HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

, also romanized as ', is the Japanese term for
self-published Self-publishing is the publication of media by its author at their own cost, without the involvement of a publisher. The term usually refers to written media, such as books and magazines, either as an ebook or as a physical copy using POD (pri ...
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 amateurs, though some professional artists participate in order to publish material outside the regular industry. Groups of ''doujinshi'' artists refer to themselves as a . Several such groups actually consist of a single artist: they are sometimes called . Since the 1980s, the main method of distribution has been through regular ''doujinshi'' conventions, the largest of which is called Comiket (short for "Comic Market") held in the summer and winter in
Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...
's Big Sight. At the convention, over of ''doujinshi'' are bought, sold, and traded by attendees. ''Doujinshi'' creators who base their materials on other creators' works normally publish in small numbers to maintain a low profile so as to protect themselves against litigation, making a talented creator's or circle's ''doujinshi'' a coveted commodity.


Etymology

The term ''doujinshi'' is derived from and .


History

The pioneer among ''doujinshi'' was , published in the early
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 ...
(since 1874). Not a literary magazine in fact, ''Meiroku Zasshi'' nevertheless played a big role in spreading the idea of ''doujinshi''. The first magazine to publish ''doujinshi'' novels was , founded in 1885 by writers Ozaki Kōyō and Yamada Bimyo. ''Doujinshi'' publication reached its peak in the early
Shōwa period Shōwa may refer to: * Hirohito (1901–1989), the 124th Emperor of Japan, known posthumously as Emperor Shōwa * Showa Corporation, a Japanese suspension and shock manufacturer, affiliated with the Honda keiretsu Japanese eras * Jōwa (Heian ...
, and ''doujinshi'' became a mouthpiece for the creative youth of that time. Created and distributed in small circles of authors or close friends, ''doujinshi'' contributed significantly to the emergence and development of the '' shishōsetsu'' genre. During the postwar years, ''doujinshi'' gradually decreased in importance as outlets for different literary schools and new authors. Their role was taken over by literary journals such as '' Gunzo'', ''
Bungakukai is a Japanese monthly literary magazine published by Bungeishunjū as a oriented publication. History and profile The first version of ''Bungakukai'' was published from 1893 to 1898. The founders were the first generation romantic authors in t ...
'' and others. One notable exception was , which was published from 1933 until 1969. Few ''doujinshi'' magazines survived with the help of official literary journals. ''
Haiku is a type of short form poetry originally from Japan. Traditional Japanese haiku consist of three phrases that contain a ''kireji'', or "cutting word", 17 '' on'' (phonetic units similar to syllables) in a 5, 7, 5 pattern, and a ''kigo'', or s ...
'' and ''
tanka is a genre of classical Japanese poetry and one of the major genres of Japanese literature. Etymology Originally, in the time of the '' Man'yōshū'' (latter half of the eighth century AD), the term ''tanka'' was used to distinguish "short p ...
'' magazines are still published today. It has been suggested that technological advances in the field of photocopying during the 1970s contributed to an increase in publishing ''doujinshi''. During this time, manga editors were encouraging manga authors to appeal to a mass market, which may have also contributed to an increase in the popularity of writing ''doujinshi''. During the 1980s, the content of ''doujinshi'' shifted from being predominantly original content to being mostly parodic of existing series. Often called ''aniparo'', this was often an excuse to feature certain characters in romantic relationships. Male authors focused on series like ''
Urusei Yatsura is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi. It was serialized in Shogakukan's ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' from September 1978 to February 1987. Its 366 individual chapters were published in 34 ''tankōbon'' volume ...
'', and female authors focused on series like '' Captain Tsubasa''. This coincided with the rise in popularity of Comiket, the first event dedicated specifically to the distribution of ''doujinshi'', which had been founded in 1975. As of February 1991, there were some ''doujinshi'' creators who sold their work through supportive comic book stores. This practice came to light when three managers of such shops were arrested for having a '' lolicon'' ''doujinshi'' for sale. Over the last decade, the practice of creating ''doujinshi'' 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 ''doujinshi'' creators to write, draw, promote, publish, and distribute their works. For example, some ''doujinshi'' are now published on digital media. Furthermore, many ''doujinshi'' creators are moving to online download and print-on-demand services, while others are beginning to distribute their works through American channels such as anime shop websites and specialized online direct distribution sites. In 2008, a
white paper A white paper is a report or guide that informs readers concisely about a complex issue and presents the issuing body's philosophy on the matter. It is meant to help readers understand an issue, solve a problem, or make a decision. A white pape ...
on 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 pejorat ...
industry was published, this estimated that gross revenue from sales of ''doujinshi'' in 2007 were 27.73 billion yen, or 14.9% of total otaku expenditure on their hobby. To avoid legal problems, the was created. A license format inspired by Creative Commons licenses, the first author to authorize the license was
Ken Akamatsu is a Japanese manga artist and politician who has served since 2022 as a member of the House of Councillors. He made his professional manga debut in 1993, and is best known as the author of ''Love Hina'' (1998–2001) and ''Negima! Magister Neg ...
in the manga ''
UQ Holder! ''UQ Holder!'' is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Ken Akamatsu. It was serialized in Kodansha's '' Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' from 2013 to 2016 and later transferred to ''Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine'', where it was serializ ...
'', released on August 28, 2013, in the magazine '' Weekly Shōnen Magazine''.


