Taiyodo Koki

Bear
Posts: 17
Joined: Thu Mar 14, 2024 6:54 am

Taiyodo Koki

Postby Bear » Thu Mar 14, 2024 8:46 am

The Tokyo based Taiyōdō (太陽堂) company was a camera distributor (1) before it went into the manufacturing business in 1948. In 1957 Taiyōdō went bankrupt (2), and it the new company emerged - Beauty Camera K.K.


(1) Camera Taiyodo was a simple shop opened in 1947 that initially sold second-hand goods. Japan's infrastructure, industry and economy was completely devastated by WWII (they were Nuked!), and there were pitifully few cameras being made to "distribute" in the early years. Most of the initial camera production was consumed by the occupying forces: the population were starving. Probably for this reason, Camera Taiyodo developed a manufacturing arm in 1948, and initially made the popular Hit-type cameras. which required minimal materials and were cheap to buy. Camera Taiyodo continued in business as a shop until 2013.

(2) There seems to be little truth to the perpetuated myth that the company became bankrupt. It is far more likely that they simply changed their name, as did so many better known companies, to match that of their product ... "Beauty". Bankruptcy was common, and better known companies went under (e.g. Aries, Zunow). If Taiyodo Koki survived then they were the only company to do so, which seems very unlikely.

diser
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Re: Taiyodo Koki

Postby diser » Mon May 13, 2024 3:10 pm

Thankj, Bear
I just got back from Tokyo where I visited JCII camera museum and spoke to them about this manufacturer. I'll review my notes and update the description soon

Bear
Posts: 17
Joined: Thu Mar 14, 2024 6:54 am

Re: Taiyodo Koki

Postby Bear » Mon May 13, 2024 10:52 pm

Wow! That sounds exciting. I thought I was alone in having an interest in this obscure company. My detailed supporting evidence has been published at https://heyjohnbear.wixsite.com/taiyodo.
I've written a high level summary which can be found at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camera_Taiy%C5%8Dd%C5%8D

Bear
Posts: 17
Joined: Thu Mar 14, 2024 6:54 am

Re: Taiyodo Koki

Postby Bear » Sat Aug 10, 2024 1:49 pm

Page 1306 of the newly discovered 2003 "Distribution Company Yearbook" (流通会社年鑑) published by "Japan Keizai Shimbun" (日本経済新聞社) says that on 21st August 1957 Taiyodo Koki was reorganized as a joint-stock company and changed to its current trade name (the Beauty Camera Company). A joint-stock company is a business in which shares of the company's stock can be bought and sold by shareholders, and obviously it's something very different to bankruptcy, i.e. the inability to pay debts.


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