Shogakukan

Summary

Shogakukan Inc. (株式会社小学館, Kabushiki-gaisha Shōgakukan, often pronounced as Shōgakkan[2] due to devoicing[3]) is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, comics (manga), non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan.[4]

Shogakukan Inc.
Native name
株式会社 小学館
Kabushiki-gaisha Shōgakukan
Company typePrivate KK
IndustryPublishing
FoundedAugust 8, 1922; 101 years ago (1922-08-08)
FounderTakeo Ōga
Headquarters,
Japan
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Nobuhiro Oga [jp][1]
(President and CEO)
ProductsMagazines, manga, picture books, light novels, educational books, reference books, other books
Revenue108,471,000,000 yen (2023) Edit this on Wikidata
OwnerHitotsubashi Group (Ōga family)
Number of employees
728 (2017)
Subsidiaries
  • Shogakukan Publishing Service
  • Shorinsha
  • Shogakukan Creative
  • NetAdvance
  • Viz Media
  • Hakusensha (part, via Shueisha)
Websitewww.shogakukan.co.jp

Shogakukan founded Shueisha, which also founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hitotsubashi Group,[5] one of the largest publishing groups in Japan. Shogakukan is headquartered in the Shogakukan Building in Hitotsubashi, part of Kanda, Chiyoda, Tokyo, near the Jimbocho book district. The corporation also has the other two companies located in the same ward.

International operations edit

In the United States edit

Shogakukan, along with Shueisha, owns Viz Media,[6] which publishes manga from both companies in the United States.

Shogakukan's licensing arm in North America was ShoPro Entertainment; it was merged into Viz Media in 2005.[7]

Shogakukan's production arm is Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions (previously Shogakukan Productions Co., Ltd.)

In March 2010 it was announced that Shogakukan would partner with the American comics publisher Fantagraphics to issue a line of manga to be edited by Rachel Thorn.[8]

In Europe edit

In Europe, manga from Shōgakukan and Shūeisha are published by local publishers such as Pika Édition, Ki-oon, Kana and Kazé for the French market, and Kazé, Carlsen, Egmont and Tokyopop for the German market. Shogakukan, Shueisha and ShoPro have established a joint venture named Viz Media Europe.[9] Viz Media Europe bought in 2009 the French Kazé Group whose activities are mainly publishing manga and home video for the French and German market.[10]

In Southeast Asia edit

The company has a wholly-owned subsidiary, Shogakukan Asia, with headquarter in Singapore. Besides producing popular titles in English such as Detective Conan, Pokémon and Future Card Buddyfight, the company also partners with local creators such as Johnny Lau to publish comic series for distribution in Southeast Asia.[11]

New Manga Awards edit

Shogakukan has awards for amateur manga artists who want to become professional. It allows people to either send in their manga by mail or bring it in to an editor.[citation needed]

Genghis Khan controversy edit

[undue weight? ]

On February 15, 2018, CoroCoro Comic ( "Gekkan Corocoro Comic"), a children's magazine published by Shogakukan, had in its March issue a cartoon making fun of Genghis Khan, founder of the Mongol Empire. The comic showed a mischievous boy doodling juvenile things on pictures of famous people, such as a dog's face on a picture of Albert Einstein.[12] Genghis Khan was depicted with a crude rendering of male genitalia on his forehead.[13][14] After some backlash, Shogakukan initially offered an apology addressed to the Mongolian Embassy in Tokyo on February 23, but that failed to mollify Mongolian expats in Japan, who regard Genghis Khan as a national hero.[13]

On February 26, Mongolians and citizens of China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region resident in Japan sent a formal letter of protest to Shogakukan, while some 90 demonstrators protested in front of company headquarters.[13] Major bookselling chains Kinokuniya, Miraiya and Kumazawa pulled the publication off shelves after the Mongolian Embassy in Tokyo filed an official complaint with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[12] In March 2018, Shogakukan issued another public apology, announced a national recall of the magazine and offered a refund to magazine patrons.[15] CoroCoro Comic's website also published an apology by Asumi Yoshino, author of the serialized manga Yarisugi!!! Itazura-kun which contained the controversial image.[16]

