is a Japanese privately-held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō,

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.46 ...

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

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 ...

magazines ''

Nakayoshi is a monthly ''shōjo'' manga magazine published by Kodansha in Japan. First issued in December 1954, it is a long-running magazine with over 60 years of manga publication history. Notable titles serialized in Nakayoshi include '' Princess Kni ...

'', '' Afternoon'', '' Evening'', ''

Weekly Shōnen Magazine is a weekly ''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 significant portion of its readership falling under the male hig ...

'' and '' Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine'', 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. It is published by Kodansha, the largest publishing house in Japan, which c ...

'', and the

Japanese dictionary have a history that began over 1300 years ago when Japanese Buddhist priests, who wanted to understand Chinese sutras, adapted Chinese character dictionaries. Present-day Japanese lexicographers are exploring computerized editing and electronic ...

'' Nihongo Daijiten''. Kodansha was founded by Seiji Noma in 1910, and members of his family continue as its owners either directly or through the Noma Cultural Foundation.

History

Seiji Noma founded Kodansha in 1910 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 Records (official name: King Record Co., Ltd.) and

Kobunsha Kobunsha ( ja, 光文社 ''Kōbunsha'') is a Japanese publishing company. It publishes literature, manga novels, and women's magazines. Company history Kobunsha was established on October 1, 1945, and belongs to the Kodansha group. The company h ...

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

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

, and officially sponsors Tokyo Disneyland. Kodansha is the largest publisher in Japan. Revenues dropped due to the 2002 recession in Japan and an accompanying downturn in the publishing industry: 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, literature, comics ( manga), non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan. Shogakukan founded Shueisha, which also founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the ...

, has done relatively better. In the 2003 financial year, Kodansha had revenues of ¥167 billion 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 published in the previous year, the event is sponsored by the publisher Kodansha. It is currently awarded in three categories: '' shōnen'', '' shōjo'', and general. The awards began in 1977, initially ...

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

kendo is a modern Japanese martial art, descended from kenjutsu (one of the old Japanese martial arts, swordsmanship), that uses bamboo swords ( shinai) as well as protective armor ( bōgu). Today, it is widely practiced within Japan and has spre ...

practice-hall established by Seiji Noma in 1925. However, the hall was demolished in November 2007 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, 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 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 and turned the company into its wholly-owned subsidiary. On November 30, 2022, Kodansha announced an extended partnership with

to release anime originals based on its manga exclusively on video streaming service

Disney+ Disney+ is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned and operated by the Media and Entertainment Distribution division of The Walt Disney Company. The service primarily distributes films and television se ...

starting with the second season of Tokyo Revengers.

Relationships with other organizations

The Kodansha company holds ownership in various broadcasting companies in Japan. It also owns shares in Nippon Cultural Broadcasting and Kobunsha. In the 2005 takeover-war for Nippon Broadcasting System between Livedoor and Fuji TV, Kodansha supported Fuji TV by selling its stock to Fuji TV.

NHK

Kodansha has a somewhat complicated relationship with NHK (Nippon Housou Kyoukai), Japan's public broadcaster. 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 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'' ...

'', 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 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 as a special legal entity to undertake international dissemination of Japanese culture, and became an Independent Administrative Institution under the jurisdiction of the Ministr ...

: Japan Foundation Special Prize, 1994.

List of magazines

Manga magazines

This is a list of manga magazines published by Kodansha.

Male-oriented manga magazines

;''Kodomo'' (children's) manga magazines *'' Comic BomBom'' (1981–2007) ;''Shōnen'' manga magazines *''

'' (since 1959) *'' Monthly Shōnen Magazine'' (since 1975) *'' Shōnen Sirius'' (monthly since 2005) *'' Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine'' (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'' *'' Shōnen Club'' (monthly, 1914-1962) *''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 Magazine GREAT'' (1993–2009) *''

Monthly Shōnen Rival was a Japanese monthly '' 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 SQ.'' and Shogakukan's ''Monthly Shōnen Sunday'', it is aimed at lat ...

