KOBUNKAN

KOBUNKAN (株式会社廣文館) is a Japanese bookstore chain headquartered in Naka-ku, Hiroshima. It operates retail bookstores mainly across Hiroshima Prefecture, with additional locations including a store in Tokyo, and it also runs wholesale supply of books and magazines to companies, schools, research institutions and public libraries through its wholesale (gaishō) division. Its retail network includes stores in shopping centres such as Fuji Grand Hiroshima, Fuji Grand Midorii, Fuji Grand Kōyō, Ion Town Rakurakuen, and the Kure Station Building, as well as the BOOK GALLERY KOBUNKAN gallery space on the third floor of Minamoa at Hiroshima Station. The present company was established on 19 November 2018 through a company split (会社分割) of the old Kabushiki Kaisha Kōbunkan (株式会社広文館), a Hiroshima bookseller founded in November 1915 and incorporated in November 1948. The old company had expanded across Hiroshima Prefecture, moved into department stores and large shopping centres, and also supplied books wholesale to schools and private companies; its sales reached roughly 5.1 billion yen in the fiscal year ending October 2001. Performance later deteriorated amid declining reading habits, and in 2017 it was revealed that the company had for years engaged in window-dressing of its accounts (粉飾決算), damaging its external credibility. On 19 November 2018 it transferred its business to the newly established Kabushiki Kaisha Kōbunkan and ceased operations; it resolved to dissolve on 31 October 2019, received a special liquidation order from the Hiroshima District Court on 24 April 2020 with liabilities of about 2.5 billion yen, and its legal personality was extinguished on 26 May 2021. The successor company, Kabushiki Kaisha Kōbunkan, does not inherit the old company's liabilities. On 7 December 2018 it received investment from Tohan Corporation, Ogaki Shoten and Hiroshima Bank, and Ishikawa Fumihisa, formerly head of Tohan's corporate strategy department, became representative director and president. Under Tohan, the company has reviewed unprofitable stores; its founding-location Kōbunkan Kinzachō main store closed on 10 May 2020, while the wholesale division inside that store continued to operate. The company's registered capital is 10 million yen, its representative director and president is Ōgaki Morihiro, and it employs 164 people. Its main banks are Hiroshima Bank and Momiji Bank, and its business lines include retail and wholesale of new books, supply of authorised textbooks, stationery sales, a café business, and a GEO agency. Its main customers include public libraries, government offices and general companies, and elementary, junior high, high schools, universities and vocational schools; its main suppliers include Tohan Corporation, Hiroshima Prefectural Textbook Sales Co., Ltd. and Geo Supply Co., Ltd.

The Kōbunkan name in Hiroshima bookselling dates to November 1915, when the business was founded. It was reorganised as a stock company, Kabushiki Kaisha Kōbunkan (株式会社広文館), in November 1948. Over the following decades the company built a network of bookstores across Hiroshima Prefecture and also developed a wholesale business supplying books to schools and private companies in the region. It expanded by opening tenant stores inside department stores and large shopping centres, and by the fiscal year ending October 2001 its sales had reached approximately 5.1 billion yen. Performance subsequently declined, a trend attributed to falling readership. The company pursued turnaround measures including scrap-and-build of stores, entry into Tokyo and Okayama Prefecture, and efforts to create stores better matched to customer needs, but these did not restore profitability and its cash flow worsened. In 2017 it emerged that the company had for many years been falsifying its financial statements (粉飾決算), which further damaged its external credibility. As a result, on 19 November 2018 the old Kōbunkan transferred its business to a newly established company, Kabushiki Kaisha Kōbunkan (株式会社廣文館), created through a company split, and ceased operations. On the same date it absorbed Maruoka Shōten Co., Ltd., Howdy Book Center Co., Ltd., Itsukaichi Book Center Kōbunkan Co., Ltd., Fukuyama Kōbunkan Co., Ltd. and Kure Kōbunkan Co., Ltd. The old company resolved to dissolve at an extraordinary shareholders' meeting on 31 October 2019, received a special liquidation order from the Hiroshima District Court on 24 April 2020 with liabilities of about 2.5 billion yen, and its legal personality was extinguished on 26 May 2021. The successor company was established on 19 November 2018 and took over the business from the old Kōbunkan the same day, without inheriting the old company's liabilities. On 7 December 2018 it received capital from Tohan Corporation, Ogaki Shoten and Hiroshima Bank, and Ishikawa Fumihisa, who had served as head of Tohan's corporate strategy department, became representative director and president. Under Tohan's ownership the company reviewed unprofitable stores; the Kōbunkan Kinzachō main store, at the founding location, closed on 10 May 2020, although the wholesale (gaishō) division located within that store continued to operate. The present company is registered with capital of 10 million yen, is led by representative director and president Ōgaki Morihiro, and employs 164 people. Its main banks are Hiroshima Bank and Momiji Bank. Its business lines comprise retail and wholesale of new books, supply of authorised textbooks, stationery sales, a café business and a GEO agency. Its main customers are public libraries, government offices and general companies, and elementary, junior high and high schools, universities and vocational schools; its main suppliers include Tohan Corporation, Hiroshima Prefectural Textbook Sales Co., Ltd. and Geo Supply Co., Ltd. Its retail network includes stores in Hiroshima city and Kure, such as the Ion Town Rakurakuen store, the Fuji Grand Hiroshima, Fuji Grand Midorii and Fuji Grand Kōyō stores, and the Kure Station Building store, as well as BOOK GALLERY KOBUNKAN on the third floor (west) of Minamoa at Hiroshima Station, which hosts exhibitions, sales, events and workshops. The company also offers a point card, self-publishing services, and wholesale services including the nationwide bookstore network e-hon and delivery services in and around Hiroshima city.

• Old Kōbunkan business founded in Hiroshima.

• Reorganised as Kabushiki Kaisha Kōbunkan (株式会社広文館).

• Sales reached approximately 5.1 billion yen in the fiscal year ending October 2001.

• Long-running window-dressing of accounts (粉飾決算) revealed.

• Tohan resolved to acquire shares and subscribe to a third-party allotment for a successor company.

• Company split; business transferred to newly established Kabushiki Kaisha Kōbunkan; old company ceased operations and absorbed five affiliated companies.

• New company received investment from Tohan, Ogaki Shoten and Hiroshima Bank; Ishikawa Fumihisa became president.

• Old Kōbunkan resolved to dissolve.

• Hiroshima District Court ordered special liquidation of old Kōbunkan; liabilities about 2.5 billion yen.

• Kōbunkan Kinzachō main store closed; wholesale division continued.

• Old Kōbunkan's legal personality extinguished.

Regional Hiroshima bookstore chain with retail, wholesale and gallery operations, rebuilt under Tohan after the collapse of its predecessor.

• New books and magazines

• Stationery

• Authorised textbooks

• Self-published books

• Café services

• GEO agency services

• Point card

1. 1廣文館 公式サイトkobunkan.com
2. 2企業情報 | 廣文館 公式サイトkobunkan.com
3. 3廣文館 - Wikipediaja.wikipedia.org
4. 4KOBUNKAN - Wikidatawikidata.org