 5 35 35 mm the lensmount, viewfinder, range- finder, optical system camera 1935 micro aerial camera 7.5 6x6 camera 1936 Hotaikyo Camera 96 with 10.5 cm 10.5 82x107dry- lens and built-in developing pl equipment camera 1936 Artillery Telescope Camera #257; 20 dry-plates 96 style #292; camera 1936 small aerial camera type II 18 dry plates 96 style camera 1939 rööngten camera and lens 5 1.0 civil camera 1939 camera with binocular 500 Army camera 1940 5 metre telephoto camera 50 25 camera 1940 micro aerial camera 35 mm 99 style camera 1944 automatic aerial camera 50 5.6 18x23 cm Navy camera 1944 SK-100 camera body and lens Aerial cam Army (#2352) camera 1945 2 metre telephoto camera J 72: p 14 camera 1947 multipurpose camera 2 pieces prototype of the later Model I civil rangefinder camera

Hans Braakhuis 64

camera 1948 model I 24x32 civil camera 1948 multipurpose X ray camera 6x6 cm civil camera 1949 model M 24x34 civil camera 1947 Fluoro-Record X-ray camera 10 1.5 6x6 dioptometer 1947 Dioptometer nr I (Vertexometer) civil enlarging 1937 Hermes Enlarging Lens for Hansa 5.5 3.5 lens Enlargers enlarging 1948 EL Nikkor 5 3.5 35 mm lens fire-control 1934 93 model "shahoban nr 1" Army unit fire-control 1938 97 model high angle calculation Navy unit device fire-control 1938 model 98 with graduation scale Navy unit fire-control 1939 for longitude and latitude measuring Navy unit fire-control 1939 model 97 with longitude and latitude Navy unit measuring fire-control 1941 shagekiban for Yamato warship 1500 Navy unit glasses 1946 Pointar civil gun-sight 1925 model 88 anti aircraft aiming Army apparatus gun-sight 1937 97 model sTharphis s hootiis anng vi sfreeor publication10E 2.5x10 Army lens 1925 Flieger Objective 50 4.8 lens 1926 Flieger Objective 50 5.4 lens 1929 Porträt Objective 24 3.0 lens 1929 Porträt Objective 30 3.5 lens 1929 Projections Objective 7.5 2.0 lens 1929 Projections Objective 12 2.0 lens 1929 Anytar 12 4.0 6.5x9 cm lens 1929 Trimar 50 4.8 lens 1931 Anytar 12 4.5 6.5x9 cm lens 1932 Dialyt Anastigmat 7.5 6.3 lens 1932 Doppel Anastigmat 7.5 6.8 lens 1932 Dialyt Anastigmat 10.5 6.3 lens 1932 Doppel Anastigmat 10.5 6.8 lens 1932 Dialyt Anastigmat 12 6.3 lens 1932 Doppel Anastigmat 12 6.8 lens 1932 Nikkor 7.5 4.5 civil lens 1932 Nikkor Anytar 10.5 4.5 civil lens 1932 Nikkor Dialyt Anastigmat 12 4.5 civil lens 1932 Nikkor Aero-Nikkor 18 4.5 civil lens 1933 Anytar 15 4.5 lens 1933 Doppel Anastigmat 15 6.8 lens 1933 Doppel Anastigmat 18 6.8 lens 1933 Aero Nikkor 70 5.0 Air force lens 1933 Aero Nikkor 50 4.8 Air force lens 1933 Anytar 18 4.5 lens 1935 for Hansa Canon 5 3.5 35 mm C. bajonet lens 1935 for Hansa Canon 5 4.5 35 mm C. bajonet lens 1937 Nikkor lens for the Hansa Canon 5 2.0 35 mm C. bajonet lens 1937 lens X-ray equipment 6 0.85 6x9 16mm cine lens 1938 meteorological lens 1.63 8.0 civil lens 1939 for Canon J 5 4.5 35 mm J thread lens 1939 for Canon S 5 4.5 35 mm C. bajonet

