Komamura Horseman
A camera brand under Komamura, specializing in large format cameras.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Komamura Corporation is a Japanese imaging company established in Kyoto in 1933 as Komamura Brothers. Its early business developed around specialized photographic equipment rather than consumer cameras. The company’s first documented camera was the PC-101, an inspection camera produced in 1948 for Japan’s National Police Agency. Komamura subsequently adapted this design for press and professional photographic use, creating the Horseman 102, introduced in 1950 and described as the first camera to carry the Horseman Professional brand. Horseman became the company’s best-known photographic identity. Over the following decades, Komamura developed equipment for professional photographers working in medium and large formats, as well as specialized accessories and technical-camera systems. Its product history included 35mm, medium-format, and large-format cameras, along with view-camera converters, digital-camera accessories, and shutter systems. The range included products such as the DigiFlex and DigiFlex II, Horseman 3D, VCC view-camera converters, LD and LD Pro systems, and the ISS Intelligent Shutter System. These products served specialist applications in studio, technical, architectural, industrial, and professional photography. Komamura relocated from Kyoto to Tokyo in 1982. Beginning in 1992, it entered a series of licensing and distribution arrangements covering foreign photographic and video products in Japan. The named products associated with these arrangements included Rodenstock and Schneider Kreuznach lenses, Gossen light meters, and Anton Bauer batteries. This distribution activity broadened the company’s role from camera manufacturing to professional imaging supply and representation. A major organizational change occurred in 2012, when Komamura transferred the assets of its Horseman Professional photographic business to Kenko Professional Imaging. Kenko subsequently continued marketing cameras and photographic accessories developed by Komamura under the Horseman name. The transfer marked a shift away from Komamura’s historic role as the direct operator of the Horseman photographic business, although the brand and product lineage remained present in the professional imaging market through Kenko. Komamura’s more recent business emphasis has centered on night-vision scopes and cameras. In 2014, the company developed and launched the Falcon Eye KC-2000, a high-sensitivity camera capable of producing full-color images. This product illustrates the company’s move toward specialized low-light and surveillance-oriented imaging rather than a broad consumer-camera portfolio. Publicly documented information describes Komamura as continuing to operate in this specialized imaging field, while its former Horseman photographic assets remain associated with Kenko Professional Imaging.
History
Komamura Corporation traces its origins to Komamura Brothers, founded in Kyoto in 1933. The company entered camera production after the Second World War with the PC-101, an inspection camera made in 1948 for Japan’s National Police Agency. The design was subsequently developed for professional and press use as the Horseman 102, offered in 1950. This camera established the Horseman Professional identity, which became the company’s principal photographic brand. Komamura spent the following decades developing specialist photographic equipment across 35mm, medium-format, and large-format categories. Horseman products were aimed at professional photographers and technical users who required modular, precise, or highly configurable equipment. The company also produced accessories and systems such as view-camera converters, digital single-lens-reflex camera adaptations, and intelligent shutter equipment. The documented product family included the DigiFlex and DigiFlex II, Horseman 3D, VCC converters, LD and LD Pro systems, and ISS. In 1982, Komamura moved its operations from Kyoto to Tokyo. A decade later, in 1992, it expanded its role in the professional imaging sector by entering licensing and distribution arrangements for foreign photographic and video products in Japan. These arrangements covered products associated with Rodenstock, Schneider Kreuznach, Gossen, and Anton Bauer. The activity made Komamura not only a camera developer but also a Japanese-market distributor for professional imaging technologies. The company’s relationship with the Horseman business changed in 2012, when Komamura transferred the assets of the Horseman Professional photographic operation to Kenko Professional Imaging. Kenko continued to market the cameras and accessories developed by Komamura under the Horseman name. This transaction separated the historic Horseman business from Komamura’s direct operations while preserving continuity for users of the product line. Komamura’s subsequent emphasis moved toward specialized low-light imaging. In 2014, it launched the Falcon Eye KC-2000, a high-sensitivity camera capable of full-color imaging. The company is described as focusing primarily on night-vision scopes and cameras, representing a transition from its historical concentration on medium- and large-format photographic equipment to surveillance, inspection, and other specialized imaging applications.
