Client Research

The founder of Canon
Canon was founded by Goro Yoshida, Saburo Uchida and Takeo Maeda. Canon’s first name was Precision
Optical Instruments Laboratory in Japan 1933. Goro Yoshida was born in Hiroshima but moved to tokyo
before completing his middle school education. In Tokyo he apprenticed at a company that repaired and
remodelled motion picture cameras and projectors. When Yoshida was in his late 20s he regularly visited
Shanghai, China to gather the necessary parts for his job. It is said that after Yoshida met an American trader
Roy E. Delay in Shanghai, he decided to create high-end 35mm rangefinder cameras. Yoshida loved to tinker
with machines and instruments and was already repairing and remodeling motion picture cameras and
projectors. So, it was natural that Yoshida would be attracted to the making of cameras.

The Birth of Canon: 1933- 1936
During this time, Japan’s first 35mm focal-plane shutter rangefinder camera hit the market. It all began in a small
streetside shop in Tokyo called the Precision Optical Instruments Laboratory, where a prototype camera called the
Kwanon was created, which later evolved into the Hansa Canon. This is the origin of Canon’s camera manufacturing,
which always involves a lot of trial and error. Canon cameras were introduced in small but steady steps here. Leica
and Contax are two excellent brands for the most technologically advanced 35mm focal-plane-shutter cameras. The
Leica model II was released in 1932, followed by the Contaz model I in 1933. These cameras were considered super
grade cameras, satisfying the needs of camera fans all over the world and receiving enthusiastic support. The Leica
cameras in Japan were priced at 420 yen, where as the best paying job in Japan was around 70 yen a month. Making
this high end camera to be considered a takane no hana (something far beyond reach) for ordinary people. However,
a Japanese man disassembled and studied the inner working of a Leica Model II in order to create the first domestic
35mm focal-plane-shutter rangefinder camera (known as the 35mm rangefinder camera). This man was Goro
Yoshida.

Dreams for the prototype camera “Kwanon”
Being a Buddhist and devout follower of Kannon, Yoshida gave his first prototype camera the name Kwanon
in honour of the Buddhist goddess of mercy. The logo of the camera included a thousand-armed Kwannon
Goddess, and the term Kasyapa of the camera’s lens was derived from Mahakasyapa, a disciple of the
Buddha. Three different Kwanon camera models were featured in advertisements, although they were all
wooden models or illustrations rather than real products. To put it another way, the Kwanon was never
actually sold. Yoshida claimed to have finished ten Kwanon cameras, but none of them had ever been seen
before. However, around about 1995, a camera known as the Kwanon Model D was found in Osaka, but
Yoshida was not the manufacturer of this duplicate of the Leica Model II. The identity of the Kwanon Model
D is still unknown. However, the creation of the first Japanese high-end 35mm rangefinder camera was the
pride and desire of an engineer who refused to let Germany or any other western country take the lead. So,
Yoshida departed the lab in the fall of 1934 because the method the lab used to make cameras was no
longer in line with what he wanted to do.

Release of Hansa Canon, the first canon
camera.
Despite extensive testing and attempts to commercialise the Kwanon camera, Precision Optical Instruments
Lab was still unable to obtain the lenses and rangefinders that were necessary camera parts. After much
thought, the lab decided to ask Nippon Kagaku Kogyo (Japan Optical Industries, Inc., the forerunner of Nikon
Corporation), for permission to utilise the Nikkor lens. Nippon Kogaku was a leading manufacturer of optical
equipment in Japan with an advanced manufacturing system that specialises in military equipment, had
really made a name for himself at this point. Saburo Uchida the brother of Ryonosuke Uchida was an auditor
at Nippon Kogaku’s policy to enter the civilian product market. Hpri was in charge of researching non-
military products as part of the strategy to penetrate the civilian product sector. He was considering using
premium optics for non-military purposes. Fortunately, Precision Optical Instruments Lab plea for assistance
came at the ideal time. The lab and Nippon agreed to work together to produce the Hansa Canon with the
Nikkor 50mm lens, with the full backing of Nippon Kogaku.

Release of Hansa Canon, the first canon
camera part 2.
In February 1996, the first Canon camera was created through this cooperative effort was released on the
market. However, some say the actual date was October 1935. While the Precision Optical Instruments Lab
was in charge of the main body of the camera, which included the focal-plane-shutter, the rangefinder and
the assembly of the camera body, Nippon Kogaku was in charge of the lens, the lens mount, the optical
system of the viewfinder and the rangefinder mechanism. The word Kwanon which originally meant the
standard for judgement or biblical scriptures was later change to Canon. At this point, Canon was a brand
name for a business in the precision industry, and with this new name the striving for precision motto was
born. Unfortunately, for the Precision Optical Instruments lab, they were not present when the Hansa
Canon was made public. The company had previously reached an exclusive sales and trademark display
arrangement with the help of Omiya Shashin Yohin Co, Ltd as the company was lacking in any sales
channels. So, Omiya’s trademark Hasna was derived from the Hasna Treaty signed by European trade unions
in the Middle Ages.