'' (2008–2014) *''Magazine E-no'' (2009–2011) *''Monthly Shonen Magazine+'' (2011–2014) ;''Seinen'' manga magazines *'' Weekly Young Magazine'' (since 1980) *''Monthly Young Magazine'' (since 2009) *'' Morning'' (weekly since 1982; originally called ''Comic Morning'') *'' Afternoon'' (monthly, since 1986) *'' Good! Afternoon'' (monthly since 2012; bi-monthly from 2008 to 2012) *'' Evening'' (bi-weekly since 2001) *''Comic Days'' (app/website, since 2018) *''Yanmaga Web'' (website, since 2020) *''Morning Two Web'' (website, since 2022) ;;''Discontinued'' * (1986–1995) *''Mr. Magazine'' (1991–2000) *''

Monthly Magazine Z was a Japanese seinen mixed-media magazine published by Kodansha, aimed at adult males, but particularly at hardcore anime and manga fans, featuring articles as well as manga tied into popular franchises. Original manga were also featured in the ...

'' (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 (1998-2004), (moved to Weekly Morning after the cancellation of t ...

'' (1998–2004) *''Morning Two'' (2006–2022) *''Nemesis'' (2010–2018) *''Young Magazine the 3rd'' (2014–2021)

Female-oriented manga magazines

;''Shōjo'' manga magazines *''

'' (monthly since 1954) *'' Bessatsu Friend'' (monthly since 1965) *''

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

'' (quarterly since ????) *''

Dessert Dessert is a course that concludes a meal. The course consists of sweet foods, such as confections, and possibly a beverage such as dessert wine and liqueur. In some parts of the world, such as much of Greece and West Africa, and most parts o ...

'' (monthly since 1996) *''Nakayoshi Lovely'' (5 issues per year, since ????) *''The Dessert'' (monthly, since ????) ;;''Discontinued'' *'' Shōjo Club'' (monthly, 1923–1962) *''

Shōjo Friend was a shōjo manga List of manga magazines, magazine formerly published by Kodansha, beginning in 1962. Kodansha used the knowledge gained from publishing magazines aimed at young girls, including ''Nakayoshi'' and ''Shōjo Club'', as well as the ...

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

Aria In music, an aria ( Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompa ...

'' (monthly, 2010–2018) ;''Josei'' manga magazines *'' Be Love'' (monthly 1980-1982, 2018-present, bimonthly 1982-2018; 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, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...

'' (monthly 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''. Gunzo (also ''Cunzo'') was a 7th-century duke of the Alamanni under Frankish sovereignty. His residence was at ''villa Iburni ...

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

Book series

Published by Kodansha Ltd.

* Kodansha Gakujutsu Bunko (講談社学術文庫) (English, "Kodansha Academic Paperback Library") (1970)

Published by Kodansha International/USA Ltd.

* Japanese for Busy People Series * Japanese for Young People Series * Kodansha Bilingual Books * Kodansha Globe * This Beautiful World

Miss iD

Kodansha organizes the Miss iD pageant, which started in 2012. iD stands for "identity", " idol", "I", and "diversity", and it is described as a pageant to discover diverse role models for the "new era" without being bound to conventional beauty and lifestyle standards. Married and

transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through ...

women are allowed to participate. The Miss ID title is awarded to more than one person each year, and holders of the title include actress

Tina Tamashiro is a Japanese actress and model. Tamashiro was born to an American father and a Japanese mother. She was scouted by the president of her agency when she was walking home with her friends. In July 2012, Tamashiro won the Kodansha sponsored Miss iD ...

, singer Rie Kaneko, and musician Ena Fujita. Computer-generated character Saya and AI character Rinna were semifinalists in the 2018 pageant.

References

External links

Kodansha Official Japanese website

Kodansha USA Official Website

Kodansha USA Official Website

Kodansha Anime News Network
{{Authority control Japanese companies established in 1910 Publishing companies established in 1910 Book publishing companies in Tokyo Comic book publishing companies in Tokyo Liberal media in Japan Magazine publishing companies in Tokyo Mass media companies based in Tokyo Manga distributors Publishers of adult comics Japanese brands Anime companies