is a Japanese privately-held publishing company headquartered in

Bunkyō is a Special wards of Tokyo, special ward located in Tokyo, Japan. Situated in the middle of the ward area, Bunkyō is a residential and educational center. Beginning in the Meiji period, literati like Natsume Sōseki, as well as scholars and pol ...

Tokyo Tokyo (Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Tōkyō'' ), historically known in the west as Tokio and officially the Tokyo Metropolis (, ''Tōkyō-to''), is capital of Japan, the capital and most populous Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan ...

Tokyo

. Kodansha is the largest Japanese publishing company, and it produces the

manga Manga (Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan , image_flag = Flag of Japan.svg , alt_flag = Centered deep red circle on a white rectangle , image_coat ...

manga

magazines ''

Nakayoshi is a monthly ''shōjo'' manga magazine A magazine is a periodical literature, periodical publication which is printing, printed in Coated paper, gloss-coated and Paint sheen, matte paper. Magazines are generally published on a regular sched ...

'', ''

Afternoon Afternoon is the time of the day between noon and evening. It is the time when the sun is descending from its peak in the sky to somewhat before its terminus at the horizon in the west. In human life, it occupies roughly the latter half of the s ...

'', ''

Evening Evening is the period of a day The word day has a number of meanings, depending on the context it is used such as of astronomy, physics, and various calendar systems. As a term in physics and astronomy it is approximately the period durin ...

'', ''

Weekly Shōnen Magazine is a weekly Shōnen manga, ''shōnen'' manga anthology published on Wednesdays in Japan by Kodansha, first published on March 17, 1959. The magazine is mainly read by an older audience, with a large portion of its readership falling under the ma ...

and ''

Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine is a Japanese monthly manga Manga (Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan , image_flag = Flag of Japan.svg , alt_flag = Centered deep red circle on a white rectan ...

'','' as well as the more literary magazines '' Gunzō'', ''

Shūkan Gendai is a general-interest weekly magazine published in Tokyo, Japan. History and profile ''Shūkan Gendai'' was started in 1959. The magazine has its headquarters in Tokyo Tokyo (Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Tōkyō'' ), historically kno ...

'', and the

Japanese dictionary have a history that began over 1300 years ago when Japanese Buddhist Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that ...

Nihongo Daijiten The is a color-illustrated Japanese dictionary have a history that began over 1300 years ago when Japanese Buddhist Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spok ...

''. Kodansha was founded by Seiji Noma in 1909, and members of his family continue as its owners either directly or through the Noma Cultural Foundation.

History

Seiji Noma founded Kodansha in 1909 as a spin-off of the ''Dai-Nippon Yūbenkai'' (, "Greater Japan Oratorical Society") and produced the literary magazine ''Yūben'' () as its first publication. The name ''Kodansha'' (taken from '' Kōdan Club'' (), a now defunct magazine published by the company) originated in 1911 when the publisher formally merged with the ''Dai-Nippon Yūbenkai''. The company has used its current legal name since 1958. It uses the motto . Kodansha Limited owns the Otowa Group, which manages subsidiary companies such as

King RecordsKing Records may refer to: *King Records (Japan), a Japanese record label founded in 1931 *King Records (United States), an American record label active 1943–1975 *Lizard King Records, a New York and London-based independent label founded in 2002 ...

(official name: King Record Co., Ltd.) and

Kobunsha Kobunsha (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 cr ...

, and publishes ''Nikkan Gendai,'' a daily tabloid. It also has close ties with

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly just Disney (), is an American multinational entertainment and media conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originall ...

, and officially sponsors

Tokyo Disneyland (local nickname ''TDL'') is a theme park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases ...

. Kodansha is the largest publisher in Japan. Revenues dropped due to the 2002 recession in Japan and an accompanying downturn in the

publishing industry 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 book A ...

: the company posted a loss in the 2002 financial year for the first time since the end of World War II. (The second-largest publisher,

Shogakukan is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries A dictionary is a listing of lexeme A lexeme () is a unit of lexical meaning that underlies a set of words that are related through inflection In linguistic morphology Morphology, from the ...

