Hakubunkan
Encyclopedia
is a Japan
ese publishing company founded in 1887 amidst the wealth and military prosperity of the Meiji era. Hakubunkan entered the publishing arena by printing a nationalist magazine as well as expanding into printing
, advertising
, paper manufacturing, and related businesses, becoming one of Japan's largest publishing companies in the process.
Hakubunkan Shinsha's primary business is now publication of various diaries, journals
, and day planners
, especially those from the era of the original Hakubunkan company.
Hakubunkan is not related to the Osaka
school teaching materials company Hakubun.
, Tokyo
(now part of Hongō, Bunkyō
, Tokyo). The company was named after Itō Hirobumi
, based on an alternate pronunciation of his given name
.
Hakubunkan began publishing the magazine in 1887 as well. One of the most famous stories to appear in the magazine was (also known as The Golden Demon) by Ozaki Kōyō
, who based two of the characters in the play on (son of the founder of the company) and Tomiyama Tadatsugu.
Hakubunkan then established Tōkyōdō (the predecessor of Tōkyōdō Shoten
and Tohan Corporation) in 1891. The following year, Tōkyōdō moved to Hongoku, a neighborhood of Nihonbashi
in Tokyo (now located in Chūō
). In 1893, Tōkyōdō became a domestic and foreign news agency
.
At the beginning of 1895, Hakubunkan began publishing the general interest magazine . The Hakubunkan Printing Office (predecessor of Kyodo Printing) was then established in 1896.
To celebrate its fifteenth anniversary
, Hakubunkan opened the free private
(now the Sankō Library) on June 15, 1902. The library is located in the Shiba Park
neighborhood of Minato Ward
in Tokyo.
Due to the Great Kantō earthquake
in 1923, the building which housed the headquarters of Hakubunkan was destroyed by fire, and the company relocated to the Tozaki area of Koishikawa
, Tokyo (now part of Bunkyō Ward
).
After the magazine Taiyō ceased publication in 1927, Hakubunkan continued to operate in the red, finally splitting into three companies in 1948: Hakuyūsha, Kōyūsha, and Kōbunkan. Hakuyūsha began using the Hakubunkan name again in 1949 before changing it again to Hakubunkan Shinsha in 1950.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese publishing company founded in 1887 amidst the wealth and military prosperity of the Meiji era. Hakubunkan entered the publishing arena by printing a nationalist magazine as well as expanding into printing
Printing
Printing is a process for reproducing text and image, typically with ink on paper using a printing press. It is often carried out as a large-scale industrial process, and is an essential part of publishing and transaction printing....
, advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
, paper manufacturing, and related businesses, becoming one of Japan's largest publishing companies in the process.
Hakubunkan Shinsha's primary business is now publication of various diaries, journals
Diary
A diary is a record with discrete entries arranged by date reporting on what has happened over the course of a day or other period. A personal diary may include a person's experiences, and/or thoughts or feelings, including comment on current events outside the writer's direct experience. Someone...
, and day planners
Personal organizer
A personal organizer, day planner, personal analog assistant, or personal planner is a small book/binder, designed to be portable, usually containing a diary, calendar, address book, and other sections usually including blank paper. It may also include pages with useful information, such as maps,...
, especially those from the era of the original Hakubunkan company.
Hakubunkan is not related to the Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
school teaching materials company Hakubun.
History
In 1887, founded the company in Yumi, HongōHongo
Hongō is a district of Tokyo located in Bunkyō-ku, due north of the Tokyo Imperial Palace and west of Ueno. Hongō was a ward of the former city of Tokyo until 1947, when it merged with another ward, Koishikawa, to form the modern Bunkyō....
, Tokyo
Tokyo City
was a municipality in Japan and part of Tokyo-Fu which existed from May 1, 1889 until its merger with its prefecture on July 1, 1943. The historical boundaries of Tokyo City are now occupied by independent special wards...
(now part of Hongō, Bunkyō
Bunkyo, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of 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 politicians have lived there...
, Tokyo). The company was named after Itō Hirobumi
Ito Hirobumi
Prince was a samurai of Chōshū domain, Japanese statesman, four time Prime Minister of Japan , genrō and Resident-General of Korea. Itō was assassinated by An Jung-geun, a Korean nationalist who was against the annexation of Korea by the Japanese Empire...
, based on an alternate pronunciation of his given name
Given name
A given name, in Western contexts often referred to as a first name, is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name...
.
Hakubunkan began publishing the magazine in 1887 as well. One of the most famous stories to appear in the magazine was (also known as The Golden Demon) by Ozaki Kōyō
Ozaki Koyo
was a Japanese author. His real name was Ozaki Tokutarō .-Biography:Ozaki was the only son of Kokusai , a well-known netsuke carver in the Meiji period. He was educated at Tokyo Prefecture Middle School, and later Tokyo Imperial University...