Hans Braakhuis 65

lens 1939 for Canon J 5 3.5 35 mm C. bajonet lens 1939 for Canon S 5 2.8 35 mm C. bajonet lens 1939 for Canon S, external aperture ring 5 2.0 35 mm C. bajonet lens 1939 5 4,5 35 mm screw lens 1939 Aero-Nikkor wide angle 10 5.6 lens 1939 Nikkor lens for Canon 5 1.5 35 mm lens 1939 Nikkor lens for Canon 5 2.0 35 mm lens 1939 Nikkor lens for Canon 5 2.8 35 mm lens 1940 98 centimetre f/4.5 for TV purpose 98 4.5 civil lens 1940 20 centimetre f/1.9 for TV purpose 20 1.9 civil lens 1941 Nippon Kogaku No. 150247 15.03 4.5 Aerial cam lens 1941 Nippon Kogaku Nr. 559 17.920 4.5 Aerial cam #96 lens 1944 R-Aero-Nikkor (known: No. 50 5.6 18x24 cm 38352376) lens 1944 R-Aero-Nikkor (known: No. 20 3.5 SK-100 38317436 / 38317453 / 39317438) lens 1944 Schmidt lens for Nocto-vision 17 0.85 lens 1945 Nikkor with Leica mount 5 3.5 35 mm civil lens 1946 Nikkor with coating 5 3.5 35 mm civil lens 1946 Apo Nikkor 38 9.0 civil lens 1946 Nikkor H collapsible, serial numbers 5 2.0 35 mm Nikon I 609xxx lens 1946 Nikkor lens for Mamiya Six III. Pre- 7.5 4.5 6x6 war lens, oncThie appls isied an for Canon free. publication lens 1946 Nikkor with Leica mount 5 2.0 lens 1946 Nikkor with Leica mount 5 3.5 35 mm Leica lens 1946 13.5 4.0 35 mm screw lens 1947 Regno Nikkor C (for x-ray camera) 10 1.5 6x6 cm civil lens 1948 Nikkor lens with BaF10 glass 5 2.0 civil lens 1948 W Nikkor C 5 3.5 35 mm Nikon M lens 1948 Nikkor O 13.5 4 35 mm Nikon M lens 1949 3.5 3.5 35 mm screw lens 1949 for Nicca III 3.5 3.5 35 mm lens 1948 Nikkor QC 13.5 4.0 35 mm Nikon M lens 1949 Nikkor PC 8,5 2.0 35 mm Nikon M lens 1949 Nikkor H non-collapsible 5 2.0 civil lens 1949 Cine Nikkor 1.3 1.9 civil microscope 1923 Victor type II civil microscope 1923 scale graduation, co-ordinate civil comparator microscope 1925 Joico 20x to 765x civil microscope 1935 Nikko 50x to civil 1350x microscope 1938 measuring microscope civil microscope 1948 microscope O for education 20x to 600x civil microscope 1949 model K microscope 20x to civil 1350x periscope 1919 model I 700 1.5x, 4,5x Navy periscope 1921 model II 700 1,5x, 6x Navy periscope 1923 model III (experimental) 700 Navy periscope 1926 periscope 900 periscope 1927 with longitude and latitude focus 100 Engineers periscope 1930 88 model, number 3, night vision 900 periscope 1936 periscope nr 1 and nr 3 for Siam 800 Army periscope 1941 model 3 600 Navy periscope 1941 model 4 700 Navy periscope 1941 model 5 800 Navy periscope 1944 97 model 350 Navy

Hans Braakhuis 66

periscope 1945 2.70 metre periscope 270 type 97 periscope 1945 1 metre periscope 100 torpedo periscope standard 10-metre periscope 1000 periscope several types trench periscopes

profile 1949 Profile projector type I projector projector 1939 projection of röngten photos civil range finder Model 96 Range Finder (66cm) Navy rangefinder 1913 Tokyo Keiki rangefinder Navy rangefinder 1915 Tokyo Keiki rangefinder 150 Navy rangefinder 1916 Tokyo Keiki rangefinder 150 Navy rangefinder 1917 Tokyo Keiki single eyed rangefinder 150 Navy rangefinder 1917 Tokyo Keiki rangefinder and 250 Navy telescope rangefinder 1917 1.5 metre Rangefinder rangefinder 1919 model Year 8 for field cannon 100 Navy rangefinder 1920 model year 5 250 Navy rangefinder 1920 model year 5 450 Navy rangefinder 1923 binocular type 50E 10x50 Navy rangefinder 1925 model 15, three dimensional type 150 rangefinder 1925 model 14, single eyed 150 rangefinder 1926 model 13 800 rangefinder 1927 with pentaT prihisms is an free publication rangefinder 1927 88 model, build to end WWII, huge 300 Army numbers rangefinder 1928 88 model, waterproof 300 submarine rangefinder 1928 90 model, stereo, anti aircraft 300 Army rangefinder 1929 90 model, high angle, anti aircraft 300 Army rangefinder 1930 90 model, to aim bombs, build to end 300 WWII rangefinder 1931 90 model, production at Iroha 300 Navy Metallworks rangefinder 1931 90 model, 300 Navy rangefinder 1932 rangefinder 40 6x40 Navy rangefinder 1933 91 model high angle rangefinder Navy rangefinder 1933 93 model for cannon 75 Army rangefinder 1936 rangefinder for Siam (Thailand 600 Army nowadays) rangefinder 1937 model 94 anti aircraft aiming device, Army with anti-shock rangefinder 1937 95 model high angle Navy rangefinder 1937 15 metre rangefinders 1500 rangefinder 1938 98 model anti aircraft Army rangefinder 1941 model 93, 15 metre rangefinder and 1500 Yamato Navy fire-control unit rangefinder 1941 model 98 with graduation scale Yamato Navy rangefinder 10 metre Rangefinder rangefinder 4.5 metre Rangefinder type 94 searchlight 1885 Iwaki Glass searchlight Navy searchlight 1914 Iwaki Glass searchlight 60 Navy hobutsenankio searchlight 1915 Iwaki Glass searchlight 75 Navy hobutsenankio searchlight 1917 searchlight 75 15x Navy searchlight 1917 searchlight 75 25x Navy searchlight 1917 searchlight 75 35x Navy searchlight 1921 searchlight (German model) Army searchlight 1938 99 model with anti condens coating Navy