Auspicious Beginnings of High-Quality 35mm Cameras:
1937-1945
To begin the full-scale manufacture and selling of
cameras, the Precision Optical Instruments lab
which gained their reputation for creating the Hasna
Canon, became the Precision Optical Industry Co,
Ltd. The business specialised in producing premium
35mm cameras andit created the distinctive Serenar
lens with the goal of producing cameras of the
highest calibre. By overcoming the challenges in
obtaining basic materials, the company was able to
restart the manufacturing of cameras from the ruins
in the war-torn factories.
The next steps as the Precision Optical Industry Co, Ltd-
Japan Precision Optical Instruments lab appeared to
have had consistent expansion during those days with
the relocation to Meguro Ward, the production of the
Hansa Canon and the hiring of addition staff but the
reality was different. According to reports the
manufacturing rate fluctuated between a maximum of
10 cameras per month to hardly any cameras per week.
Despite the company having introduced the first 35mm
rangefinder camera in Japan, there were difficult
commercial conditions as a result of its limited
production capacity. It made the decision to incorporate
the business in order to get throught the financial
challenges.

1937-1945
New steps as the Precision Optical Industry Co., Ltd-
The lab was reformed as a joint-stock company on
August 10, 1937 and its name was changed to
Precision Optical Industry Co., Ltd to start over. This
days was designated as the founding day of Canon
Cameras that bear the name of Canon-
Following incorporation, the company’s operations really took off. The first firm released the Hasna Canon (standard Model) in February
1939, followed by the S (the newest Model) and the J (popular model) before the end of the same month. Nevertheless, the company’s
production method was mostly manual, particularly during the finishing steps, which included filling the undesired cracks in the camera
bodies or using files to smooth the rough surfaces of the component pieces. The word Hansa was eliminated from the brand name with the
release of the Newest Model was replaced by the word Canon. However, this did not signify a rupture in the alliance with Omiya Shashin
Yohin Co., Ltd. In actuality, Omiya persisted in offering solid support, particularly with the sales campaign. The base monthly salary of Omiya’s
sales staff was about 20 yen at a time when the average salary of salaried workers was between 40 and 50 yen, which was incredibly low. It
was stated that these salespeople were paid commissions of 5 yen for each standard model they sold. Even the popular model was out of
reach for the ordinary salaried workers at the time due to its high cost. Given the small consumer camera market size, sales. Instead of
concentrating on retail camera stores, Omiya staff established a plan to target certain people with purchasing power. Their tactics were so
successful that the income and employee morale of the camera sales and staff significantly increased. Since the demand for high-end 35mm
cameras had been growing quickly, Omiya, the camera’s only sales representative appeared to even have a brilliant idea to sell the camera to
the European markets, which were Leica and Contax’s stronghold. Omiya published an advert for the Hansa Canon in the March 1988 issue of
the British Journal of Photography, a magazine published in the United Kingdom.

Production of Serenar lens, an Original product
of Canon (1937-1945)
The standard model, the newest model, the new standard Model and the popular model replaced
the high-grade 35mm cameras of the Precision Optical Industry. The lineup established the
reputation that Seiki Canon was synonymous with Japanese high-grade 35mm camera. There was a
strong demand for the company to produce its own lenses about midway through 1937, but these
voices were said to be weak. As the company's first optical engineer Yoshizo Furukawa designed a
few lenses on a trial basis including the "50mm f/4.5" lens, as well as the "45mm f/0.85" lens for
16mm cine camcorders. He was also a part of the 50mm f/3.5, a non-rangefinder coupled 135mm
f/4 lenses and lenses for the indirect X-ray camera development. Serenar was chosen for the names
of the 50mm f/3.5 and the 135mm f/4 lenses through a contest that was held within the company.
The word Serenar connotes the word serene which means clear, calm and tranquil and originates in
the Sea of Serenity on the moon.

References
Canon. (Unknown). History Hall- View by Period. [Online]. Canon Camera Museum.
Last Updated: Unknown. Available at: https://global.canon/en/c-
museum/history/story01.html [Accessed 30 January 2023].
Wikipedia. (Unknown). Canon Inc.. [Online]. Canon Inc.. Last Updated: 14 January
2023. Available at:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_Inc.#:~:text=The%20origins%20of%20Canon%20
date,in%201937. [Accessed 30 January 2023].