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Camera Taiyōdō is known to have operated other shops at various times, including
Terminal 1 of Narita International Airport, the Tokyu Hotel, and another store at Shijuku Station in Tokyo. Today there are still shops in Japan that trade under the name Camera Taiyōdō, but it is not known whether they
88:
given names that were variations of Beauty (e.g. Beauty, Beautyflex, Beautycord). These were sold from their Tokyo shops mainly to US troops, exported to North
European countries, the USA, Asia and South America. They were also rebadged for sale outside of Japan by the Dutch importer Fodor
126:. The last camera produced by the Beauty Camera Company was the 1963 Lightmatic SP. However, Camera Taiyōdō remained in business, at the same Jinbōchō Crossing shop, until 30 June 2013. Their closure was immortalised by numerous camera collecting Japanese bloggers
333:
A company search will show that the last registered
President of Taiyōdō Koki was Kunio Doi. It is not known whether this is the same person who first opened the shop and inspired the name of the 1951 "Doimer" lens (fitted to some Taiyōdō cameras), or a
69:(太陽堂光機㈱) - in 1948. The camera factory was located behind the Jinbōchō Crossing shop, the store entrance being on the front of a four-story facility, which is still known as the "Camera Taiyōdō Building" today.
369:
471:
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), 0-935398-16-3 (hard).
111:
An article in the 23rd March 1957 edition of "Army Times" described
Taiyodo Koki's plans for the manufacture and distribution of new models, and specifically a shift from TLRs to 35mm
93:(Wardflex) in the USA. Taiyōdō Koki also rebranded some of their products under the name "Gen" for sale in Canada, and "CSL Photoflex" (the market for which is a mystery).
54:.. It initially sold second-hand cameras. Advertisements offering to purchase and exchange equipment where placed in the January and July 1946 issues of
35:
356:
A 1947 Imperial
Theatre Opera Programme for a performance of Carmen and two Moulin Rouge Shinjukuza Theatre Pamphlets (No 10 & 12) with back page
459:
100:, Taiyōdō Koki suffered a similar fate in September 1957. However, page 1306 of the 2003 "Distribution Company Yearbook" (流通会社年鑑) published by "
481:
115:. The plans described were fully delivered over the following year, and by December 1957 the manufacturer had adopted a new name - the
407:
Flickr scan of a side-by-side advertisement from the
January 1951 issue of Photo Art showing Taiyōdō Koki as the manufacturer of the
446:
394:
Flickr scan of a side-by-side advertisement from the
January 1949 issue of Kohga Gekkan showing Taiyōdō Koki as the manufacturer of
119:ビューティカメラ㈱) - to match that of their products, as did many other better known companies of the time (such as Canon, Minolta, Nikon).
89:(Fodorflex), Miller-Outcult (Milo 35) and the United States Camera Corporation of Chicago (USC Auto 50), plus the mail-order giant
104:" (日本経済新聞社) - which can be seen in snippet view at Google Books - says that on 21st August 1957 Taiyodo Koki was reorganized as a
551:
434:
61:
The beginnings of the company were recounted in a 2010 interview of the veteran staff of Camera Taiyōdō published by
421:
344:
210:
Beautyflex (Beautyflex written as one word, with moving baseboard focusing & mechanical frame counter)
199:
Beauty (Home market version of moving baseboard focusing & mechanical frame counter
Beautyflex models)
96:
According to page 104 of "The
History of the Japanese Camera", which list Japanese companies that became
55:
81:
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Confirmed by staff in their 2010 interview by Senshu University (ref 4), and seen on the cover of a
73:
85:
520:
494:
385:
Various Property Letting Agents' details confirming this can be found via an Internet search.
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Synchro-MX (rebadged as the Wardflex II, USC Auto Fifty, and rebranded as the SCL Photoflex)
47:
8:
105:
247:
Beautycord (four models offered as lower specification alternatives to the Beautyflexes)
65:
of Chiyoda. This document records the that Camera Taiyōdō added the manufacturing arm -
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62:
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373:
357:
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Beauty Flex (with geared-lens focusing & red-window frame counter/advance)
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In the early 1950s Taiyōdō Koki made various types of cameras beginning with
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In the early 1960s, the Beauty Lightomatic III was imported into the UK by
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398:(mis-spelt Meteall) on the left, and Camera Taiyōdō the shop on the right
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T (rebranded as the Wardflex model 120, and rebadged as the Gen-flex)
27:
19:
108:
and changed to its current trade name (the Beauty Camera Company).