Hans Braakhuis 67

sextant 1934 92 model sextant for submarine Navy stereoscope stereoscope type 97 stereoscope stereoscope type 98 surveying 1947 Tilting Level Type E civil instr

surveying 1947 Tilting Level Transit Type G civil instr telephone 1937 Nikko portable optical telephone for Army battlefield telescope 1908 Tokyo Keiki telescope 1 Inch x Navy 16 telescope 1913 Tokyo Keiki telescope 75 Navy telescope 1913 Fujii Lens refractive-type telescope telescope 1920 small model 2 Inch, 3 Navy Inch telescope 1922 astronomical use, casse grain type civil reflection telescope 1922 astronomical use 4 Inch civil telescope 1922 astronomical use 6 Inch civil telescope 1922 10 centimetre reflector refractor telescope 1922 5 centimetre reflector refractor telescope 1922 50 centimetre reflector refractor telescope 1931 astro telesTcopehis for i sTok anyo Sc freeience publ8 Incicatih on civil Museum telescope 1935 Masto-telescope model 95 2800 3x, 5x, 7x civil telescope 1935 Celostat for Imperial University of 30 civil Okaido telescope WW Artillery telescope MK-93 II telescope 6.5cm Telescope type 2 Navy vertexomete 1947 dioptometer r

Hans Braakhuis 68

11 Conclusions

Nippon Kogaku was born with two parents, these were Mitsubishi and the 3 firms who merged. As Godfather there was the Imperial Japanese Navy.

During the 1920s, 1930s, and through the immediate post-World War Two era, there is an support of optical firms by the Imperial Japanese Navy. The reason for this support for optical munitions can be found in the Washington Naval Limitation Treaty of 1922 and the subsequent London Naval Treaty of 1930 - arguing that the root of Japan's early optical research and development initiatives is to be found in Japan's compensatory Naval Supplementary Bill of 1930. Nippon Kogaku’s technical advances made in the furtherance of Imperial Japanese Navy projects, give a good starting point manufacturing in the post-war occupation period. In building upon its significant wartime technical breakthroughs and mass-production processes, Nikon was able to capture post-war consumer optical markets both at home and abroad by the late 1950s. Nippon Kogaku could start in 1917 with 200 employees because of the high selling of Fujii Brothers based binoculars. Nippon Kogaku could start immediate after the World War II because of the huge demand for binoculars. The high quality of optical glass production and coating was gained by producing periscopes for submarines. The high quality of precision mechanical devices was gained by producing the 15 metre rangefinder and the coupled “shagekiban” (fire-control unit), an mechanical device to calculate accurate gun-sight values for the turret. The high quality of mass producThitions by i sproduc anti freeon line producpublingicati was ongained by producing huge numbers of binoculars during the first years of the 1930's.

11.1 Justification Used internet articles: see the footnotes. Museums: For research and pictures of early Japanese and Dutch optics I visited the following museums: National Science Museum, Ueno Park, Tokyo, Japan; JCCI Camera Musuem, Tokyo, Japan; Teylers Museum, Haarlem, the Netherlands; Boerhave Museum, Leiden, the Netherlands; Rijksmuseum voor Volkenkunde, Leiden, the Netherlands.

Used pictures: If the pictures were made at the Nikon Museum in Rotterdam, the Netherlands from Peter Lownds, you can find that in the text. There is only one Nikon Museum, so that makes it easy. If the pictures were scanned from the Nikon book 75 Years History, you find that also in the text. If the All other small pictures (pixel size) came from the internet and were collected during many years. Its not always possible to trace the source. All other bigger pictures (in pixel) were made by the author.

Used books: Japanische Photographie 1860 - 1929, Berliner Festspiele, Argon Verlag GmbH, Berlin, Germany, 1993, ISBN 3-87024-258-2. The history of the Japanese camera, Japan Camera and Optical Instruments Inspection and Testing Institute / International Museum of Photography at George Eastman House; Tokyo and Rochester; Edited by Gordon Lewis; Manufactured in the USA in 1991. ISBN 0-935398-16-3 or 0-935398-17-3. The Nikon Story, Arakawa, Tatsuhiko, 1981. Written in Japanese.

