See also the Sakura box camera in 4×6.5cm or 6×9cm format, also made by Konishiroku.
The Sakura is a Japanese bakelite camera released in 1937 by Konishiroku (predecessor of Konica).
Description
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| Pictures courtesy of ebayer ffodrot. (Image rights) |
The Sakura takes 4×5cm pictures on 127 film. It has a brown-coloured mottled bakelite body. The front plate is mounted on a rectangular box sliding out of the main body. There is a folding frame finder above the camera, with a cross in the front frame. The name SAKURA is moulded in the front plate.
The bakelite advance knob is at the top left. It has an arrow to indicate the winding direction and numbers from 1 to 10 marked on its base. This looks like an exposure counter but there is no auto-stop feature and film advance must be controlled manually: you have to stop turning the knob when the correct number is facing an index on the body. There is a single red window in the middle of the back, protected by a pivoting cover, used to set the position of the first exposure. It is said that the camera was supplied with a mask allowing to take 3×4cm pictures as well, using the red window only.[1] (It seems that the 127 roll film sold in Japan at the time had indications for half-frame exposures.)
The back does not open: the top plate, exposure chamber and spool holders form a single unit that slides out of the body to load the film. This is certainly possible only when the front plate is extended.
The shutter only has B and I settings selected by a small lever on the front plate. It is released by a lever actioned by the right hand fingers. The lens is fixed-focus, has no aperture setting and is only marked ROKUOH SHA and TOKYO.
The leather case is marked SAKURA at the front.
Advertisements
The Sakura was featured in the new product column of the September 1937 issue of Asahi Camera, and it was only advertised briefly in 1937.[2] It was offered for ¥6.50 in an advertisement dated November 1937, which emphasized the camera's ease of use was illustrated with a drawing of a school boy holding the Sakura.[3]
The Sakura was still listed for ¥10 in the official price list published in January 1941, with no further detail.[4]
Notes
- ↑ Tanaka, p.38 of Kurashikku Kamera Senka no.10.
- ↑ Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.337.
- ↑ Advertisement published in Asahi Camera, reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p.73.
- ↑ "Kokusan shashinki no kōtei kakaku", type 2, section 1.
Bibliography
- Asahi Camera (アサヒカメラ) editorial staff. Shōwa 10–40nen kōkoku ni miru kokusan kamera no rekishi (昭和10–40年広告にみる国産カメラの歴史, Japanese camera history as seen in advertisements, 1935–1965). Tokyo: Asahi Shinbunsha, 1994. ISBN 4-02-330312-7. Item 120. (See also the picture on p.435.)
- "Kokusan shashinki no kōtei kakaku" (国産写真機の公定価格, Set prices of the Japanese cameras), listing Japanese camera production as of October 25, 1940 and setting the retail prices from December 10, 1940. Published in Asahi Camera January 1941 and reproduced in Shōwa 10—40nen kōkoku ni miru kokusan kamera no rekishi (昭和10〜40年広告にみる国産カメラの歴史, Japanese camera history as seen in advertisements, 1935—1965). Tokyo: Asahi Shinbunsha, 1994. ISBN 4-02-330312-7. Pp.108—9. Type 2, section 1.
- Lewis, Gordon, ed. The History of the Japanese Camera. Rochester, N.Y.: George Eastman House, International Museum of Photography & Film, 1991. ISBN 0-935398-17-1 (paper), ISBN 0-935398-16-3 (hard). P.54 (brief mention only).
- McKeown, James M. and Joan C. McKeown's Price Guide to Antique and Classic Cameras, 12th Edition, 2005-2006. USA, Centennial Photo Service, 2004. ISBN 0-931838-40-1 (hardcover). ISBN 0-931838-41-X (softcover). P.545.
- Sugiyama, Kōichi (杉山浩一); Naoi, Hiroaki (直井浩明); Bullock, John R. The Collector's Guide to Japanese Cameras. 国産カメラ図鑑 (Kokusan kamera zukan). Tokyo: Asahi Sonorama, 1985. ISBN 4-257-03187-5. Item 4016. (See also the colour pictures at the beginning.)
- Tanaka Masao (田中政雄). "Konica history 4. Taishō 12-nen – Shōwa 8-nen." (Konica history 4. 大正12年–昭和8年. From Taishō year 12 (1923) to Shōwa year 8 (1933).) Kamera Rebyū: Kurashikku Kamera Senka (カメラレビュー クラシックカメラ専科) / Camera Review: All about Historical Cameras no.10, September 1987. No ISBN number. Konishiroku kamera no rekishi (小西六カメラの歴史, special issue on Konishiroku). Pp.33–8.