The
company began in December, 1949 in Nagano, Japan, when the Yashima
Seiki Company was founded with an initial investment of $566. Its eight
employees originally manufactured components for electric clocks.
Later, they began making camera components, and by June 1953 had
introduced their first complete camera, the Yashimaflex, a twin-lens
reflex (TLR) medium-format camera designed for 6x6cm rollfilm. The
Yashimaflex and successive cameras used lenses sourced from the Tomioka
Optical Works, beginning a relationship that would last for years. Also
in 1953, the company’s name was changed to Yashima Optical Industry
Company, Ltd. (Source: Wikipedia)
On an interesting note: Begun in 1949 as the Yashima Seiki
Co. In
1958, Yashima changed its name to Yashica Company, Ltd, when it
acquired the Nicca Camera Company, Ltd. Yashima + Nicca =
Yashica) The Nicca acquisition expanded the company’s market
into
35mm film cameras. Yashica is now Kyocera.
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