Comiket

Comiket is the world's largest comic convention. It is held twice a year (summer and winter) in Tokyo, Japan. The first CM was held in December 1975, with only about 32 participating circles and an estimated 600 attendees. About 80% of these were female, but male participation in Comiket increased later.Wilson, Brent; Toku, Masami
"Boys' Love," Yaoi, and Art Education: Issues of Power and Pedagogy
2003
In 1982, there were fewer than 10,000 attendees, this increased to over 100,000 attendees as of 1989, and over half a million people in recent years. . This rapid increase in attendance enabled ''doujinshi'' authors to sell thousands of copies of their works, earning a fair amount of money with their hobby. In 2009, Meiji University opened a '' dōjin'' manga library, named “ Yoshihiro Yonezawa Memorial Library” to honour its
alumni Alumni (singular: alumnus (masculine) or alumna (feminine)) are former students of a school, college, or university who have either attended or graduated in some fashion from the institution. The feminine plural alumnae is sometimes used for grou ...
in its Surugadai campus. It contains Yonezawa's own ''doujinshi'' collection, comprising 4137 boxes, and the collection of Tsuguo Iwata, another famous person in the sphere of ''doujinshi''.


Categories

Like their mainstream counterparts, ''doujinshi'' are published in a variety of genres and types. However, due to the target audience, certain themes are more prevalent, and there are a few major division points by which the publications can be classified. It can be broadly divided into original works and ''aniparo''—works which parody existing anime and manga franchises. As in
fanfic 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, setti ...
s, a very popular theme to explore is non-canonical pairings of characters in a given show (for ''doujinshi'' based on mainstream publications). Many such publications contain ''
yaoi ''Yaoi'' (; ja, やおい ), also known by the '' wasei-eigo'' construction and its abbreviation , is a genre of fictional media originating in Japan that features homoerotic relationships between male characters. It is typically created ...
'' or '' yuri'' (stories containing same-sex romance) themes, either as a part of non-canon pairings, or as a more direct statement of what can be hinted by the main show. Another category of ''doujinshi'' is furry or ''kemono'', often depicting homosexual male pairings of anthropomorphic animal characters and, less often, lesbian pairings. Furry ''doujinshi'' shares some characteristics with the ''yaoi'' and ''yuri'' genres, with many furry ''doujinshi'' depicting characters in erotic settings or circumstances, or incorporating elements typical of
anime is hand-drawn and 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 Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...
and manga, such as exaggerated drawings of eyes or facial expressions. A major part of ''doujinshi'', whether based on mainstream publications or original, contains sexually explicit material, due to both the large demand for such publications and absence of restrictions official publishing houses have to follow. Indeed, often the main point of a given ''doujinshi'' is to present an explicit version of a popular show's characters. Such works may be known to English speakers as "''H-doujinshi''", in line with the former Japanese use of letter H to denote erotic material. The Japanese usage, however, has since moved towards the word ''ero'', and so is the term almost exclusively used to mark ''doujinshi'' with adult themes. Sometimes they will also be termed or (an abbreviation of ). To differentiate, is the term used for publications absent of such content. Most ''doujinshi'' are commercially bound and published by ''doujinshi-ka'' (doujinshi authors) who self-publish through various printing services.
Copybooks A dōjinshi copybook or is a self-published and self-made work by fans or original fiction published using a copy machine. Types Copybooks are usually fan fiction featuring characters that are not the artist's own, but they can often feature orig ...
, however, are self-made using xerox machines or other copying methods. Few are copied by drawing by hand. Not all category terms used by English-language fans of ''doujinshi'' are derived from Japanese. For example, an ''AU doujinshi'' is one set in an alternate universe.