, has done relatively better. In the 2003 financial year, Kodansha had revenues of ¥167 billion, as compared to ¥150 billion for Shogakukan. Kodansha, at its peak, led Shogakukan by over ¥50 billion in revenue.) Kodansha sponsors the prestigious

Kodansha Manga Award is an annual award for serialized manga Manga (Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan , image_flag = Flag of Japan.svg , alt_flag = Centered deep red circle on a ...

, which has run since 1977 (and since 1960 under other names). Kodansha's headquarters in Tokyo once housed

Noma Dōjō Noma Dōjō (野間道場) is a privately owned kendo is a modern Japanese martial art, descended from kenjutsu is an umbrella term for all ('' ko-budō'') schools of Japanese swordsmanship, in particular those that predate the Meiji ...

, a

kendo is a modern Japanese martial art, descended from kenjutsu is an umbrella term for all ('' ko-budō'') schools of Japanese swordsmanship, in particular those that predate the Meiji Restoration. Some modern styles of kendo and iaido that w ...

practice-hall established by Seiji Noma in 1925. The hall was demolished in November 2007, however, and replaced with a dōjō in a new building nearby. The company announced that it was closing its English-language publishing house, Kodansha International, at the end of April 2011. Their American publishing house,

Kodansha USA Kodansha USA Publishing, LLC is a publishing company based in New York, USA and a subsidiary A subsidiary, subsidiary company or daughter company is a company (law), company owned or controlled by another company, which is called the parent comp ...

, will remain in operation. Kodansha USA began issuing new publications under the head administrator of the international branch Kentaro Tsugumi, starting in September 2012 with a hardcover release of ''The Spirit of Aikido.'' Many of Kodansha USA's older titles have been reprinted. According to Daniel Mani of Kodansha USA, Inc., "Though we did stopped

publishing new books for about a year starting from late 2011, we did continue to sell most of our older title throughout that period (so Kodansha USA never actually closed)." In October 2016, Kodansha acquired publisher

Ichijinsha is a Japanese publishing company focused on manga-related publication, including magazines and books. The company was first established in August 1992 as a limited company under the name Studio DNA whose main purpose was to edit shōnen manga. I ...

and turned the company into its wholly owned subsidiary.

Relationships with other organizations

The Kodansha company holds ownership in various broadcasting companies in Japan. It also holds shares in

Nippon Cultural Broadcasting is a Japanese radio station in Tokyo which broadcasts to the Kanto area. It is one of the two flagship radio stations of National Radio Network (Japan), National Radio Network (NRN) (the other station is ) and is a member of the Fujisankei Com ...

, along with Kobunsha. In the 2005 takeover-war for

Nippon Broadcasting System , or JOLF, is a Japanese radio station in Yurakucho, Chiyoda ward, Tokyo, next to the Tokyo Imperial Palace. Founded in 1954, it is together with Nippon Cultural Broadcasting, the flagship station of the National Radio Network (Japan), Nation ...

between

Livedoor was a Japanese company that functioned as an Internet service provider An Internet service provider (ISP) is an organization that provides a myriad of services for accessing, using, or participating in the Internet The Internet ( ...

and

Fuji TV JOCX-DTV, virtual channel In most telecommunications Telecommunication is the transmission of information by various types of technologies over , radio, , or other systems. It has its origin in the desire of humans for communicatio ...

Fuji TV

, Kodansha supported Fuji TV by selling its stock to Fuji TV.

NHK

Kodansha has a somewhat complicated relationship with

NHK also called the Japan Broadcasting Corporation and shortened from ''Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai'', is a Japanese government-owned public broadcaster Public broadcasting involves radio Radio is the technology of signaling and telecommunicatio ...

NHK

(Nippon Housou Kyoukai), Japan's

public broadcaster Public broadcasting involves radio Radio is the technology of signaling and telecommunication, communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They ...

. Many of the manga and novels published by Kodansha have spawned anime adaptations. Animation such as ''

Cardcaptor Sakura , abbreviated as ''CCS'', is a Japanese manga Manga (Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan , image_flag = Flag of Japan.svg , alt_flag = Centered deep red cir ...

