Our optical heritage and technology
The PROMINAR story started from Gamagori, Aichi in the period following the Second World War.
In 1946, technicians from the Optical Division of the Toyokawa Naval Dockyard were recruited to establish Kowa Koki. Beginning with the manufacture of lenses for spectacles, the company later produced opera glasses and 35mm projection lenses for movie projectors. The increase in demand for CinemaScope lenses in the first half of the 1950s saw Kowa products comprising 90% of the share in Japan. Kowa subsequently developed into the spotting scope business and camera business, making best use of its accumulated technologies.
The “TS-1” and “TS-2” spotting scopes, which were first released in 1952, became 36-year long-selling models, including being officially adopted for use in the shooting events at the first Tokyo Olympics held in 1964.
Many famous Kowa cameras were produced consistently at the company’s own factory in Gamagori, Aichi over a 24-year period, from the release of the “Kalloflex” in 1954 until the end of sales of the “Kowa Super 66” in 1978.
In this way, the PROMINAR brand came into being as a brand that integrated the optical technologies which had been accumulated from the long experience and achievements gained through continually tackling manufacturing for more than 70 years.
PROMINAR is continuing to face the challenges for developing a new future.