Legality

Many ''doujinshi'' are
derivative works In copyright law, a derivative work is an expressive creation that includes major copyrightable elements of an original, previously created first work (the underlying work). The derivative work becomes a second, separate work independent in fo ...
that are produced without the permission of the original creator, a practice that has existed since the early 1980s.McLelland, Mark
Why are Japanese Girls' Comics full of Boys Bonking?
''Refractory: A Journal of Entertainment Media'' Vol.10, 2006/2007
''Doujinshi'' are considered '' shinkokuzai'' under
Japanese copyright law consist of two parts: "Author's Rights" and "Neighbouring Rights". As such, "copyright" is a convenient collective term rather than a single concept in Japan. Japan was a party to the original Berne convention in 1899, so its copyright law is in sy ...
, meaning that ''doujinshi'' creators cannot be prosecuted unless a complaint is made by the holders of the copyrights they have violated. In 2016, then-
Prime Minister of Japan The prime minister of Japan (Japanese: 内閣総理大臣, Hepburn: ''Naikaku Sōri-Daijin'') is the head of government of Japan. The prime minister chairs the Cabinet of Japan and has the ability to select and dismiss its Ministers of Sta ...
Shinzo Abe Shinzo Abe ( ; ja, 安倍 晋三, Hepburn: , ; 21 September 1954 – 8 July 2022) was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 20 ...
affirmed that ''doujinshi'' "don't compete in the market with the original works and don't damage the original creators' profits, so they are ''shinkokuzai''." Copyright holders take an unofficial policy of non-enforcement towards the ''doujinshi'' market, as it is seen as having a beneficial impact on the commercial manga market: it creates an avenue for aspiring manga artists to practice, and talented ''doujinshi'' creators are often recruited by publishers. Salil K. Mehra, a law professor at
Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then calle ...
, hypothesizes that ''doujinshi'' market causes the manga market to be more productive, and that strict enforcement of copyright law would cause the industry to suffer.


Notable cases

In 1999, the author of an erotic Pokémon manga was prosecuted by Nintendo. This created a media furor as well as an academic analysis in Japan of the copyright issues around ''doujinshi''. At this time, the legal analysis seemed to conclude that ''doujinshi'' should be overlooked because they are produced by amateurs for one-day events and not sold in the commercial market. In 2006, an artist selling an imagined "final chapter" for the series ''
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 its 1,345 individual chapters compiled into 45 ''tankōbon'' volumes and ...
'', which was never completed, was given a warning by the estate of author
Fujiko F. Fujio was a manga writing duo formed by Japanese manga artists and . They formed their partnership in 1951, and used the Fujiko Fujio name from 1954 until dissolution of the partnership in 1987, upon Fujimoto's illness. The pair was best known f ...
. His creation apparently looked confusingly similar to a real Doraemon manga. He ceased distribution of his ''doujinshi'' and sent compensation to the publisher voluntarily. The publisher noted at this time that ''doujinshi'' were not usually a cause of concern for him. The Yomiuri Shinbun noted, "Fanzines don't usually cause many problems as long as they are sold only at one-day exhibitions," but quoted an expert saying that due to their increasing popularity a copyright system should be set up. In 2020, the
Intellectual Property High Court The Intellectual Property High Court (, ''Chiteki-zaisan kōtō-saiban-sho''), sometimes abbreviated IPHC, is a special branch of Tokyo High Court in the judicial system of Japan. It is based in Kasumigaseki, a district in Chiyoda Ward in Tokyo, ...
ordered a ''doujinshi'' sharing website to pay ¥2.19 million to a creator whose ''doujinshi'' were uploaded to the website without their consent. The file sharing site claimed that as the ''doujinshi'' was a derivative work it was not protected by copyright law, though the court ruled that there was insufficient evidence to classify the ''doujinshi'' as an illegally derivative work. The ruling was noted by commentators as potentially broadening rights for ''doujinshi'' creators under commercial law.