List of magazines published edit

Manga magazines edit

Male oriented manga magazines edit

Children's manga magazines
  • CoroCoro Comic (since 1977)
  • Bessatsu CoroCoro Comic (since 1981)
  • CoroCoro Ichiban! (since 2005)
Shōnen manga magazines
Seinen manga magazines

Female oriented manga magazines edit

Children's manga magazines
Shōjo manga magazines
Josei manga magazines

Fashion magazines edit

Educational magazines edit

  • Shogaku Ichinensei (First Grade)
  • Shogaku Ninensei (Second Grade) (discontinued in 2016)
  • Shogaku Sannensei (Third Grade) (discontinued in 2012)
  • Shogaku Yonnensei (Fourth Grade) (discontinued in 2012)
  • Shogaku Gonensei (Fifth Grade) (discontinued in 2010)
  • Shogaku Rokunensei (Sixth Grade) (discontinued in 2010)
  • Shogaku Hachinensei (Eighth Grade) (since 2017, replacing Second to Sixth Grade magazines)

News magazines edit

  • Weekly Post (週刊ポスト)
  • SAPIO (discontinued in 2019)
  • Josei Seven (女性セブン)

Anime edit

Shogakukan produces (or makes part of the production of) anime based on their mangas, mostly through their subsidiary Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions.

Imprints edit

Tentomushi Comics edit

Tentōmusi Comics (Japanese: てんとう虫コミックス【てんとうむしコミックス】, Hepburn: Tentōmushi Komikkusu), abbreviated TC, is the imprint used for tankōbon editions of manga series serialized in Monthly CoroCoro Comic and Bessatsu CoroCoro Comic magazines.[18]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Company Profile". Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  2. ^ Example: "Shōgakkan". Library of Congress Authorities. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  3. ^ "Devoiced Vowels". TUFS Language Modules – Japanese. Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. Archived from the original on November 12, 2022.
  4. ^ "Company Overview of SHOGAKUKAN". Bloomberg. Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
  5. ^ "Global Publishing Leaders 2015: Shogakukan". PWxyz. Publishers Weekly. June 26, 2015. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
  6. ^ Alverson, Brigid (May 13, 2016). "Hachette and Kadokawa Partner on Manga and Graphic Novels". PWxyz. Publishers Weekly. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
  7. ^ "ShoPro Entertainment Inc. and VIZ, LLC to Merge". Anime News Network. January 25, 2005. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
  8. ^ Deppey, Dirk (March 8, 2010). "Journalista reputation-destroying extra: Four years' work". Journalista!. The Comics Journal. Archived from the original on September 7, 2015. Retrieved November 16, 2015.
  9. ^ "Vizmedia Europe rachète le groupe Kazé". Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved February 18, 2013.
  10. ^ "Organisation du groupe Vizmedia Europe". Archived from the original on June 27, 2021. Retrieved February 18, 2013.
  11. ^ "Education through entertainment" (). Singapore Economic Development Board. January 15, 2014. Retrieved on June 2, 2015.
  12. ^ a b "Genghis Khan-insulting manga pulled from major book stores amid further Mongolian protests". SoraNews24. Socio Corporation. March 2018. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  13. ^ a b c "Mongolians irate over manga showing penis on Genghis Khan". The Asahi Shimbun Company. The Asahi Shimbun. February 28, 2018. Archived from the original on August 2, 2019. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  14. ^ "Coro Coro Comics Apologizes for Manga's Depiction of Genghis Khan". Anime News Network. February 25, 2018. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  15. ^ "Publisher Shogakukan withdraws and apologizes for comic that mocks Genghis Khan". The Japan Times. Kyodo. March 6, 2018. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  16. ^ Shiohara, Ken (March 7, 2018). "Publisher recalls manga magazine that infuriated Mongolians". The Asahi Shimbun Company. The Asahi Shimbun. Archived from the original on June 30, 2018. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  17. ^ "Rinka". manga-news.com (in French). Retrieved November 23, 2014.
  18. ^ "てんとう虫コミックス 藤子・F・不二雄シリーズ 公式サイト|小学館".

External links edit

  • Shogakukan website
  • Shogakukan website (in Japanese)
  • Shogakukan Asia website
  • Shogakukan Productions Co., Ltd. at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
  • Shogakukan at Anime News Network's encyclopedia