The Bright Dark Box, Arakawa, Tatsuhiko, 1975, Written in Japanese. The evolution of the Japanese Camera, International Museum of Photography at George Eastman House; Rochester; 1984, ISBN 0-935398- 11-2. Nikon 75 Years History

Hans Braakhuis 69

Nippon Kogaku and the Nikon Camera, Robert Rotoloni, The Nikon Historical Society, Historical Camera Publications, Gleed Station, Yakima, Washington, USA 1989. Nikon Corporation Japan, Nikon, 50 years History, Gojunen no ayumi / 50-nenshi. 1968. Written in Japanese. Nikon Corporation Japan, Nikon, 75 years History, 1993. Written in Japanese. Some other books with Nippon Kogaku history I’ll know, (written in Japanese): Arakawa, Tatsuhiko The founding 1986 Baird, John The Japanese Camera 1990 Braczko, Peter Nikon Faszination 1988 Common, Paul and Art Evans Nikon Data 1990 Cooper, Joseph David & Joseph C. Abbot Nikon F, Nikkormat 1968 D'outrelandt, L. Bernard + Clyde Reynolds Nikon Nikkormat 1979 Emanuel, WD Nikon F Guide 1968 Hillebrand, Rudolf + Hans Joachim Hauschild Nikon Kompendium 1991 Keppler, Herbert The Nikon Way 1978 Kuhne, Kevin. Japanese Binoculars Lewis, Gordon, Edited by: The history of the Japanese camera 1991 Mainichi Newspaper Nihon Camera no Rekishi, article 1975 Masahiro, Tano A Brief History of Japanese Cameras Nikon Corporation Japan Nikon, 40 years 1958 Rotoloni, Robert This is an freeThe Ni kpublon ication 1981 Rotoloni, Robert Nikon Rangefinder Camera 1983 Sugiyama The Collector's Guide to the Japanese camera Takashi, Hibi and William S. Fujimura; A History of Japanese Camera Optics Yakima Historical Camera Publications 1990

Copyright: From everybody who gave a permission to use some of their texts, the email is found below. Privacy: For privacy reasons I do not publish all the email addresses, so some of them are changed. For the same reason I do not list the actual owner of a lot of items.

Hans Braakhuis 70

11.2 Extra pictures

This is an free publication

Navy Navy Signal Corps

Hans Braakhuis 71

Announcement 1931

This is an free publication

Announcement 1947 Teylers Museum, Haarlem, Netherland, with a lot of early optics

Miko Itoh in 2001 Tatsuhiko Arakawa in 1996 Nikon macro 16 mm film camera 1960 - 1970

Hans Braakhuis 72

11.3 E-mails

Onderwerp: RE: permit for publication Datum: Tue, 20 Jan 2004 11:42:14 +0100 Van: "Leigh R." Aan: Hans Braakhuis CC: Schaefers Dear Mr Braakhuis, Many thanks for your continued efforts in promoting Nikon. Actually your request should firstly be directed to us via Inca BV Haarlem, plus my colleague here at Nikon Europe BV., Ms Yvonne Schaefers handles such requests & matters. I will pass on your request, however please contact Inca BV and Yvonne later (now on vacation until next week), on how we can proceed & assist you with your request. Thank you in advance & best regards, Richard Leigh (Nikon Europe) -----Original Message----- From: Hans Braakhuis [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: maandag 19 januari 2004 20:45 To: Leigh R. (Nikon Europe) Subject: permit for publication To Richard Leigh, Dear Sir,

As you might know the Nikon Historical Society's 9th convention will be held on February 22, 2004 in Tokyo, Japan. On that occasion I am working on a publication about the history of Nippon Kogaku, covering a period between 1600Thi ands 1949.is an free publication This publication won't be a commercial product but just a convention handout. For illustration purposes only I would like to ask your permission to use approx. 10 pictures from the Nikon 75 Year History (1993) book. I also would like to make use of some quotes from that book and the Nikon 50 Year History book (1968). Both pictures and texts can be scanned from both books, which are in my library. I will certainly make a special note in my publication about your permission and possible additional information. I would like to thank you in advance. sincerely yours, HB. (enclosed: table of contents and chapter 7 and 8 without pictures) No permit received. HB.

Onderwerp: Re: permit to use some text Datum: Mon, 24 Nov 2003 16:53:08 -0600 Van: Jason Gregory Zorbas Aan: Hans Braakhuis

Dear Hans Braakhuis, Unfortunately the copyright remains with Jeff, so as the editor of Gateway, my hands are tied. The best thing to do would be to track Jeff down and I'm sure that he would be very pleased with your interest. If I can help in any other way, let me know. Sincerely, Jason Zorbas, B.A., M.A. Ph D Candidate, University of Saskatchewan, Editor, Gateway, [email protected], (306) 966-1843

Onderwerp: Re: Nikon Article Datum: Fri, 05 Dec 2003 22:56:43 -0800 (PST) Van: jwscott Aan: [email protected] Dear Hans, Many thanks for your message and your inquiry. I have seen the NHS web site and I was impressed by the members' passion for Nikon's history and its products. I would be pleased to permit you to reprint passages of my article in your publication - but you will also need the written permission of a company that later published the article in a print journal. The journal "Japanese Studies", out of the University of Melbourne, Australia, published an updated, edited, and corrected version of the article in Winter 2002, and their parent company, Carfax Publishing Inc. requires written permission for any reproductions. I would prefer if the JS version of the article was used in your publication. Academic articles are not typically published in more than one place, however, Carfax and JS did not have any difficulty with my article appearing in a graduate-student online journal such as the BC Asian