Impact

John Oppliger of
AnimeNation AnimeNation was an American business that included RentAnime.com, a discussion forum, anime industry news, and a column called "Ask John." It was previously a retailer of anime and manga products until 2014 and an anime licensing and distributi ...
stated in 2005 that creating ''doujinshi'' is largely popular with Japanese fans, but not with Western fans. Oppliger claimed that because Japanese natives grow up with anime and manga "as a constant companion", Japanese fans "are more intuitively inclined" to create or expand on existing manga and anime in the form of ''doujinshi''. Since Western fans experience a "more purely" visual experience as most Western fans cannot understand the Japanese language, the original language of most
anime is hand-drawn and 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 Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...
, and are "encouraged by social pressure to grow out of cartoons and comics during the onset of adolescence", most of them usually participate in utilizing and rearranging existing work into
anime music video An anime music video (AMV) is a fan-made music video consisting of clips from one or more Japanese animated shows or movies set to an audio track, often songs or promotional trailer audio. The term is generally specific to Japanese anime, howev ...
s. In most Western cultures, ''doujinshi'' is often perceived to be derivative of existing work, analogous to fan fiction and almost completely pornographic. This is partly true: ''doujinshi'' are often, though not always, parodies or alternative storylines involving the worlds of popular manga, game or
anime is hand-drawn and 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 Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...
series, and can often feature overtly sexual material. However, there are also many non sexually explicit ''doujinshi'' being created as well. The Touhou Project series for example, is known to be notable for the large amount of ''doujinshi'' being produced for it that are not pornographic in nature. Some groups releasing adults-only themed materials during the annual Touhou only event Reitaisai in 2008 were only estimated at 10%.


