Periscope binoculars for cavalry or infantry


These are for hand held use. Periscope binoculars for artillery
were much larger and used on a tripod. Artillery periscope binos
were manufactured by TOKYO KOGAKU but these smaller infantry
periscope binos were made by NIPPON KOGAKU.

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Imperial Army NCO field binoculars TYPE '93

In the early '30s, Imperial Army maneuvered in Manchuria and
found they needed all NCOs to have a pair of binoculars to
spot the potential enemy (then USSR). But the prismatic binos
then costed 80 Yen a pair. That was too much of a budget.
So they ordered Nippon Kogaku to make them at 30 Yen a pair.
NIPPON KOGAKU designed a pair in Galilean design and in mass
production, they could reduce the cost. They also added a distance
scale in an ingeneous way so far impossible in Galilean design.
As shown in the diagram below, the scale was etched inside surface
of the objective lens and focused through an convex lens glued
to the upper half of the ocular lens.

WWII Nippon Kogaku 10x70 bino

Nikko Aviation Binoculars Type-I for the Imperial Army Airforce.
Their 70degrees of AFV
exceed their post war counterpart, Nikon 10x70 Type I(65 degree).

飛行双眼鏡一式
日本陸軍航空隊の制式双眼鏡。陸軍でも海軍制式の７ｘ５０ノバー型を
偵察用に使っていたが、偵察高度が高くなるとともにより高い倍率が要
望され、かつノバー型と同じ視野が得られるように見かけ視界７０゜の
接眼鏡をもつ７ｃｍ１０倍双眼鏡の開発を日本光学に依頼して作られた。

Name plate on the box. It says "Aviation Binocular Type-I
serial number(very faint, but it reads No.5) and the date
of manufacture (faded, is it year 12 of the Showa era(1937)?).

Three generations of Nikon 10x70 binoculars.
It's funny the older the wider AFV.

Nikko wide field monocular 4x17deg.


Very wide AFV(68 degree). Straight viewing with roof prism.
Large Erfle type eyepiece and rather small objective lens(24mm).
I don't know what this is for. Interesting item.