Hans Braakhuis 73

Review as well, which was very accommodating. I have included the bibliographic details below, as well as links to the Japanese Studies web site and the Permissions web page. You shouldn't have any trouble finding a copy of the journal at a university library near you, and I think copies can also be purchased online through the JS web site, but I'm not sure. I would send you a reprint, but I am in Japan right now, and I don't have a copy handy. Please let me know how your article is coming along, and its themes, etc. Anytime you feel comfortable sending me a draft, I would be pleased to see it. Also, can you send a few details about the JCII museum? Many thanks. Your project sounds very interesting. Best regards, Jeff Alexander, Ph.D. Candidate, Dept. of History, Affiliate, Centre for Japanese Research, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada, [email protected] Bibliographic Entry: Nikon and the Sponsorship of Japan’s Optical Industry by the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1917-1945, Japanese Studies, Vol.22, No. 1, 2002. Japanese Studies Web Site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/customer.html JS Permissions Web Site: "Requests for permission to photocopy or republish material must be received in writing via mail, fax, or online submission. For further information, please visit: "http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/permissions.html.

“I did a request for permission on December 22, 2003, but received no answer yet: H.B.”

Onderwerp: Re: NHS Convention in Tokyo Datum: Sun, 23 Nov 2003 06:16:22 -0500 (EST) Van: [email protected] ioms an free publication Aan: [email protected]

Hello Hans, I would certainly approve your including the information from the previous issues of the journal. Since the articles were published by Bob Rotoloni, I would get his permission to use the information from the previous issues as well. I saw your previous list of binoculars forwarded from Peter Abrahams. Did you receive my input I sent to Peter? I'm looking forward to you list. I would appreciate a copy of your list produced so far. Regards, Rich Lane

Onderwerp: Re: Nikon 250 Datum: Mon, 24 Nov 2003 20:13:39 -0800 Van: Peter Abrahams Aan: Hans Braakhuis

Hello Hans, Is your project only for pre-WWII NK? If yes, then you might have a complete list of binoculars, or at least all the models that I know about. This is because I have never seen a pre-WWII NK catalogue. I've only seen examples of binoculars and some pictures in books. Hopefully the meeting organizers in Japan can help. It is very difficult otherwise. I hope you are not upset when you see the 250. It is not locked up or even in a room, it is at the very top of one of the big stairs, where the public does not go.

Aan: [email protected] Van: Jason Zoppel Ontvangen op: donderdag 1 januari 2004 om 16:57 uur Onderwerp: Aero Nikkor lens, photos Bijlage(n): AERONIKKOR1.JPG, AERONIKKOR2.JPG, AERONIKKOR3.JPG Sorry for the delay, the lens was packed away with my other camera bits. This is the Aero-Nikkor that I mentioned on the Nikon HS website. It was in my Grandfather's estate with some other WW2 items he brought back. Thank you for the info on the SK-100, this confirms other findings. While at the Nikon HS event in Tokyo I would appreciate if you could ask some of the other collectors what they think this lens may be worth. I hope to determine it's value and perhaps sell or trade it to another collector. Regards, Jason Zoppel.

Hans Braakhuis 74

This is an free publication

Hans Braakhuis 75

Onderwerp: Re: Nikon History 1600 - 1949 Datum: Sat, 03 Jan 2004 11:30:16 -0600 Van: Robert Rotoloni Aan: Hans Braakhuis

Hans, This is a very interesting paper. This is a very detailed item! I am sure it will be very well received the members at the convention. Yes, you can excerpt from the Journal as long as you credit the author, the Journal and the Society I am OK with that. I would want your paper to be as complete as possible. See you there Hans. take care Robert

Onderwerp: Re: NHS Convention Tokyo Datum: Wed, 07 Jan 2004 05:03:57 -0800 Van: John Baird 137 Aan: Hans Braakhuis Hans, Looks great...please use whatever you need. If you need any help, please don't hesitate to contact me. Best regards, John Baird

Onderwerp: Re: NHS Tokyo Convention Datum: Tue, 30 Dec 2003 05:47:07 -0500 (EST) Van: [email protected] Aan: [email protected] Hello Hans, Thanks for the E-mail. I'm sorry to say that I can't add much to your history of the Nikon microscope. I do have some cTomhimsents is to an mak e,free but it's publ not a ilocatit! I lookon forward to the convention and will see you there. Regards - and Happy New Year, John

Onderwerp: Re: the last 50 days before the NHS Tokyo Convention Datum: Sun, 04 Jan 2004 14:18:17 -0500 (EST) Van: [email protected] Aan: [email protected] Hans, impressive list that you put together. I have an addition for you - the 5cm f:3,5. Looking forward to Tokyo and we, Tuulikki and I, will see you there. All the best, Tom A

