About

The Origin

The TSUBAME tripod has been sold in Japan as the HUSKY tripod for over 60 years.The original HUSKY tripod was completed by the American company Quick-Set before World War II. It's said to have originated when tripods were made using aluminum pipes, originally used to route electrical wires inside airplanes. After the war, the US military brought tripods to Japan, and they gradually became more popular. In 1963, Quick-Set signed a distributorship agreement with Toyo Trading Co., Ltd., known for its Toyoview brand, marking its official debut in Japan.

Since then, there has been no full model change, making this product truly the origin of tripods. However, Toyo Trading carefully inspects tripods brought in for repairs. For parts showing signs of wear, the material is redesigned while keeping the shape the same. For parts where the plating strength is insufficient, the thickness is adjusted down to the micron level. Even the length and thickness of small screws are reviewed. Despite these small improvements, the tripod continues to evolve, maintaining compatibility with most parts.

It's become commonplace for us to receive repair requests for Husky tripods produced 20 or 30 years ago, but because the size of the basic parts has not changed, all of these tripods can be repaired without any problems using current, new parts. Looking across all industrial products, it's rare to find a product that has grown in such a way over such a long period of time.To carry on this tradition, so that all users can continue to use it with confidence, HUSKY, which continues to be the standard in Japan, is now taking off into the world as the TSUBAME Tripod.

100％ Made in Japan

The production of this tripod was taken over from Quick-Set to Toyo Trading, and was fully transferred to Studio Jin Co., Ltd in 2022. We don't use cheap parts, we carefully select the best materials, and pursue precision machining. Every part, right down to the last screw, is manufactured in Japan. Of course, assembly also takes place in Japan, with thorough quality control. Because we manage all factories in-house, from manufacturing to finishing, we can confidently say that our products are 100% made in Japan, not 99.9%. Even if people say we're going against globalization, we are determined to maintain our position as the only remaining tripod made entirely in Japan.

Many of the parts are manufactured and final assembly is carried out at factories in Tsubame City, Niigata Prefecture, in Japan. Tsubame City is known as a "town of manufacturing," producing everything from cutlery, metalworking products, and Western-style tableware to semiconductors, LCD displays, medical equipment, and parts essential to the automotive and aerospace industries. Its advanced metalworking technology is among the best in the world, and a variety of products are sold worldwide under the "Made in TSUBAME" brand. TSUBAME tripods are officially certified under this brand and support the equipment of photographers around the world.

for Professional

HUSKY tripods are by far the most commonly used among professional photographers in Japan. There are probably very few people who have never seen or handled a HUSKY.
Why is it so popular with professionals? Not only is it an excellent design that ensures stability during shooting, but the operability and holding power of the head are also essential. And in professional settings where failure is not an option, durability is also an absolute requirement. It's extremely lightweight for a large tripod, and the standard straps enhance portability. As we repair products daily, we know better than anyone that parts wear very little, even with years of professional use. The TSUBAME tripod uses the exact same structure as the time-tested HUSKY.

A tripod is essentially a tool for fixing camera equipment and capturing the desired composition. That's why it's not something you think about carefully when using it. You set up your equipment as you want, move it as intended without even thinking about it, take a still image where you want it, and then take it down smoothly. It may take a lot of practice to master it. But because it's a tool with excellent basic performance, it becomes like a part of your body as you use it. There's a good reason why our tripods have been chosen and used by professional photographers for generations.