Kobunsha ( ja, 光文社 ''Kōbunsha'') is a Japanese

publishing Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...

company. It publishes

literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

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 ...

novels, and

women's magazines This is a list of women's magazines from around the world. These are magazines that have been published primarily for a readership of women. Currently published *'' 10 Magazine'' (UK - distributed worldwide) *'' Al Jamila'' (Saudi Arabia) *''All ...

Company history

Kobunsha was established on October 1, 1945, and belongs to the

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 ...

group. The company has published Japanese authors such as

Tetsuya Honda is a Japanese writer of mystery and thriller novels and one of Japan's bestselling authors. He is a member of the Mystery Writers of Japan and has won many prestigious awards. Several of his popular Reiko Himekawa crime novels have been transla ...

Keigo Higashino is a Japanese author chiefly known for his mystery novels. He served as the 13th President of Mystery Writers of Japan from 2009 to 2013. Higashino has won major Japanese awards for his books, almost twenty of which have been turned into films an ...

, Jiro Akagawa,

Miyuki Miyabe is a Japanese writer of genre fiction. She has won numerous Japanese literary awards, including the Yoshikawa Eiji Prize for New Writers, the Yoshikawa Eiji Prize for Literature, the Shiba Ryotaro Prize, the Yamamoto Shūgorō Prize, and the Na ...

and

Arimasa Osawa is a Japanese writer of hardboiled fiction and thrillers. He served as the 12th President of the Mystery Writers of Japan from 2005 to 2009. Works in English translation ;Detective Samejima series (Shinjuku Shark series) * '' Shinjuku Shark'' ( ...

and foreign authors such as Arthur C. Clarke,

Jean Genet Jean Genet (; – ) was a French novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and political activist. In his early life he was a vagabond and petty criminal, but he later became a writer and playwright. His major works include the novels ''The Thief's ...

Malcolm Gladwell Malcolm Timothy Gladwell (born 3 September 1963) is an English-born Canadian journalist, author, and public speaker. He has been a staff writer for ''The New Yorker'' since 1996. He has published seven books: '' The Tipping Point: How Little T ...

Jon Ronson Jon Ronson (born 10 May 1967) is a British-American journalist, author, and filmmaker whose works include '' Them: Adventures with Extremists'' (2001), ''The Men Who Stare at Goats'' (2004), and ''The Psychopath Test'' (2011). He has been desc ...

J. D. Vance James David Vance (born James Donald Bowman, August 2, 1984) is an American venture capitalist, author, and politician who is a United States senator-elect from Ohio, elected in 2022. A member of the Republican Party, he came to prominence with ...

Hanya Yanagihara Hanya Yanagihara (born 1974) is an American novelist, editor, and travel writer. She grew up in Hawaii. She is best known for her bestselling novel ''A Little Life'', which was shortlisted for the 2015 Booker Prize, and for being the editor-in-ch ...

and

Zhao Ziyang Zhao Ziyang ( zh, 赵紫阳; pronounced , 17 October 1919 – 17 January 2005) was a Chinese politician. He was the third premier of the People's Republic of China from 1980 to 1987, vice chairman of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 198 ...

.About Us
kobunsha.com. Retrieved 21 June 2022. In 1975, Kobunsha published the women's magazine '' JJ'', known as the earliest established women's magazine for college students in Japan. From 1994 it established the Kobun Foundation and publishing more mystery novels. The Foundation has been awarding a Grand Prize for Best Mystery Novels each year.Yutaka Maekawa
The Distinctive Gaze of a Literary Scholar Produces Unique Works in the Mystery Genre
hosei.ac.jp. Retrieved 21 June 2022. Kobunsha currently publishes women's magazines such as ''JJ'', '' Classy'' and ''

JJ Bis ''Bis'' is a fashion magazine directed at teenage women published in Japan by Kobunsha Kobunsha ( ja, 光文社 ''Kōbunsha'') is a Japanese publishing company. It publishes literature, manga novels, and women's magazines. Company history Kob ...

''.

Books and magazines published by Kobunsha

Women's magazines

* '' JJ'' * '' Bis''—a version of ''JJ'' magazine targeted at women aged between 15 and 19. * '' Classy''—a version of ''JJ'' magazine targeted at women aged between 24 and 28. * '' Very'' * ''

Story Story or stories may refer to: Common uses * Story, a narrative (an account of imaginary or real people and events) ** Short story, a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting * Story (American English), or storey (British ...

'' * ''

Mart Mart may refer to: * Mart, or marketplace, a location where people regularly gather for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other goods * Mart (broadcaster), a local broadcasting station in Amsterdam * Mart (given name) * Mart (Syr ...

'' * ''

Josei Jishin is a Japanese weekly women's magazine, which has been in circulation since 1958. Published by Kobunsha, it is the first weekly women's magazine in Japan, which targets single-working women. History and profile ''Josei Jishin'' was established i ...

Men's magazines

* ''

Gainer A gainer is the acrobatic trick of performing a backwards somersault while still moving forward. In diving, this is known as reverse rotation (as opposed to front, back, or inward). Many stunt performers and martial artists are capable of perfo ...

'' * ''

Brio Brio (stylized BRIO) is a wooden toy company founded in Sweden. The company was founded in the small town of Boalt, Scania, Götaland in 1884 by basket maker Ivar Bengtsson. For a long time the company was based in Osby, Scania, in southern Swede ...

'' * '' Pro Wrestling Album''

Other magazines

* ''

Giallo In Italian cinema, ''Giallo'' (; plural ''gialli'', from ''giallo'', Italian for yellow) is a genre of mystery fiction and thrillers that often contains slasher, crime fiction, psychological thriller, psychological horror, sexploitation, and, ...

'' * ''

Flash Flash, flashes, or FLASH may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional aliases * Flash (DC Comics character), several DC Comics superheroes with super speed: ** Flash (Barry Allen) ** Flash (Jay Garrick) ** Wally West, the first Kid ...

'' * '' Shousetsu Houseki''

Magazines no longer published

* '' Hoseki'' * '' Shukan Hoseki'' * '' VS.''

Literary book series

* ''Chie No Mori Bunko'' * ''Kappa Novels'' * ''Kobunsha Bunko'' (English, "Kobunsha Paperback Library") * ''Kobunsha Koten Shin'yaku Bunko'' (光文社古典新訳文庫) (English, "Kobunsha New Translations of Classics Library") (2006) * ''Kobunsha Paperbacks'' * ''Kobunsha Shinsho'' (English, "Kobunsha New Books .e. trade paperback)

Manga

* '' Koubunsha Girl Comic Series '' * '' Koubunsha BL Comic Series '' * '' Hinotama Game Comic Series ''

Manga anthologies

* '' Megane de Suit'' * ''

BL Shouji Shinnyuu Shainsan Irasshai!! BL (or similar) may refer to: Arts and entertainment * BL Publishing, a division of the wargames manufacturing company, Games Workshop * '' Boston Legal'', a US legal comedy drama * Boys' love, Japanese term for female-oriented fiction featuring ...

'' * ''

Shinsengumi The was a special police force organized by the (military government) during Japan's Bakumatsu period (late Tokugawa shogunate) in 1863. It was active until 1869. It was founded to protect the shogunate representatives in Kyoto at a time when ...

anthology Hana to Ran ''

References

External links

Kobunsha

Kobunsha
{{Authority control Book publishing companies of Japan Magazine publishing companies of Japan Publishing companies established in 1945 1945 establishments in Japan

Company history

Books and magazines published by Kobunsha

Women's magazines

Men's magazines

Other magazines

Magazines no longer published

Literary book series

Manga

Manga anthologies

See also

References

External links