History of Goro Yoshida

Yoshida was born in Hiroshima. He came to Tokyo before completing his secondary school education and an internship at a company repair and remodeling motion picture camera and projector. During the second half of the 1920s, when Yoshida was in the late 20's, he often traveled to Shanghai, China to get the parts needed for the job. Shanghai, The "Leica Model II," was introduced in 1932 followed by of " Contax Model I" in 1933. The camera is the pride of Germany, the world empire cameras, camera class considered super satisfy the needs of camera enthusiasts all over the world, and received enthusiastic support.

To create a high-class cameras 35 mm Leica camera Yoshida tried to pry to see the parts that are inside but he was amazed that no Leica camera in special items such as a diamond in the camera. Precisely that is in it is the parts that are made of brass, aluminum, iron and rubber. He was angry when he learned of cheap materials incorporated into the camera and sold at a price that is too high. Finally along with brother-in-law Saburo Uchida and Uchida funded by a close friend, their original purpose is to conduct research on the quality of the camera in order to create a quality camera, and in 1934 precisely in June they issued the first camera to be named Kwanon.

Yoshida had made a prototype 35 mm range finder camera, named "Kwanon", taken from the name of the god in Buddhism. In fact, he gave the name of the lens with the Nagas name, taken from the name of the Buddhist disciple, Mahakasyapa. There are three types of cameras Kwanon in the ad, but none of them are found in the market. It turns out that only three types Kwanon camera models only. There are cameras Kwanon Model D is found in 1955, but even then mimicking Leica Camera Models II and not made by Yoshida, who the maker is unknown.

In his efforts to product commercialization Kwanon by Saburo Uchida, Precision Optical Instruments Laboratory, in collaboration with Nippon Kogaku Kogyo (Japan Industrial Lens for Nikon Company) to use Nikkor lenses to be used by Kwanon. Precision Optical Instruments Laboratory and Nippon Kogaku made an agreement to make the "Hansa Canon" (using a Nikkor 50mm f/3.5 standard lens). The first Canon camera sold in February l936 (some sources say is already on the market in October l935). In making Hansa Canon, Nippon Kogaku responsible for making lenses, the lens mount, viewfinder and optical system of mechanical rangefinder, while the Precision Optical Instruments Laboratory is responsible for the camera body including the focal-plane-shutter, rangefinder cover and assemble.

Name Kwanon then replaced with Canon, which is taken from the word that means the Canon standard for judgment Bible scripts. When the "Hansa Canon" was released, the name of Precision Optical Instruments Laboratory is not included. Because the company does not have its own marketing network, the company then worked with Omiya Shashin Yohin Co.., Ltd.. (Omiya Camera and accessories shop). "Hansa" be trademarks Omiya, taken from the Treaty Hansa, the agreement between the European Union in the Middle Ages.

In June l936, Precision Optical Instruments Laboratory moved to the area Meguro, Japan and renamed the Precision Optical Instruments Laboratory. This name appears in the public media in advertising "Hansa Canon" in August l936, published by Asahi Camera. During its development, the middle of 1937 with a Canon manufactures its own lenses SERENAR name. Later in 1942, Takeshi Mitarai friend of Saburo Uchida, became president of Precision Optical Instruments Laboratory. Dated 15 September 1947, Mitarai changed company name to Canon Camera Co.., Ltd.. Cameras and lenses made since 1953, was named Canon.