|
WWII Japanese Army 6 x military binoculars with reticule/grid |
|
Japanese External Reverse Porro Prism Binoculars. WEBSITE MUSEUM |
|
OTHER BINOCULARS #12 & OPTICAL SIGHTS (MOSTLY MILITARY) |
|
FOR GERMAN WWII BINOCULAR and OPTICAL MANUFACTURER CODES |
|
WWII Toko / Tokyo Kogaku Kikai Kabushikikaisha (Tokyo Optical Co., Ltd.) Japanese Navy 7x7.1 military binoculars with ranging grid. |
|
My WWII era Toko Japanese senior officers binoculars with original canvas case and with right ocular graticule/ ranging grid were made by Tokyo Kogaku Kikai Kabushikikaisha, founded in 1932, a company founded to make various Japanese army optical goods, and who is today known as Topcon. |
|
The marking 航 means “navigation”and was used on Japanese navy and naval aviation binoculars. The marking ' 目盛入 means “with scale” (graticule or ranging grid). |
|
WWII Nikko Novar / Nippon Kōgaku Kōgyō Kabushikigaisha ( 日本光学工業株式会社 Japanese Army 7x50 military binoculars #42729 |
|
My WWII era Nikko Japanese senior officers military 7x50 binoculars serial number 42729, with right ocular graticule/ ranging grid were made by Nippon Kōgaku Kōgyō Kabushikigaisha ( 日本光学工業株式会社 " Japan Optical Industries Co., Ltd.") , today known as Nikon. |
|
The marking 日本光学 means “Nippon Kogaku”. The marking 目盛入 means “with scale” (graticule or ranging grid), and the marking 丿 バ一 is the Kanji phonetic equivalent of “Novar” |
|
WWII Nikko / Nippon Kōgaku Kōgyō Kabushikigaisha ( 日本光学工業株式会社 Japanese Army NCO/ Non Commissioned officers 93 式双眼鏡 / 93-Shiki sōgankyō) Type 93 4x10 military binoculars |
|
In the same way that the German military developed the 08 fernglas in WWI as a durable economic simple to make Galilean/ non prismatic binoculars to be issued to non commissioned officers in WWI, the Japanese also developed the Type 93 (93 式双眼鏡 / 93-Shiki sōgankyō) Galilean/ non prismatic binoculars to be issued to non commissioned officers during their 1930’s Manchurian conflict. It has a right side ranging grid. As with the Nikko binoculars above, by the logo outline, my example with it’s canvas carry case was made Nippon Kōgaku Kōgyō Kabushikigaisha as Nikko ( 日本光学工業株式会社 " Japan Optical Industries Co., Ltd.") binoculars, (the company is today known as Nikon). The serial number has been scratched out. |
|
The J.E.S. mark Japan Engineering Standards #13554 |
|
My Japanese 6x binoculars are Japanese army issued and have a right ocular reticule or ranging grid. These would be very typical of a US soldier bring back item, and virtually all Japanese binoculars in working condition that were encountered by US troops during the war with Japan or occupation were grabbed to use and to bring homeo the USA. I have so far been unable to identify the logo, which the Google translation ap interprets as being a character for “rice”, over a representation of Mt Fuji ???? |
|
WWII Made in Occupied France Huet 8x30 Krieigsmarine German Navy military binoculars |
|
WWII German Occupied France Made Huet Dienstglas 7x50 German Army military binoculars |
|
The French Societ é Generale d’Optique, maker of Huet optical goods, made my DF 8x30 Artillery binoculars serial number 5854 for the Kriegsmarine/ German Navy. |
|
Huet production of their existing French military optics designs such were continued for the German military during the German occupation of France June 1940-1944, with some German markings, as with mine. Captured existing Huet optics were also used by the German military, but these usually only had their original French markings. These binoculars have a right ocular graticule/ grid. |
|
The French Societ é Generale d’Optique, maker of Huet optical goods, made my 7x50 501 Dienstglas marked binoculars with right ocular graticule/ ranging grid for the German Army during the German occupation of France. |
|
I do not see any serial number (unless it is the 501 marking), and based on the common late war tan paint (nothing to do with DAK despite nonsense internet claims of tan binoculars being DAK). I believe these to be late war production. |
|
These have sliding objective sun guards |
|
WWII Japanese Army 6X military binoculars |
|
People seeking WWII Japanese military binoculars should be careful. Many binoculars claimed as being WWII and Japanese Military binoculars on places like Ebay ® are neither. Binoculars marked “Japan”, “made in Japan”, “occupied Japan” etc. are for export and are NOT WWII because Japan did not export binoculars during WWII. A few logotypes of Japanese companies exporting binoculars prior to WWII such as Nippon Kogaku using Nikko, Toko, and Takatisho continued to use these established logos with non Japanese alphabet for WWII military optics. But WWII model names will usually be in Japanese characters, because most Japanese prior to and during WWII could not read non Japanese alphabets! Markings other than those few logos using non Japanese alphabet usually suggest NOT WII, but with a few exceptions, partly because export model names were not easy to put in Japanese characters. Arabic numerals were commonly used interchangeably with Japanese character numbers on military equipment, perhaps partly because the spoken sound of the Japanese character 4 sounds like shi (death) and the spoken sound of the character 8 sounds like ku (suffering, agony), both considered unlucky. Canvas binoculars cases are usually WWII military, but were also produced for some early post war occupied Japan binoculars. A reticule/ range grid does indicate military use. |
|
NIKKO logo |
|
My Japanese 6x binoculars are Japanese army issued, and have a right ocular reticule or ranging grid. These would be very typical of a US soldier bring back item, and virtually all Japanese binoculars in working condition that were encountered by US troops during the war with Japan, or during the US army occupation of Japan were grabbed to use and/or to bring home to the USA as a desirable captured item. |
|
The J.E.S. mark is Japan Engineering Standards #13554 |
|
WWII Japanese Takatiho Optical Co. Ltd Army 7x50 military binoculars ser. #3063 |
|
My WWII Takatiho 7x50 binoculars Serial #3063 were made by Takatiho Optical Co.Ltd. , and are marked on the left side 目盛入 ( with scale/ reticule/ range grid) and I believe they have a 空 in circle marking indicating Army or Air Force use. The pivot has ト in a circle, and an anchor mark, which may be an inspection/approval mark? I am unable to identify the Japanese markings above the 7x50 mm markings or on the carry case (translation help please to miniature.binoculars@ gmail.com.). Hand held Takatiho military binoculars do not seem common, and the 3063 serial number seems low. |
|
WWII Nippon Kōgaku Kōgyō Kabushikigaisha ( 日本光学工業株式会社 ) Novar 日本光学 丿 バ一 Japanese Army 7x50 military binoculars #59568 |