Kotobank is a website that allows users to search across dictionaries, encyclopedias, and databases provided by publishers and others. It is operated by Voyage Marketing Co. When the service was first launched in 2009, the name "kotobank" was used, but now it is written in katakana.
History
In June 2008, the Asahi Shimbun and EC Navi Inc. launched the "Minna no Chiezo" service, an online version of "Chiezo," a dictionary of modern terms that was once published. The service was rebuilt as a dictionary platform in which various companies could participate.
The "kotobank" service was launched on April 23, 2009, under the management of the Asahi Shimbun and EC Navi Inc.
At the time of its launch, it claimed to cover a total of 430,000 entries in 44 dictionaries and encyclopedias, the core of which were provided by
Kodansha
is a Japanese privately-held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha is the largest Japanese publishing company, and it produces the manga magazines ''Nakayoshi'', ''Afternoon'', ''Evening'', ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' an ...
,
Shogakukan
is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, comics (manga), non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan.
Shogakukan founded Shueisha, which also founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hit ...
, and Asahi Shimbun Publishing.
In its early days, the site had strong ties with the Asahi Shimbun, with related news from the Asahi Shimbun's website, asahi.com, appearing on its pages.
The Asahi Shimbun and Genesix began distributing the "kotobank for iPhone" electronic dictionary platform application for the iPhone in March 2011.
[ECナビ]
欲しい辞書を追加し、横断検索できる電子辞書プラットフォームアプリ「kotobank for iPhone」を開始
2011年3月29日 In October 2011, EC Navi, which had been operating the site, changed its name to Voyage Group Inc.
On October 1, 2019, following a corporate reorganization of Voyage Group Inc, Voyage Marketing Inc, a subsidiary of Carta Holdings, will operate the company. In April 2021, the Asahi Shimbun logo will disappear from the site and become the sole display of Voyage Marketing,
[In April 2021, the "Asahi Shimbun" logo will disappear
] and the registered trademark was also transferred from Asahi Shimbun to Voyage Marketing.
[At the time of registration in 2009, the right holder: " Trademark Registration". Current owner: " Registered". Date of transfer: "Transitional Information".
] At the same time, the link to Kotobank from the Asahi Shimbun homepage was also lost.
[in the "Asahi Shimbun's Services" section at the bottom of the page.
]
Reliability
When the service was launched in 2009, the Asahi Shimbun and other operators pointed out the unreliability of information on the Internet and stated, "We aim to be the largest free glossary site in Japan with high reliability, quality and searchability of information.
We will build a highly reliable website," said Hiromi Onishi, head of the Digital Media Division at Asahi Shimbun.
The
National Diet Library
The is the national library of Japan and among the largest libraries in the world. It was established in 1948 for the purpose of assisting members of the in researching matters of public policy. The library is similar in purpose and scope to ...
's Collections and Bibliography Department states that items listed in the Kotobank may be used as a reference when establishing new ordinary subjects in the National Diet Library's Subject Headings List if they "exist in book form, such as the Encyclopedia MyPedia, or are successors to it," and "the explanations of words and phrases are general rather than intended for specific users.
See also
*
Weblio
Weblio is a free integrated bilingual dictionary website and online encyclopedia for Japanese-speaking sites operated by the , formerly known as the . Weblio can perform a bulk search on a variety of dictionaries, encyclopedias and glossaries, an ...
- Similar services that allow batch searching from many dictionaries
References
External links
* {{Official website, https://kotobank.jp/
*
収録辞書一覧
Trademarks
Internet properties established in 2009
Japanese websites
Shogakukan
Kodansha
Asahi Shimbun Company
Online dictionaries
Online encyclopedias