Notable artists


Individuals

*
Yoshitoshi ABe is a Japanese graphic artist who works predominantly in anime and manga. He first gained fame in his work on the avant-garde anime ''Serial Experiments Lain''. He is also responsible for the concept and character design for the series '' NieA_7' ...
has published some of his original works as ''doujinshi'', such as '' Haibane Renmei''. He cited the reason as, essentially, not wanting to answer to anyone about his work, especially because he saw it as so open-ended. *
Ken Akamatsu is a Japanese manga artist and politician who has served since 2022 as a member of the House of Councillors. He made his professional manga debut in 1993, and is best known as the author of ''Love Hina'' (1998–2001) and ''Negima! Magister Neg ...
, creator of manga such as ''
Love Hina is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Ken Akamatsu. It was serialized in Kodansha's ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' from October 1998 to October 2001, with the chapters collected into 14 ''tankōbon'' volumes by Kodansha. The ...
'' and '' Negima'', continues to make ''doujinshi'' which he sells at Comiket under the pen-name Awa Mizuno. * Kiyohiko Azuma, creator of ''
Azumanga Daioh is a Japanese '' yonkoma'' comedy manga series written and illustrated by Kiyohiko Azuma. It was serialized from February 1999 to May 2002 in the monthly magazine ''Dengeki Daioh'' by MediaWorks; three additional chapters were publishe ...
'' and '' Yotsuba&'' started out doing ''doujinshi'' using the pen-name A-Zone. *
Nanae Chrono Nanae Chrono, known in Japan as is a female Japanese manga artist. She is best known as the creator of the manga series ''Peacemaker Kurogane'', ''Senki Senki Momotama'', and ''Vassalord''. Works Serials *; (1999) :This was a oneshot manga or ...
, creator of the manga ''
Peacemaker Kurogane is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated created by Nanae Chrono. It is unrelated to the ''Peace Maker'' manga by Ryōji Minagawa. The story begins in 19th century Japan before the Meiji Restoration, a chain of events that led to e ...
'', has published multiple ''
Naruto ''Naruto'' is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. It tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, a young ninja who seeks recognition from his peers and dreams of becoming the Hokage, the leader of his village. T ...
'' ''doujinshi'', most of a ''
yaoi ''Yaoi'' (; ja, やおい ), also known by the '' wasei-eigo'' construction and its abbreviation , is a genre of fictional media originating in Japan that features homoerotic relationships between male characters. It is typically created ...
'' nature. * Kazushi Hagiwara, creator of ''
Bastard!! is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kazushi Hagiwara. It began its serialization in Shueisha's ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' in 1988, and has continued irregularly in ''Ultra Jump'' since 2000, with its latest chapter released i ...
'', and his group ''Studio Loud in School'' have published popular ''Bastard!!''-related ''doujinshi'' such as ''Wonderful Megadeth!'', as well as various Capcom-related ''doujinshi''. *
Masaki Kajishima Masaki Kajishima (梶島 正樹 ''Kajishima Masaki'', born March 16, 1962) is a Japanese animator and storyboard artist who works for AIC in a freelance capacity. He is best known as the creator of ''Tenchi Muyo!'' and ''Dual! Parallel Trouble Adv ...
, creator of ''
Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki , known as simply ''Tenchi Muyo!'' in North America, is a collection of Japanese Original video animation, OVAs created by Masaki Kajishima and animated by Anime International Company, AIC. Initially released in 1992, it marked the begin ...
'', has long used the ''doujinshi'' format to produce additional information about the series he has created, primarily ''Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki'' and ''
Tenchi Muyo! GXP is a Japanese anime television series animated by AIC and broadcast on NTV from April 3, 2002 to September 25, 2002. It is the fourth installment of the ''Tenchi Muyo!'' line of series, succeeding ''Tenchi in Tokyo'', localized in North A ...
''. These ''doujinshi'' can either be completely filled with his work, or he will contribute a work to the ''doujinshi'' title. Kajishima's ''doujinshi'' works break down into one (or more) types of works: manga-style (where he illustrates a new story, usually with limited text), interviews, early drafts of scripts for the series (giving fans great insight into the creative process), storyboards drawn by Kajishima that ultimately were not animated, story notes (or short stories) giving further little details of various characters, situations, or places in Kajishima's World of Tenchi. As of this writing, Kajishima does two ''doujinshi'' titles a year under the circle names "Kajishima Onsen" and "Kamidake Onsen". He has also used these to communicate with fans about his current projects, namely the '' Saint Knight's Tale'' spinoff anime featuring Tenchi's half-brother and the ''GXP'' novels. * Kazuhiko Katō, also known as Monkey Punch, creator of ''
Lupin III , also written as ''Lupin the Third'', ''Lupin the 3rd'', or ''Lupin the IIIrd'', is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Monkey Punch. It follows the endeavors of master thief Arsène Lupin III, the grandson of Arsèn ...
'' began as a ''doujinshi'' artist. * Kodaka Kazuma, creator of Kizuna, Rotten Teacher's Equation (Kusatta Kyōshi no Hōteishiki), Love Equation (Renai Hōteishiki) and Border among others, has published several parody ''yaoi doujinshi'' as K2 Company of '' Prince of Tennis'', ''
Fullmetal Alchemist is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiromu Arakawa. It was serialized in Square Enix's ''shōnen'' manga anthology magazine '' Monthly Shōnen Gangan'' between July 2001 and June 2010; the publisher later collected th ...