Onderwerp: NHS Tokyo Datum: Mon, 05 Jan 2004 11:42:36 -0500 Van: Kraus Aan: Hans Braakhuis Hi Hans, thanks for the message about your planned publication for the convention. I will review it shortly, as asked. Happy New Year, and looking forward to seeing you in Tokyo, Bill Kraus

Onderwerp: Re: NHS Datum: Mon, 05 Jan 2004 09:31:19 -0800 Van: "Mike H. Symons" Aan: Hans Braakhuis Hi Hans; Now your messages are getting through. Yes, the bottom JPG is an "Hotaikyo Camera 96 or also known as the Artillery Telescope Camera", and yes, I give you full approval to use any of my text on this camera. PS- Happy New Year by the way! I look forward to meeting you in Tokyo. Cheers, and nice hearing from you. Mike

Hans Braakhuis 76

11.4 Notes

1. Jeff Alexander, a PhD Candidate, Dept. of History, Affiliate, Centre for Japanese Research, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. On October 26, 2001 he spoke at the Centre for Japanese Research, in the Conference Room of the Institute of Asian Research (CK Choi) Building, 1855 West Mall, Vancouver, Canada. The title was: “Japan's Optical Industry during the 1920s, 1930s, and the Post WWII Era”. Jeff Alexander also made a publication named: Nikon and the Sponsorship of Japan’s Optical Industry by the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1917–1945 . The article was published first in the BC Asian Review (BCAR), this is a refereed on-line journal of research on Asia, number 13 of 2002. The journal "Japanese Studies", issued by the University of Melbourne, Australia, published an updated, edited, and corrected version of the article in Winter 2002 , Their parent company is: Carfax Publishing Inc. Bibliographic Entry: Nikon and the Sponsorship of Japan’s Optical Industry by the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1917-1945, Japanese Studies, Vol.22, No. 1, 2002.

2. See the article from Philip Greenspun: http://www.photo.net/japan/timeline

3. The arrival date of “De Liefde” 19 April 1600 is based on the Julian calendar. It was 29 April of the Gregorian calendar we use today, and 16 March of the 5th year of Keicho in the Japanese calendar.

4. See the complete article from Kono Makoto at: http:/www.lookjapan.com/LBsc/00JunCul.htm. The first V.O.C. office was at Hirado on Kijusju Island in 1609. The Deshima office started in 1641. 5. Because of the Dutch amTbihiancs ei,s I alanway sfree use the publ Yaesui catiHotel onin this area. 6. On www.voc-kenniscentrum.nl/gewest-japan.html it says that Deshima was build in 1641.

7. From http://www1.tcue.ac.jp/home1/english/students02/class09/group02/History.html:

8. Screech, Timon: The Western Scientific Gaze and Popular Imagery in Later Edo Japan: The lens within the Hearth, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 1996, Chapter 7, pp 212-253, The View From on High. Screech, School of Oriental & African Studies, University of London.

9. Lord.

10. According to: Ryûichi Kaneko in Japanische Photographie 1860 - 1929, page 11.

11. Johannes L.C. Pompe van Meerdervoort.

12. According to Yoshiro Tanaka, in chapter one from The History of the Japanese Camera.

13. See: www.sieboldhuis.org. A lot of Siebold’s papers and collectables can be seen at the Rijksmuseum voor Volkenkunde in Leiden, the Netherlands ( http://www.rmv.nl ).

14. See the complete article from Philbert Ono at: hppt:/www.photojpn.org.

15. See Peter Abrahams article: The History of the Telescope in Japan.

16. See their homepage at: http://www.kahaku.go.jp/english/.

17. Glasgow based company which is now part of Pilkington Optronics.

18. Meishi format is 57x83 millimetre plate format (2¼ x 3c Inch).

19. Or Konishi Honten, now Konica Minolta.

20. From the April 1957, page 140, in The Japanese Photo Industry Magazine from 1958.

21. from Philbert Ono’s site, the Jeff Alexander article and The evolution of the Japanese camera.

Hans Braakhuis 77

22. 50 Years history of the Nikon Company, page 56. Gojunen no ayumi / 50-nenshi

23. There is an similarity with the founding of Nippon Kogaku.

24. So the Heinrich Acht 1921 lenses for Nippon Kogaku were not seen as Japanese lenses by this author.

25. From the Masao Tanaka and Hajimu Miyabe chapter 5 in The history of the Japanese camera.

26. This is the Dutch connection with the Nikon Corporation.

27. See the article at: www.mitsubishielectric.ca/corporate/our_history.html.

28. They made at that time ordinary sheet glass and no optical glass. I could’nt find any connection between Asahi Glass and the glass melt from Nippon Kogaku. A nice Dutch connection in recent times is that Asahi Glass designed “Huis te Bosch” , a Dutch village at Kyushu, Nagasaki.