'', aired in NHK's ''Eisei Anime Gekijō'' time-slot, and Kodansha published a companion-magazine to the NHK children's show '' Okāsan to Issho''. The two companies often clash editorially, however. The October 2000 issue of ''Gendai'' accused NHK of staging footage used in a news report in 1997 on

dynamite fishing Blast fishing, Fish Bombing, or dynamite fishing is a Destructive fishing practices, destructive fishing practice using Explosive material, explosives to stun or kill schools of fish for easy collection. This often illegal practice is extremely des ...

in Indonesia. NHK sued Kodansha in the Tokyo District Court, which ordered Kodansha to publish a retraction and pay ¥4 million in damages. Kodansha appealed the decision, and reached a settlement whereby it had to issue only a partial retraction, and to pay no damages. ''Gendai''s sister magazine ''Shūkan Gendai'' nonetheless published an article probing further into the staged-footage controversy that has dogged NHK.

Honors

Japan Foundation The was established in 1972 by an Act of the National Diet The is Japan , image_flag = Flag of Japan.svg , alt_flag = Centered deep red circle on a white rectangle , image_coat ...

: Japan Foundation Special Prize, 1994.

List of magazines

Manga magazines

This is a list of the manga magazines published by Kodansha according to their 2012 Company Profile (page 4).

Male-oriented manga magazines

;''Kodomo'' (children's) manga magazines *

Comic BomBom was a monthly Japanese manga magazine published by Kodansha and targeted at elementary school boys. Each issue had 700+ pages, with 80 of them being full-color advertisements. Similar to its rival ''CoroCoro Comic'', it featured tie-ins with game ...

(1981–2007) (discontinued) ;''Shōnen'' manga magazines *''

'' (since 1959) *''

Monthly Shōnen Magazine is a monthly shōnen manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics a Media (communication), medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of Panel ...

'' (since 1975) *'' Shōnen Sirius'' (monthly since 2005) *''

'' (monthly since 2009) *''Shōnen Magazine Edge'' (monthly since 2015) *''Shōnen Magazine R'' (monthly since 2015) *''Suiyōbi no Sirius'' (website, since 2013) *''Magazine Pocket'' (app/website, since 2015) ;;''Discontinued'' *''Monthly Manga Shōnen'' (1947–1955) *''

Magazine Special was a Japanese shōnen manga magazine published by Kodansha and first launched with a cover date of September 5, 1983. Its audience demographic is geared toward younger teenage boys, and contents tend to be predominantly sports stories and high ...

'' (monthly, 1983–2017) *''

Monthly Shōnen Rival was a Japanese monthly ''shōnen manga, shōnen'' manga magazine by Kodansha that ran from April 4, 2008 to June 4, 2014. It was issued on the 4th of every month. As with Shueisha's ''Jump Square, Jump SQ.'' and Shogakukan's ''Monthly Shōnen Su ...

'' (2008–2014) *''Monthly Shonen Magazine+'' (2011-2014) ;''Seinen'' manga magazines *''

Weekly Young Magazine is a Japanese weekly anthology magazine published in Tokyo each Monday by Kodansha. The magazine was started on June 23, 1980 and is targeted at the adult male (seinen manga, ''seinen'') demographic. It was published bimonthly, on the second and ...

'' (since 1980) *''Monthly Young Magazine'' (since 2009) *''

Morning Morning is the period from sunrise 250px, Skyline of Kaohsiung harbour, Taiwan at sunrise. Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning. The term can also refer to the entire process of ...

'' (weekly since 1982; originally called ''Comic Morning'') *''Morning 2'' (monthly since 2006) *''

'' (monthly, since 1986) *''

Good! Afternoon is a Japanese seinen manga are Japanese comics marketed toward young adult men. In Japanese, the word ''seinen'' literally means "youth", but the term "''seinen'' manga" is also used to describe the target audience of magazines like '' Wee ...

'' (monthly since 2012; bi-monthly from 2008 to 2012) *''

'' (bi-weekly since 2001) *''Comic Days'' (app/website, since 2018) *''Yanmaga Web'' (website, since 2020) ;;''Discontinued'' *''

Monthly Magazine Z was a Japanese seinen are Japanese comics Manga (Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan , image_flag = Flag of Japan.svg , alt_flag = Centered deep red circle ...