- 2014
Falcon Eye KC-2000 launched
[1]Komamura launched the Falcon Eye KC-2000 high-sensitivity camera for full-color imaging in low-light conditions.
- 2012
Horseman Professional assets transferred
[1]The Horseman Professional photographic business assets were transferred to Kenko Professional Imaging.
- 1992
Professional imaging distribution activity expands
[1]Komamura entered the first of several agreements to distribute foreign photographic and video products exclusively in Japan.
- 1982
Company relocates to Tokyo
[1]Komamura moved its operations from Kyoto to Tokyo.
- 1950
Horseman 102 introduced
[1]The PC-101 concept was developed into the Horseman 102, the first camera associated with the Horseman Professional brand.
- 1948
PC-101 inspection camera produced
[1]Komamura produced the PC-101 for inspection work by Japan’s National Police Agency.
- 1933
Komamura Brothers founded in Kyoto
[1]The company was established in Kyoto under the name Komamura Brothers.
Products and positioning
A specialist Japanese imaging company focused on professional, technical, inspection, low-light, and night-vision applications rather than mass-market consumer photography.
Inspection camera · 1948
PC-101
Komamura’s first documented camera, produced in 1948 for inspection work by Japan’s National Police Agency. The PC-101 formed the technical and historical basis for the later Horseman 102 and the Horseman Professional camera lineage.
Professional press and technical camera · 1950
Horseman 102
Introduced in 1950, the Horseman 102 developed the inspection-camera concept into a professional photographic product. It was the first camera marketed under the Horseman Professional identity and helped establish Komamura’s long-running specialist camera business.
High-sensitivity camera · 2014
Falcon Eye KC-2000
A high-sensitivity camera developed and launched by Komamura in 2014. The KC-2000 was designed to provide full-color imaging and reflects the company’s later focus on low-light, night-vision, and specialized observation applications.
35mm professional camera
DigiFlex and DigiFlex II
Horseman Professional-branded 35mm camera products developed for specialist photographic users. They formed part of Komamura’s historical range of professional systems before the Horseman business assets were transferred to Kenko Professional Imaging.
3D camera
Horseman 3D
A Horseman Professional camera product associated with three-dimensional photography. It belongs to Komamura’s historical specialist-camera portfolio.
View-camera converter
VCC
The VCC, or View Camera Converter, was a Horseman accessory designed to connect view-camera functionality with other photographic systems. It was offered in configurations associated with 35mm and medium-format applications.
Digital SLR view-camera system
LD and LD Pro
The LD and LD Pro were L-series view-camera systems developed for use with digital SLR equipment. They extended the Horseman product family into professional digital-camera workflows while retaining technical-camera characteristics.
Large-format camera accessory
ISS Intelligent Shutter System
The ISS was an intelligent shutter system marketed as part of the Horseman accessory range. It served large-format and technical-camera applications requiring controlled shutter operation.
Brand decisions
2014
Launch of Falcon Eye KC-2000Product launchBackground
Komamura’s business increasingly emphasized specialized imaging for low-light and observation applications.
Action taken
The company developed and launched the Falcon Eye KC-2000 high-sensitivity camera with full-color imaging capability.
Aftermath
The launch illustrated Komamura’s move toward night-vision and specialized imaging products following the transfer of the Horseman photographic business.
2012
Transfer of Horseman Professional business assets to KenkoM&ABackground
Horseman Professional represented Komamura’s historic professional photographic-camera business. The company later transferred the business assets associated with that operation to Kenko Professional Imaging.
Action taken
Kenko Professional Imaging took over the Horseman photographic business assets and continued marketing the related cameras and accessories under the Horseman brand.
Aftermath
The Horseman product identity continued under Kenko, while Komamura’s primary activity shifted toward night-vision scopes and specialized cameras.
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