Kintetsu Hyakkaten (近鉄百貨店) is a Japanese department store. Today (2008), its main shop is in Abeno (阿倍野), Osaka.
History[]
Kintetsu Hyakkaten resulted from the merge of various department stores. The oldest one was founded in 1920 in Kyoto, under the name Kyōto Bussankan (京都物産館), was renamed Marubutsu (丸物) in 1931, and became the Kyōto branch of Kintetsu (京都近鉄百貨店) in 1977.[1]
The main roots of the company are two department stores in Osaka: Daiki Hyakkaten (大軌百貨店), opened in Uehonmachi (上本町) in 1936 by the railway company Ōsaka Denki Kidō (大阪電気軌道), and Daitetsu Hyakkaten (大鉄百貨店), opened in Abenobashi (阿倍野橋) in 1937 by its competitor Ōsaka Tetsudō (大阪鉄道).[2] Daiki Hyakkaten became Kankyū Hyakkaten (関急百貨店) in 1941, after its mother company was merged with another and became Kansai Kyūkō Tetsudō (関西急行鉄道), abridged as Kankyū.[2] The two railway companies merged in 1944 and the department stores consequently became Kankyū Hyakkaten Uehonmachi (関急百貨店上本町店) and Kankyū Hyakkaten Abeno (関急百貨店阿倍野店), almost immediately renamed Kinki Nihon Tetsudō Uehonmachi Hyakkaten (近畿日本鉄道上本町百貨店) and Kinki Nihon Tetsudō Abeno Hyakkaten (近畿日本鉄道阿倍野百貨店) after a further reorganisation of the railway system.[2] The two department stores were finally renamed Kintetsu Hyakkaten (近鉄百貨店) Uehonmachi and Abeno in 1948, and various other stores of Kintetsu Hyakkaten were opened from 1960.[2]
Kankyū camera section[]
The department stores often produce their own advertising documents for various cameras. For example, the New Midget II, Romax, Semi Leotax and Well Standard were advertised in a leaflet published by the camera section of Kankyū Hyakkaten.[3]
Kankyū Hyakkaten. (Image rights) |
A 4.5×6 folding camera called Kankyu has been observed once; this was perhaps related to Kankyū Hyakkaten too.
Notes[]
Bibliography[]
- Kankyū Hyakkaten. Leaflet for the New Midget II, Romax, Semi Leotax and Well Standard. Date not indicated. Document reproduced in this Flickr album by Rebollo_fr.
Links[]
In English:
- Kintetsu in the English Wikipedia
In Japanese:
- Company profile in the official website of Kintetsu Hyakkaten
- Kintetsu in the Japanese Wikipedia