Talk:Genzō Kitazumi

Name of the school

Could the name of the school be 慶應義塾商工学校 instead of 慶応商業学校? http://www.keio.ac.jp/ja/news/2005/kr7a430000003yaw.html Kumaryu 18:37, 13 August 2009 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ryuito (talk • contribs)

慶応商業学校 is what Kaneko writes. (I've checked again.)

Yes, it's very likely that it's 慶応義塾 rather than mere 慶応.

慶應 rather than 慶応? Almost certainly yes, as even now the institution uses the former. However, if we pay attention to 旧字 then surely we should write 學校 rather than 学校 (the latter certainly wouldn't have been used officially).

But these are all peripheral issues; the real question is of whether it was 商工 or 商業. Kaneko may well be wrong; let's keep looking. -- Hoary (talk) 22:38, 13 August 2009 (UTC)

The biographical dictionary 日本の写真家 also says 慶応商業学校. (But NB the book is heavily dependent on 日本写真家事典 and elsewhere makes its own mistakes; see this.) -- Hoary (talk) 06:17, 15 August 2009 (UTC)

Birthplace

Without specifying a source, the article claimed that he was born in 東京市. Kaneko claims he was born in 静岡県, and so I changed the text accordingly. Kaneko could be wrong; which source says Tokyo? -- Hoary (talk) 22:38, 13 August 2009 (UTC)

The source for this is 日本の写真1930年代展。　But since it doesn't provide precise dates for birth/death, I would go with Kaneko.

Kumaryu 09:14, 14 August 2009 (UTC)

The book 日本の写真家 (see above) says 静岡県. -- Hoary (talk) 06:17, 15 August 2009 (UTC)

In his memoirs, he wrote that he was born in　東京府北豊島郡日暮里村元金杉 , the area is now called 荒川区東日暮里 Kumaryu 14:05, 20 March 2010 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ryuito (talk • contribs)

Let's take Kitazumi's word for it. On this subject, he should know more than Kaneko. -- Hoary (talk) 14:12, 20 March 2010 (UTC)

Mitsumura

By saying

In 1945 Kitazumi was appointed the director of Mitsumura Natural Color Photographic Research Center, where he pioneered the commercial use of color separation (one-shot) camera and dye-transfer process in Japan.

On 25th May 1945, . . .

the article seems to imply that the appointment took place in 1945 (and before the end of the war).

I can't believe this. In 1945 (before and after the ceasefire) Japan was in a desperate situation and as I understand it there was no technical innovation -- other than surrogates (new things to eat or burn) -- in commerce or indeed anywhere else.

Kaneko says Kitazumi was doing color work for Mitsumura from 1942, which is a lot more plausible; but he doesn't mention any directorship.

Please check the source again. -- Hoary (talk) 22:38, 13 August 2009 (UTC)

Once again, the source is 日本の写真1930年代展。 Which also states that he worked as a 特派員　for Nichinichi (the company changed it's name to Mainichi Shimbun in 1943). From here, I only have non-verifiable statements and my own recollection of color photographs by Kitazumi from the Dutch East Indies and Camobodia. But there is a publication that I'm trying to source at the mo, 南方共榮圏天然色寫眞集 タイ・佛印篇 published by Nichinichi/Mainichi in 1943 and printed by Mitsumura featuring colour photos from SE Asia.

With the start of the war in 1941, import of foreign goods were banned and new supplies steadily dried up. This resulted in many companies attempting to develop domestic equivalents between 41 and 45. Despite food and raw materials shortages, Tokyo was not heavily bombed until the start of B-29 operations from Pacific bases in February 1945. This being the case, there were a number of short-lived domestic development and innovation that occurred in during the period between 41 and 45. (eg Konica developed their prototype colour separation movie process between 1942 and 44).

As for Mitsumura, I understand that they were involved in colour printing processes before the war and their efforts during the war involved the use of cameras based on pre-war American Devin/National Photocolor designs. Mitsumura's offices were also destroyed in May 1945 bringing their operations to a stop until after the war.

Mostly circumstantial and not verifiable but am hoping that 南方共榮圏 (as well as one or two others) will shed light on some of the questions.

Kumaryu 09:14, 14 August 2009 (UTC)

You're right about innovation in wartime Japan: another example is all the odd cameras designed for 127 film while 35mm was unavailable. (Further evidence against the western myth that there was no significant camera industry in Japan until those crafty Japanese unimaginatively copied German designs after the war. Incidentally, even the copying was imaginative and the results first rate.) But my impression was that matters got worse and worse and that there was little such enterprise beyond 1943: thereafter, considerable ingenuity went into just staying alive. ¶ Whatever Kitazumi's formal relationship with Mitsumura, he was doing work in color well before 1945. The book 日本の写真家 (see above) says that he was doing this color photography in various occupied territories to the south in 1942 and (in its only mention of Mitsumura) says 「18年にその際撮影した原板をもとに光村天然色撮影南方写真展覧会を開催し、全国巡回。」 -- Hoary (talk) 06:17, 15 August 2009 (UTC)