So do you own a fine Nikon camera? I don't, having started with Minolta and then moving to Canon. Once you commit to seriously good lenses it's hard to switch. If you do own a Nikon camera, you have Goto-san to thank for encouraging Nippon Kogaku to start making and marketing them in the early 1920's. And what about those Zeiss ties to Japan optical companies?
When Goto-san started with Nippon Kogaku K.K. he was appointed head of the General Affairs department. To give you an idea of the degree of influence such a position entails look at this definition I found on the web:
"Although specific functions of general affairs officers vary significantly, they share many common duties. For example, officers perform administrative tasks to ensure that their staffs can work efficiently. Equipment and machinery used in their departments must be in good working order. If the computer system goes down or a fax machine malfunctions, the officers must try to correct the problem or alert repair personnel. They also request new equipment or supplies for their department when necessary.
Planning the work and supervising the staff are key functions of this job. To do these effectively, the supervisor must know the strengths and weaknesses of each member of the staff, as well as the results required from and time allotted to each job. Officers must make allowances for unexpected staff absences and other disruptions by adjusting assignments or performing the work themselves if the situation requires it.
Officers help train new employees in organization and office procedures. They may teach new employees how to use the telephone system and operate office equipment. Because most administrative support work is computerized, they also must teach new employees to use the organization’s computer system. When new office equipment or updated computer software is introduced, officers train experienced employees to use it efficiently or, if this is not possible, arrange for their employees to receive special outside training.
General affairs officers often act as liaisons between the administrative support staff and the professional, technical, and managerial staff. This may involve implementing new company policies or restructuring the workflow in their departments. They also must keep their superiors informed of their progress and any potential problems. Often, this communication takes the form of research projects and progress reports. Because officers and managers have access to information such as their department’s performance records, they may compile and present these data for use in planning or designing new policies."
Nippon Kogaku from it's inception in 1917 performed work primarily for the military, presumably in optics. After WWI there was a post-war depression in Japan and the company was actually faltering in the early mid-1920's. Technology transfer was occurring however between Germany and Nippon Kogaku. A team of eight German technicians and skilled workers, including Professor Max Lang and Heinrich Acht, talented camera lens designers, had been hired in an effort to incorporate German optical technology. Although Goto-san was heavily involved with labor negotiations he became friendly especially with Heinrich Acht. And incorporating marketing and product development ideas from Acht, he went to the board and suggested that the company should shift focus to meet civilian product demand that was currently being met through importation. He spent a year doing marketing research. Of the two primary products considered, microscopes and cameras, Takachiho Seisakusho Ltd. (Olympus) was already meeting the demand for microscopes. For Goto-san, the camera was the best product to focus on for Nippon Kogaku.
In 1926 Nippon Kogaku's board made the decision to lay off 700 of its 2000 employees. Goto-san chose to leave the company. Nippon Kogaku was making telescopes, but selling only one a year. They were very expensive. Goto-san saw an opportunity to expand the market with a much less expensive telescope, based on the educational needs of schools and what they could afford. He departed Nippon Kogaku in August of 1926 and was manufacturing and selling a single lens 30mm telescope with 25mm effective diameter by November of 1926. The lenses were provided by Nippon Kogaku and the telescopes were assembled in Goto-san's home. Marketing, sales and distribution were handled by Kagaku Gaho-sha, a magazine publisher. Sales quickly reached 100 units per month. Because of the education institutional focus, Goto-san developed that eyepiece solar projector we have often wondered about with the wall projecting prism. That device alone helped raise the stature of the company and within a year the Goto Optical Manufacturing Co. was independently operating.
