Kobunsha

Japanese publishing company

Kobunsha (Japanese: 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 has published Japanese authors such as Tetsuya Honda, Keigo Higashino, Jiro Akagawa, Miyuki Miyabe and Arimasa Osawa and foreign authors such as Arthur C. Clarke, Jean Genet, Malcolm Gladwell, Jon Ronson, J. D. Vance, Hanya Yanagihara and Zhao Ziyang.^[1]

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.^[1]^[2]

Kobunsha currently publishes women's magazines such as JJ, Classy and JJ Bis.

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
Mart
Josei Jishin

Men's magazines

Gainer
Brio
Pro Wrestling Album

Other magazines

Giallo
Flash
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 [i.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!!
Shinsengumi anthology Hana to Ran

References

^ ^a ^b About Us, kobunsha.com. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
^ Yutaka Maekawa, The Distinctive Gaze of a Literary Scholar Produces Unique Works in the Mystery Genre, hosei.ac.jp. Retrieved June 21, 2022.