29. Other authors say 1878, 1880 or 1883?

30. See: http://www.atgc.co.jp.

31. See for more information about Tokimec: http://www.tokimec.co.jp/english/whats/history.htm.

32. In the Japanese Photo Industry 1958 it says: Production on an industrial scale started in 1907 with the establishment of the FujThiii Lenss is Fac antory ,free which mpublanufacicatitured bionnoculars for the civilian market as well for use by the Imperial Japanese Navy (page 140).

33. The Fujii Bros. Victor No. 5x6 and a prewar Nippon Kogaku “Nikko” Orion or Luscar binoculars have a lot of similarities. See an article at: www.cameraguild.co.jp/nekosan/binos.htm.

34. There is an picture and small article of this binoculars in NHS Nikon Journal 73, page 21 from Bob Thompson.

35. See the complete article from John Baird in NHS Journal 29.

36. Steve Stayton.

37. NHS Journal 82, Nippon Kogaku logos 1918 - 1945, page 6.

38. On other places I found other names: for example Max Lang and Karl Weise.

39. Stephen Sambrook in an e-mail list on the subject of binoculars, by Peter Abrahams.

40. Richard Lane: NHS Journal 82 page 7.

41. Extracted from “The Nikon story” from T. Arakawa, translated in NHS Nikon Journal 47.

42. Arakawa; The founding, chapter 2.

43. See the Canon article: www.canon.com/camera-museum/history/canon_story/1933_1936.

44. See: Canon Lens Serial Numbers in British Photographic World Magazine, May 2003.

45. See: www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/nikon/htmls/nikon_canon.htm.

46. See NHS Nikon Journal 79, March 2003, page 1, 2 and 3.

47. canon.com/camera-museum/camera/lens/index.htm.

48. From John Baird: What If, a reading paper from the NHS 4 Convention in Utrecht, Netherlands in 1994.

Hans Braakhuis 78

49. Ibid.

50. Ibid.

51. Hansgeorg et al., pp. 184–185.

52. Howe, p. 306.

53. ‘Japanese Optics’, in US Naval Technical Mission to Japan, p. 31.

54. Ibid., p. 5.

55. Nippon Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha: gojunen no ayumi, / 50-nenshi, p. 180.

56. See the complete Jeff Alexander article at: http://grad.usask.ca/gateway/archife17.html.

57. There is an entry on this short periscope in Nippon Kogaku: The history of 40 years, page 481

58. From Arakawa: The name is Nikon: NHS Journal 72, 2001, page 12-15.

59. Ibid., p. 68.

60. David C. Evans and Mark R. Peattie, Kaigun: Strategy, Tactics, and Technology in the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1887–1941 (AnnapolThis iss, MD:an Nav freeal Ins publtitute Presicatis, 1997),on p. 253. 61. Nippon Kogaku Kgyo Kabushiki Kaisha: gojunen no ayumi, p. 179.

62. Hansgeorg Jentschura, Dieter Jung and Peter Mickel, Warships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1869–1945, Antony Preston and J.D. Brown (Trans.) (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1977), p. 35.

63. Evans and Peattie, p. 262.

64. Howe, p. 305.

65. See the Jeff Alexander article.

66. The WWII Japanese super-battleships Yamato and Masashi were each 72,000 tons, twice the size of the biggest US battleships (Iowa class 35,000 tons). They fired a projectile (18.1" in diameter, 3200 pounds [460 mm, ~1500 kg]) They were 50% heavier than anything the US had. And they were fast. Quadruple steam turbines of 150,000 shaft horsepower drove these ships at almost 30 knots. They carried the heaviest ship armor ever known. They simply dwarfed the US warships of the day! (In comparison the German Bismarck was 50,000 tons). Build by Mitsubishi in Nagasaki.

67. Masashi was the victim of 20 torpedoes, 17 bombs and numerous near misses before succumbing on 24 October 1944. Yamato lasted until 7 April 1945. The Yamato was attacked by 280 planes in the first wave attack. The Yamato was hit during the second attack. She rolled to port side and began to sink, half an hour later the No.2 magazine exploded and sent a huge cloud of smoke. 3063 men were lost in the Yamato.

68. Extracted from an article by Michael Hansen: www.ibiblio.org/pub/academic/history/marshall/military/ WWII/Japanese.navy/jap_yamoto_bat.txt

69. See the first Jeff Alexander article, and ‘Japanese Optics’, in US Naval Technical Mission to Japan.

70. Richard Lane says that there was an commenced sale of 24 types of prism binoculars. NHS Journal 82, page 6.

71. Probably these were Fujii designs with an Nikko logo.

Hans Braakhuis 79

72. In 1948 saw the release of a new Mikron series including a CF model of the Mikron 6x15. In 1997, at the 75th birthday of Nippon Kogaku, an other 6x Mikron was produced.