'', and '' Tiger and Bunny'', as well as an original ''doujinshi'' series called 'Hana to Ryuu' (Flower and Dragon). * Rikdo Koshi, creator of the manga '' Excel Saga'', originally started out as a ''doujinshi'' artist. * Yun Kouga, a longtime published manga artist and creator of two well-known BL series, ''
Earthian is a yaoi manga by Yun Kouga. It is about angel watchers of earth which was made into a J.C.Staff-produced anime OVA. The angels' roles are to assess the progress of humans giving them positive and negative scores based on their everyday ...
'' and '' Loveless'' has published ''doujinshi'' for series such as ''Gundam Wing'' and '' Tiger and Bunny''. * Sanami Matoh, creator of FAKE, has published parody ''yaoi doujinshi'' (mostly of ''One Piece'') and original ''doujinshi'' as East End Club. * Maki Murakami, creator of '' Gravitation'' and ''Gamers' Heaven''. Her circle Crocodile Ave. created ''Remix Gravitation'' AKA ''Rimigra'' and ''Megamix Gravitation'', which were extremely sexually graphic.Cha, Kai-Ming (2007
Sex & Silliness: Maki Murakami’s Gravitation
Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...
* Minami Ozaki, creator of the
boy's love ''Yaoi'' (; ja, やおい ), also known by the ''wasei-eigo'' construction and its abbreviation , is a genre of fictional media originating in Japan that features homoerotic relationships between male characters. It is typically created b ...
manga '' Zetsuai'', is an extremely prolific ''doujinshi'' creator. She authored numerous ''yaoi doujinshi'' before her debut as a professional artist, most notably featuring characters from the soccer manga '' Captain Tsubasa''. The main characters of her manga ''Zetsuai'' strongly resemble the main characters of her ''Captain Tsubasa'' ''doujinshi''. Ozaki continued to release ''doujinshi'' about her own professional manga, often including sexual content that could not be published in Margaret, the young girls-oriented manga magazine in which ''Zetsuai'' was serialized. *
Yukiru Sugisaki is a Japanese manga artist. She has created numerous manga in several demographics, but is perhaps best known for creating the ''seinen'' series ''The Candidate for Goddess'' and the ''shōjo'' series ''D.N.Angel''. Career Yukiru Sugisaki star ...
, creator of '' D.N.Angel'' and '' The Candidate for Goddess'', started as a ''doujinka''. She released ''doujinshi'' about '' King of Fighters'', '' Evangelion'', etc.; all were gag ''doujinshi''. *
Rumiko Takahashi is a Japanese manga artist. With a career of several commercially successful works, beginning with '' Urusei Yatsura'' in 1978, Takahashi is one of Japan's best-known and wealthiest manga artists. Her works are popular worldwide, where they have ...
, creator of ''
Ranma ½ is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi. It was serialized in ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' from August 1987 to March 1996, with the chapters collected into 38 ''tankōbon'' volumes by Shogakukan. The s ...
'' and ''
Inuyasha is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi. It was serialized in Shogakukan's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' from November 1996 to June 2008, with its chapters collected in fifty-six '' ...
'', made ''doujinshi'' before she became a professional artist. *
Yoshihiro Togashi is a Japanese manga artist. He began drawing manga at an early age, before being recognized for his talent by publishing company Shueisha while attending college. Togashi has authored several manga series in different genres during the past th ...
, creator of ''
YuYu Hakusho is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yoshihiro Togashi. The series tells the story of Yusuke Urameshi, a teenage delinquent who is struck and killed by a car while attempting to save a child's life. After a number of ...
'' and ''
Hunter x Hunter Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products ( fur/ hide, bone/ tusks, horn/antler ...
'', has authored ''doujinshi'' such as ''Church!''. *
Hajime Ueda is a Japanese manga artist who created a two-volume adaptation of the Japanese animated OVA series '' FLCL'', and the original manga '' Q·Ko-chan: The Earth Invader Girl''. He started his career as a dōjinshi artist, gaining a reputation fo ...
, the creator of '' Q•Ko-chan'' and the comic adaptation of ''
FLCL is an original video animation (OVA) anime series created and directed by Kazuya Tsurumaki, written by Yōji Enokido, and produced by the FLCL Production Committee, which consisted of Gainax, Production I.G, and King Records. ''F ...
''. * Nobuteru Yūki sells ''doujinshi'' based on his animated works under his pen-name "
The Man in the High Castle ''The Man in the High Castle'' (1962), by Philip K. Dick, is an alternative history novel wherein the Axis Powers won World War II. The story occurs in 1962, fifteen years after the end of the war in 1947, and depicts the political intrigues b ...
". *
Yana Toboso is a Japanese manga artist. She was born in Warabi, Saitama Prefecture, Japan and currently resides in Yokohama. Selected works ''Rust Blaster'' is a 2006 six-chapter manga published by Square Enix in one volume. It tells the story of a hum ...
used to be a ''yaoi doujinka'' before she authored '' Black Butler'', which explained why there are some notable BL hints throughout the series. *Sunao Minakata, the illustrator of '' Akuma no Riddle'', is a regular ''doujinka'', especially in girls' love theme. Usually makes Touhou ''doujinshi'' and has collaborated with other known-for-Touhou-works-popular artists, such as Banpai Akira. *
Nio Nakatani is a Japanese manga artist. She is best known for creating the Yuri (genre), yuri manga series ''Bloom Into You'', which has been a commercial success and spawned a media franchise encompassing an anime, light novels, a stage play, and an anthol ...
, creator of the popular yuri manga series '' Bloom Into You'', first became known for her ''doujinshi'' work, particularly those based on '' Touhou Project''.


