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Today we consume our information from the Internet, but the historical facts mostly originate from books (newspapers and magazines). Here I have summarised the known publications in which snippets about Beauty cameras can be found ... but most are not illuminating.

The Collector's Guide to Japanese Cameras (a.k.a. Sugiyama)

Published: 1985

 

"Guides" tend to comprise information in quantity without quality: they offer a shallow overview of many makes and models. The contents of this guide are no exception, and largely comprise a picture gallery with three or four lines of very basic information. Sugiyama is often quoted (it has become something of a Bible) while simultaneously being criticised for errors. It retails for between approximately £100 and £200*. I managed to get a new copy for a more reasonable £40, but I'm not very impressed: there are lots of Taiyodo/Beauty errors. Here are the 35mm model pages, and here are the TLR model pages (to save further edits, the Fodorflex is also missing).

Koichi Sugiyama was actually a music composer, best known for pretty much all the music from the Dragon Quest games (whatever that was?), and holding controversial views, most especially down-playing Japanese WWII atrocities. Look it up if you are interested, but my point is this - we tend to assume those credited for publications are some sort of expert: often they are often not!

The Collector's Guide to Japanese Cameras

McKeown's Price Guide to Antique and Classic Cameras (a.k.a McKeown's)

Last published 2004

 

McKeown's follows the same format as Sugiyama, where a picture is accompanied by a minimal description. It differs in so far that there were multiple editions updated annually, which grew in size as more information was added. Early editions can be purchased for a few pounds, while the last publication (2005-2006) sells for between £400 and £800*. The sixth edition (1987-1988) is available online at the Internet Archive. I have a variant - the Hove International Blue Book (Millennium Edition) - which doesn't list a single Beauty. Like Sugiyama, McKeown's is known for its errors and omissions. It's clear to see that the f/2.8 Canter in the illustration (right) is actually an f/1.9. 

McKeown's Price Guide to Antique and Classic Cameras

The History Of The Japanese Camera (Edited by Gordon Lewis)
Published: 1991


Another expensive purchase, this publication typically sells for around £100*. Lewis is frequently cited at Camera-wiki, and is the source of the claimed bankruptcy of Taiyodo Koki (page 104). However, if you search Camera-wiki for "bankrupt", the vast majority of results also reference Lewis's page 104. I can therefore only assume that page 104 isn't much more than a list of lost manufacturers and lacking in detail. Otherwise, I am not aware of any other references to Beauty cameras within.
The book is claimed to be a translation of an earlier publication - "Nihon Kamera No Rekishi" (which translates as "Japan Camera History") combined with an 1984 exhibition catalogue from the International Museum of Photography called, "the Evolution of the Japanese Camera". Once again, Lewis was no expert.

The History of the Japanese Camera

The Evolution of the Japanese Camera (Philip Condax, etc)
Published: 1984


This is a book I do own (it retails for £15 to £20*). It's a potted history of the major Japanese brands, and key stages in the evolution of camera technology.

It contains just a single reference to Beauty cameras, and records that Tomioka "developed a triplet called "Tri-Lausar" for cameras like ... the Beautycord S". 

Evolution of the Japanese camera page 14

Camera Collectors' News (CCN)

 

Camera Collectors' News (カメラコレクターズニュース) was a Japanese monthly magazine published from 1977 to 2007. Its content was mainly devoted to lesser known Japanese cameras from the 1920s to the 1960s, and so it covered items rarely featured in other publications. Although the periodical had an English title, its content is entirely in Japanese. Between September 2004 and March 2005, CCN ran a series of articles on Beauty cameras (issues 327, 328, 329, 330 & 333). Obviously I don't have copies of these either, but other issues are available to view($) (or purchase) on the Internet (search using the Japanese characters shown above for other sources). 

Camera Collectors' News

History of domestic cameras as seen in advertisements from Showa 10 to 40 (昭和10〜40年広告にみる国産カメラの歴史 / Kokusan kamera no rekishi)

Obviously this is a Japanese language book (by Ars Camera), which I've seen advertised for sale on various Japanese auction sites (albeit long after the item has sold).  Fortunately one such listing randomly included a page of Taiyodo Koki advertisements (2x Beautyflex Ds, a Beautyflex S, Super 35 (which can be viewed here), and 2x Canters. It looks like it might be a decent book, but getting hold of one outside of Japan is tricky. Last seen on eBay in July 2023, the typical selling price was around £25.00 (plus shipping), which makes it relatively inexpensive. But then again, citations on Camera-wiki would suggest there are just two pages for Taiyodo Koki, so that makes it kind-of expensive.

asahKokusan kamera no rekishiioutside.jpg
History of domestic cameras as seen in advertisements

Distribution Company Yearbook (流通会社年鑑) published by Japan Economic Newspaper (日本経済新聞社)

This is another Japanese language publication and says nothing about cameras, but rather the nature of Camera Taiyodo's business. It's not the sort of thing a typical collector might buy, but the price would be in the order of a few hundred pounds, depending upon the year. The publication comes from the organisation that produces the world's largest financial newspaper - "the Nikkei" - so information is solidly reliable. It tells that the Camera Taiyodo store was established on 24 August 1946, and on 21st August (1957), Taiyodo Koki was reorganized as a joint-stock company and changed to its current trade name (the Beauty Camera Company), thereby correcting the two most significant pieces of misinformation others have speculated upon incorrectly.

流通会社年鑑

* All prices quoted are from Abebooks.co.uk, and correct as of September 2024.

I would be very appreciative if anyone reading this page has a copy of "the History of the Japanese Camera", and is willing to kindly email me a scan or clear photograph of page 104 to TaiyodoBear@gmail.com.

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