73. In “Nikon History 75 years”, 1922 is mentioned for the Orion binoculars, HB.

74. Nova binoculars: 6x, 7x and 8x: HB.

75. See the complete Peter Abrahams article at: hppt://home.europa.com~telscope/binotele.htm.

76. Nikko is an logo used by Nippon Kogaku.

77. Peter Abrahams.

78. For more information, see the Dick Buchroeder article in ATM Journal #14, “Evolution of an 10x70 Binocular”.

79. This correction is from Richard Lane

80. Howe.

81. Jeff Alexander.

82. In other texts it says “Novar” HB.

83. Jeff Alexander. This is an free publication

84. In “75 Years” I’ve found that is was an f/4.5 lens; H.B.

85. See Philbert Ono’s site: http://photojpn.org.

86. ‘A Short History of Nippon Kogaku Japan’, in Nikon Historical Society.

87. Nippon Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha: gojunen no ayumi, p. 67.

88. Ibid.

89. Ibid.

90. Ibid.

91. “I'm not questioning the quote or source but it is interesting that I have not seen a documented N-K Naval aerial camera or lens of any type”. Richard Lane.

92. Ibid.

93. See the Jeff Alexander article.

94. “Made by Rokuosha? Toko? Tokyo Kogaku?” Yoshio Inokuchi.

95. From Arakawa: NHS Nikon Journal 73, page 5 to 7.

96. See NHS Journal 48, an article by Richard Lane.

97. See the article from The Boowu Shop at: www.stores.ebay.com/id=1079750.

98. The NHS Nikon Journal 39 has an article with great pictures: “The Original Nikon "1"? by Mike H. Symons and assisted by Masahiko Fuketa.

99. This correction is from Richard Lane.

Hans Braakhuis 80

100. See the Michio Akiyama article, with pictures from 2 other cameras from Nippon Kogaku at: The Recron Aero Nikkor 50cm F5_6 and Sentimental History.htm.

101. There is an picture in NHS Journal 73, page 7.

102. NHS Journal 72, 2001, pages 12-15: The name is Nikon

103. Richard Lane.

104. homepage2.nifty.com/akiya...ero01.html.

105. I can send a Photo to anyone who wishes to examine it: - [email protected]

106. Bill Kraus.

107. See the complete text in Mike Symons article in NHS Journal 29.

108. From John Millham: “The "standard" screw thread you mention is the RMS thread, which stands for Royal Microscopical Society. It is usually referred to as the RMS thread. Some early microscopes, like Ross and Beck, had a slightly different thread”.

109. See the Arakawa article in NHS Journal 80, page 6 +7. 110. See his article in NHS JTournalhis 69,is page an 9,free 10 + 11.publication 111. See his article in NHS Journal: N-K Optical Ordnance. There are several publications in NHS Journal 40-14, 41-12, 42-14, 43-14, 44-11, 45-14, 47-14 and 48-1.

112. See the Les Seeligson article in NHS Nikon Journal 54

113. See the Richard Lane article in NHS Journal 77, page 11 + 12.

114. See: http://www.yokohamaradiomuseum.com/etc2.html.

115. Peter Abrahams says: During WWII, Nippon Kogaku had 23,000 employees in 25 factories.

116. See: http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/history.

117. Christian Ozdobas mentions only 1.400 , Peter Abrahams mentions only 900 people in 2 factories.

118. See also Forty Years, page 241.

119. Arakawa: NHS Journal 72, 2001, page 12-15: The name is Nikon.

120. J.A. footnote: Ibid.

121. J.A. footnote: Ibid.

122. J.A. footnote: Ibid. Complete text of this last 5 paragraphs: Jeff Alexander.

123. Nippon Kogaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha: gojunen no ayumi, p. 77.

124. Ibid., p. 72.

125. Richard J. Samuels, Rich Nation, Strong Army: National Security and the Technological Transformation of Japan (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1994), p. 308; and S.E. Morrison, History of United States Naval Operations in World War Two, Vol. 3 (Boston, MA: Little, Brown, 1947–1964), in Howe, p. 306.

126. Nippon kogaku kogyo kabushiki kaisha: gojunen no ayumi, p. 77.

Hans Braakhuis 81

127. Itoh, Mikio, ‘Archivist’s Memo No. 1’, in Nikon Company, available online at: http://www.nikon.co.jp/main/eng/d-archives/camera/history_e.htm (December 11, 2003. At this time the name of the author: mister Itoh-San is completely removed by the Nikon Corporation H.B.)

128. Nippon kogaku kogyo kabushiki kaisha: gojunen no ayumi, p. 79.

129. Itoh.

130. Jeff Alexander.

131. Masahiko Fuketa in: The Nikon 6x6 x-ray camera, Nikon Journal 40, an article by Mike Symons

132. See the Peter Lownds article in NHS Journal 46:

133. This line is from: hppt://www.dantestella.com/technical/nikoleic.html.

134. From the same article in The evolution of the Japanese Camera.

135. See for an complete list: page 188 a.f. The History of Japanese Camera.

136. From the same article from Peter Hennig, Photodo AB. www.photodo.com/art/When3.shtml.

137. I changed the email address. This is an free publication

Hans Braakhuis