58:(a magazine for amateur enthusiasts) and local theatre programmes.
39:
Coll. Marè CL - Taiyōdō (太陽堂) Beauty Camera Lightomatic II 1960
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Stick to the photo: long-established "Camera Taiyodo" closed
447:
Advertisement in a 1960 issue of Jornal do Brazil newspaper
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Seen advertised by Sunder & Kapoor in volume 77 of the
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and retailer of the Gelto DIII made by Gelto Camera Werke.
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Imported model names and volumes can be seen in the 1957
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A copy of an advertisement for the "Gen 35" advert in a
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A magazine advertisement for this model can be seen at
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Beauty 35 (rebadged as the Gen 35, Milo 35 and Ward 35)
480:
A copy of the Taiyōdō Koki article published in the
347:in the January 1946 issue of Ars Camera on Flickr.
460:July 1957 edition of the Saskatchewan Leader-Post
130:have any connection to the original Tokyo store.
543:
205:III S (unique Japan only model with 75mm lenses)
287:
370:2010 Senshu University of Chiyoda publication
537:Taiyodo Koki & the Beauty Camera Company
50:Crossing, Chiyoda, Tokyo, opened in 1947 by
185:II (two versions with 75mm and 80mm lenses)
182:Original with no type number (75mm lenses)
482:23rd March 1957 edition of the Army Times
34:
26:
18:
16:Japanese Camera manufacturer (1948–1963)
301:Beauty Super L (Varicon SL and Super L)
544:
313:Beauty Lightomatic III/Beauty Lite III
133:
240:Synchro-MXV on Fodorflex rebadge only
202:Beauty (version of the Beautyflex S)
508:1971 Camera Taiyōdō store catalogue
484:can be seen at the Internet Archive
13:
194:V (rebranded as the CSL Photoflex)
14:
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422:US Department of Commerce report
358:advertisements by Camera Taiyōdō
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272:35mm viewfinder and rangefinder
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298:Beauty Super II (Varicon S II)
191:IV (early & late versions)
1:
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283:Beauty Canter (F2.8 and F1.9)
138:Listed by type in date order
552:Organizations based in Japan
345:Camera Taiyōdō advertisement
288:Beauty Camera Company models
228:D (four shutter variations)
7:
435:Illustrated Weekly of India
219:28 (three model variations)
46:(カメラ太陽堂) was a shop at the
10:
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343:A scan of the first known
84:, but were best known for
521:the Extinct Media Museum
257:Reflex Beauty I & II
372:(doc in Japanese), and
267:Beauty Six (two models)
374:an English translation
40:
32:
24:
307:Beauty Lightomatic II
304:Beauty Lightomatic/LM
117:Beauty Camera Company
38:
30:
22:
316:Beauty Lightmatic SP
102:Japan Keizai Shimbun
134:Taiyōdō Kōki models
113:rangefinder cameras
106:joint-stock company
409:Beauty Flex II TLR
76:followed by a 6x6
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293:35mm rangefinders
63:Senshu University
31:Beautycord camera
23:Beautyflex camera
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493:Example Blog -
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280:Beauty 35 Super
142:for 17.5mm film
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91:Ward Montgomery
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531:External links
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74:sub-miniatures
44:Camera Taiyōdō
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161:for 16mm film
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67:Taiyōdō Koki
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334:descendent.
262:6×6 folders
396:the Meteor
321:References
56:Ars Camera
234:Rectus MX
169:Beauty 16
156:Beauty 14
52:Kunio Doi
546:Category
231:Copal MX
174:6×6 TLRs
98:bankrupt
48:Jinbōchō
310:Beaumat
252:6×6 SLR
150:Vestkam
166:Spy 16
153:Epochs
147:Meteor
124:Dixons
78:folder
86:TLRs
80:and
188:IIA
82:SLR
548::
523:.
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225:U
222:K
213:S
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
_Beauty_Camera_Lightomatic_II_1960.JPG)