Online

* Bleedman, creator of the online ''
Powerpuff Girls Doujinshi ''Snafu Comics'' is a webcomics site maintained by David Stanworth. It serves as the home of several comics, including Stanworth's own creations, as well as those of other artists. Comics Comics by Stanworth Snafu Comics This is Stanworth's ...
'', ''
Grim Tales From Down Below ''Snafu Comics'' is a webcomics site maintained by David Stanworth. It serves as the home of several comics, including Stanworth's own creations, as well as those of other artists. Comics Comics by Stanworth Snafu Comics This is Stanworth's ...
'', and '' Sugar Bits''. * Fred Gallagher, creator of the '' Megatokyo'' series, as well as the in-development series ''Warmth''. His ''Megatokyo'' co-creator and former writer, Rodney "Largo" Caston, can also be considered one, though Caston has since left the business. * Daniel Kim, creator of the
Cardcaptor Sakura , abbreviated as ''CCS'', is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by the manga group Clamp. Serialized monthly in the ''shōjo'' manga magazine ''Nakayoshi'' from May 1996 to June 2000, it was also published in 12 ''tankōbon'' ...
parody ''Tomoyo42's Room'', has written and illustrated several ''doujinshi'', all of which are hosted at th
Clone Manga
collective. * Jesús García Ferrer (Jesulink) created '' Raruto'', a Spanish ''
Naruto ''Naruto'' is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. It tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, a young ninja who seeks recognition from his peers and dreams of becoming the Hokage, the leader of his village. T ...
'' ''doujinshi'' published online. * Fabio Yabu produced the sentai spoof ''
Combo Rangers ''Combo Rangers'' is a series of webcomics created in 1998 by Japanese-Brazilian author Fábio Yabu. It is based on Japanese manga and the Super Sentai series. It started off as a parody, then developed more serious storylines that still included c ...
''. * Kittyhawk, creator of '' Sparkling Generation Valkyrie Yuuki''.


Circles

*
07th Expansion 07th Expansion is a Japanese dōjin circle specialized in the creation of visual novels and sound. They started out drawing for the trading card game ''Leaf Fight'', but are known for creating the game series '' When They Cry''. The remake games ...
, creators of both
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni is a Japanese murder mystery dōjin soft visual novel series produced by 07th Expansion that comprises the first two entries of the ''When They Cry'' franchise. The series focuses on a group of young friends living in the ficti ...
and
Umineko no Naku Koro ni is a Japanese dōjin soft visual novel series produced by 07th Expansion. Its first episode debuted at Comiket 72 for Windows on August 17, 2007. The story focuses on a group of eighteen people on a secluded island for a period of two d ...
. * Clamp started out as a ''doujinshi'' group of 11 known as Clamp Cluster.


See also

* ''Dōjin'' music *'' Dōjin soft'' *
Niigata Comic Market The Niigata Comic Market, commonly known as , is a bimonthly dōjinshi comic book convention held in Niigata, Niigata Prefecture, Japan. It takes place at either Toki Messe or the Niigata-shi Sangyou Shinkou Center, and between 7,000 and 10,00 ...
*
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 pejorat ...
* Hentai


Related concepts

* Amateur press association * Fanzine * Fan fiction *
Minicomic A minicomic is a creator-published comic book, often photocopied and stapled or with a handmade binding. In the United Kingdom and Europe the term small press comic is equivalent with minicomic, reserved for those publications measuring A6 (105& ...
* Self-publishing


References


External links


Passion
Popular ''doujinshi'' fanlisting site
Doujinshi DB
: Huge user-submitted database of ''doujinshi'' artists, circles, and books, including name translations
Nippon Fanifesto! A Tribute to DIY Manga
��an illustrated essay explaining ''doujinshi'' and their diversity {{DEFAULTSORT:Dojinshi Anime and manga terminology Anime and manga fandom Fan fiction Japanese words and phrases