In Japan, is a group of people who share an interest, activity, or hobby. The word is sometimes translated into English as "

clique A clique ( AusE, CanE, or ), in the social sciences, is a group of individuals who interact with one another and share similar interests. Interacting with cliques is part of normative social development regardless of gender, ethnicity, or popular ...

", "

fandom A fandom is a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of empathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest. Fans typically are interested in even minor details of the objects of their fandom and spend a significant ...

", "coterie", "society", or "circle" (as in "

sewing circle The term sewing circle usually refers to a group of people who meet regularly for the purpose of sewing, often for charitable causes while chatting, gossiping, and/or discussing. Application to sewing Sewing circle participants, usually women, t ...

"). Self-published creative works produced by these groups are also called ''doujin'', including

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

, magazines, novels, music ( ''doujin'' music),

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

, and video games ( ''doujin'' soft). Print ''doujin'' works are collectively called ''

doujinshi , also romanized as ', is the Japanese term for self-published print works, such as magazines, manga, and novels. Part of a wider category of '' doujin'' (self-published) works, ''doujinshi'' are often derivative of existing works and created by ...

''. ''Doujin'' works are typically amateur and derivative in nature, though some professional artists participate in ''doujin'' culture as a way to publish material outside the regular publishing industry. Annual research by the research agency

Media Create is a Japanese company that gathers and analyzes data from the digital entertainment industry, specifically focusing on the Japanese console gaming market. Business operations include publishing, market research and consulting. It is a popular webs ...

indicated that of the US$1.65 billion of the

otaku is a Japanese word that describes people with consuming interests, particularly in anime, manga, video games, or computers. Its contemporary use originated with a 1983 essay by Akio Nakamori in ''Manga Burikko''. may be used as a pejorativ ...

industry in 2007, ''doujin'' sales made up 48% (US$792 million).

Literary societies

Literary circles first appeared in the

Meiji period The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...

when groups of like-minded ''waka'' writers, poets and novelists met and published literary magazines (many of which are still publishing today). Many modern writers in Japan came from these literary circles. One famous example is

Ozaki Koyo Ozaki (written: or ) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese singer-songwriter *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese actor *, Japanese poet *, Japanese singer-songwriter *, Japanese journalist *, Japanese footballe ...

, who led the Kenyusha society of literary writers that first published collected works in magazine form in 1885.

Manga circles

After World War II, manga ''doujin'' started to appear in Japan.

Manga artists A is a comic artist who writes and/or illustrates manga. As of 2006, about 3,000 professional manga artists were working in Japan. Most manga artists study at an art college or manga school or take on an apprenticeship with another artist bef ...

Shotaro Ishinomori was a Japanese manga artist who became an influential figure in manga, anime, and , creating several immensely popular long-running series such as ''Cyborg 009,'' the ''Super Sentai'' series (later adapted into the ''Power Rangers'' series), an ...

(''

Kamen Rider The , also known as ''Masked Rider Series'' (until Decade), is a Japanese superhero media franchise consisting of tokusatsu television programs, films, manga, and anime, created by manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori. ''Kamen Rider'' media generall ...

'', ''

Cyborg 009 is a Japanese science fiction manga created by Shotaro Ishinomori. It was serialized in many different Japanese magazines, including '' Monthly Shōnen King'', ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'', ''Shōnen Big Comic'', '' COM'', '' ...

'') and Fujio Fujiko (''

Doraemon ''Doraemon'' ( ja, ドラえもん ) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Fujiko F. Fujio. The manga was first serialized in December 1969, with List of Doraemon chapters, its 1,345 individual chapters compiled into 45 ' ...

'') formed ''doujin'' groups such as Fujiko's . At this time, ''doujin'' groups were used by artists to make a professional debut. This changed in the coming decades with ''doujin'' groups forming as school clubs and the like. This culminated in 1975 with

Comiket , more commonly known as or , is a semiannual ''doujinshi'' convention in Tokyo, Japan. A grassroots market focused on the sale of '' doujin'' (self-published) works, Comiket is a not-for-profit fan convention administered by the volunteer-ru ...

in Tokyo.

Today

Avid fans of ''doujin'' attend regular ''doujin'' conventions, the largest of which is called

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsTokyo Big Sight , officially known as , is a convention and exhibition center in Tokyo, Japan, and the largest one in the country. Opened in April 1996, the center is located in the Ariake Minami district of on the Tokyo Bay waterfront. Its most iconic feature i ...

. Here, over of ''doujin'' materials are bought, sold, and traded by attendees. ''Doujin'' creators who base their materials on other creators' works normally publish in small numbers to maintain a low profile from litigation. This makes a talented creator's or circle's products a coveted commodity as only the fast or the lucky will be able to get them before they sell out. Over the last decade, the practice of creating ''doujin'' has expanded significantly, attracting thousands of creators and fans alike. Advances in personal publishing technology have also fueled this expansion by making it easier for ''doujin'' creators to write, draw, promote, publish, and distribute their works.

Western perception

In Western cultures, ''doujin'' are often perceived to be derivative of existing work, analogous to

fan fiction Fan fiction or fanfiction (also abbreviated to fan fic, fanfic, fic or FF) is fictional writing written in an amateur capacity by fans, unauthorized by, but based on an existing work of fiction. The author uses copyrighted characters, settin ...

. To an extent, this is true: many ''doujin'' are based on popular manga, anime, or video game series. However, many ''doujin'' consisting of original content also exist. Among the numerous ''doujin'' categories, are the ones getting the most exposure outside Japan, as well as within Japan, where ''doujinshi'' are by tradition the most popular and numerous ''doujin'' products.

Types

* ''

Doujinshi , also romanized as ', is the Japanese term for self-published print works, such as magazines, manga, and novels. Part of a wider category of '' doujin'' (self-published) works, ''doujinshi'' are often derivative of existing works and created by ...

'': Printed works such as comics, novels, and magazines. * : games, software * : music * , is a form of ''doujin'' which is sexually explicit in nature.

Notes

External links

The Doujinshi & Manga Lexicon
: user-submitted database of ''doujinshi'' artists/circles/books, including name translations {{DEFAULTSORT:Doujin Self-publishing Japanese words and phrases