'' (1999–2009) *''

Young Magazine Uppers was a semimonthly seinen manga magazine, published in Japan from April 1, 1998 until October 19, 2004 by Kodansha. List of serialized manga * ''Piano no Mori'' by Makoto Isshiki (1998-) * ''Garōden'' by Keisuke Itagaki and Baku Yumemakura (1999- ...

'' (1998–2004) *''Young Magazine the 3rd'' (monthly, 2014-2021)

Female-oriented manga magazines

;''Shōjo'' manga magazines *''

'' (monthly since 1954) *''

Bessatsu Friend is a Japanese shōjo manga magazine published by Kodansha, aimed at teenage girls. It was originally conceived as a ''bessatsu,'' or companion magazine, to ''Shōjo Friend'', which is no longer published. ''Bessatsu Friend'' is commonly known ...

'' (monthly since 1965) *'' Betsufure'' (quarterly since ????) *''

Dessert Dessert () is a course Course may refer to: Directions or navigation * Course (navigation), the path of travel * Course (orienteering), a series of control points visited by orienteers during a competition, marked with red/white flags in the ...

'' (monthly since 1996) *''Nakayoshi Lovely'' (5 issues per year, since ????) *''The Dessert'' (monthly, since ????) ;;''Discontinued'' *''Shōjo Club'' (????–????) *''

Shōjo Friend was a shōjo manga , also as ''shojo'' or ''shoujo'', are aimed at a teen female - readership. The name romanizes the word (''shōjo''), literally meaning "young woman". ''Shōjo'' manga covers many subjects in a variety of narrative styl ...

'' (1962–1996) *''Mimi'' (1975–1996) *''

Aria In music, an aria (; it, air File:Atmosphere gas proportions.svg, Composition of Earth's atmosphere by volume, excluding water vapor. Lower pie represents trace gases that together compose about 0.043391% of the atmosphere (0.04402961% at ...

'' (monthly, 2010–2018) ;''Josei'' manga magazines *''

Be Love ''Be Love'' is a Japanese monthly (bimonthly May 1982-2018) manga magazine Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics a Media (communication), medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. ...

'' (bi-weekly since 1980; originally called ''Be in Love'') *''

Kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love Love encompasses a range of str ...

'' (bi-weekly since 1992) *''Kiss Plus'' (bi-monthly, ????-2014; succeeded by ''Hatsu Kiss'') *''ITAN'' (quarterly since 2010) *''Hatsu Kiss'' (bi-monthly 2014-2018, monthly 2018-2021) ;Web magazines *''Honey Milk'' (BL magazine) *''Ane Friend'' *''comic tint''

Literary magazines

* ''

Gunzo{{Unreferenced, date=December 2009 :''The article is about the historical figure. For the Japanese magazine, see Gunzo (magazine), Gunzo''. Gunzo (also ''Cunzo'') was a 7th-century duke of the Alamanni under Franks, Frankish sovereignty. His residen ...

'', monthly literary magazine * ''

Mephisto Mephisto or Mephistopheles is one of the chief demons of German literary tradition. Mephisto or Mephistopheles may also refer to: Film and television * Méphisto (1930 film), ''Méphisto'' (1930 film), a French film * Mephisto (1981 film), ''Mep ...

'', tri-annual literary magazine focusing on mystery and detective stories * ''

Faust Faust is the protagonist 200px, Shakespeare's ''Hamlet, Prince of Denmark.'' William Morris Hunt, oil on canvas, c. 1864 A protagonist (from grc, πρωταγωνιστής, translit=prōtagōnistḗs, lit=one who plays the first part, chief ...

References

External links

Kodansha Official Japanese website

Kodansha USA Official Website

Kodansha USA Official Website
{{Authority control Book publishing companies in Tokyo Comic book publishing companies in Tokyo Magazine publishing companies in Tokyo Mass media companies based in Tokyo Publishing companies established in 1909 Manga distributors Publishers of adult comics 1909 establishments in Japan

Japanese brandsJapanese brands: Japan , image_flag = Flag of Japan.svg , alt_flag = Centered deep red circle on a white rectangle , image_coat = Imperial Seal of Japan.svg , alt_coat ...

History

Relationships with other organizations

NHK

Honors

List of magazines

Manga magazines

Male-oriented manga magazines

Female-oriented manga magazines

Literary magazines

See also

References

External links