, who based two of the characters in the play on (son of the founder of the company) and Tomiyama Tadatsugu.
Hakubunkan then established Tōkyōdō (the predecessor of Tōkyōdō Shoten
Tokyodo Shoten
is a Japanese retail book store chain founded in 1891 as Tōkyōdō, a book publishing company. After World War II, the company branched out into retail book sales and Tōkyōdō split into two companies: Tōkyōdō Shoten, which continued with the retail book sales part of the business, and Tōkyōdō...
and Tohan Corporation) in 1891. The following year, Tōkyōdō moved to Hongoku, a neighborhood of Nihonbashi
Nihonbashi
, or Nihombashi, is a business district of Chūō, Tokyo, Japan which grew up around the bridge of the same name which has linked two sides of the Nihonbashi River at this site since the 17th century. The first wooden bridge was completed in 1603, and the current bridge made of stone dates from 1911...
in Tokyo (now located in Chūō
Chuo, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards that form the heart of Tokyo, Japan. The ward refers to itself as Chūō City in English.Its Japanese name literally means "Central Ward," and it is historically the main commercial center of Tokyo, although Shinjuku has risen to challenge it since the end of World War II...
). In 1893, Tōkyōdō became a domestic and foreign news agency
News agency
A news agency is an organization of journalists established to supply news reports to news organizations: newspapers, magazines, and radio and television broadcasters. Such an agency may also be referred to as a wire service, newswire or news service.-History:The oldest news agency is Agence...
.
At the beginning of 1895, Hakubunkan began publishing the general interest magazine . The Hakubunkan Printing Office (predecessor of Kyodo Printing) was then established in 1896.
To celebrate its fifteenth anniversary
Anniversary
An anniversary is a day that commemorates or celebrates a past event that occurred on the same day of the year as the initial event. For example, the first event is the initial occurrence or, if planned, the inaugural of the event. One year later would be the first anniversary of that event...
, Hakubunkan opened the free private
Private library
A private library is a library under the care of private ownership, as compared to that of a public institution, and is usually only established for the use of a small number of people, or even a single person. As with public libraries, some people use stamps, stickers, or embossing to show...
(now the Sankō Library) on June 15, 1902. The library is located in the Shiba Park
Shiba Park
is a public park in Minato, Tokyo, Japan built around the temple of Zōjō-ji.The park is located between the Minato municipal offices and Tokyo Tower...
neighborhood of Minato Ward
Minato, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. As of 1 March 2008, it had an official population of 217,335 and a population density of 10,865 persons per km². The total area is 20.34 km².Minato hosts 49 embassies...
in Tokyo.
Due to the Great Kantō earthquake
1923 Great Kanto earthquake
The struck the Kantō plain on the Japanese main island of Honshū at 11:58:44 am JST on September 1, 1923. Varied accounts hold that the duration of the earthquake was between 4 and 10 minutes...
in 1923, the building which housed the headquarters of Hakubunkan was destroyed by fire, and the company relocated to the Tozaki area of Koishikawa
Koishikawa
is a locality within Bunkyo, Tokyo. It consists of five sub-areas, . It is located nearby with the same name are two well regarded gardens: the Koishikawa Botanical Garden in Hakusan, and the Koishikawa Korakuen Garden in Korakuen....
, Tokyo (now part of Bunkyō Ward
Bunkyo, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of 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 politicians have lived there...
).
After the magazine Taiyō ceased publication in 1927, Hakubunkan continued to operate in the red, finally splitting into three companies in 1948: Hakuyūsha, Kōyūsha, and Kōbunkan. Hakuyūsha began using the Hakubunkan name again in 1949 before changing it again to Hakubunkan Shinsha in 1950.
Magazines
Hakubunkan has published many magazines, including the following:- Bungei Club (文芸倶楽部)
- Chūgaku Sekai (中学世界)
- Jogaku Sekai (女学世界)
- Kōdan Zasshi (講談雑誌)
- Nihon Taika Ronshū (日本大家論集)
- Nōgyō Sekai (農業世界)
- Pocket (ポケット)
- Shin Seinen (新青年, 1920-1950)
- Shōjo SekaiShojo Sekaiwas one of the first shōjo magazines in Japan. It was published by Hakubunkan beginning in 1906 and was initially edited by renowned children’s author , better known by the pen name...
(1906-1939) - Shōnen SekaiShonen Sekai, is one of the first shōnen magazines published by Hakubunkan specializing in children's literature, published from 1895 to 1914. Shōnen Sekai was created as a part of many magazine created by Hakubunkan that would connect with many different parts of society in Japan...
- Shōnen Shōjo Tankai (少年少女譚海)
- Taiyō (1895-1927)
- Tantei Shōsetsu (探偵小説)
- Yōnen Gahō (幼年画報)
- Yōnen Sekai (幼年世界)