Koike Shoin

Koike Shoin (小池書院) was a Japanese publishing house founded in 1972 by manga author Kazuo Koike, initially under the name Studio Ship (スタジオシップ). It was established as a production company modeled after Saito Production, bringing together seven manga artists who had left Saito Production alongside Koike, including Yu Koyama, Seisaku Kanou, Takeshi Kanda, Satomi Kanda, and Kazuhiro Iga. The group lived and worked together in a rented house, with Koike writing original stories and the artists providing illustrations. The company soon expanded into publishing, handling works primarily by Koike and also participating in the production of the 1973 television drama adaptation of "Lone Wolf and Cub" (子連れ狼) for Nippon TV. In 1973, Koike Shoin established a publishing division called Orion Publishing (オリオン出版), which published works beyond Koike's own output. Orion Publishing was dissolved in 1977, and publishing operations returned to Studio Ship. During this period, the company hosted the Kazuo Koike Gekiga Sonjuku (小池一夫劇画村塾), a manga school whose alumni included Rumiko Takahashi, Keisuke Itagaki, and Akio Tanaka. The school's debut magazine, "Comic Gekiga Sonjuku," along with "Young Shoot" and "Comic Shoot," showcased many of these emerging artists. Other magazines included "Comic HAL" and "Comic Corsage." The company also launched the "Michikusa Bunko" paperback imprint, categorizing manga with a turtle mark and essays and novels by celebrities with a crane mark. In 1995, Studio Ship changed its name to Koike Shoin. The company continued to publish manga in its "King Series" and entered the convenience store market with the "Manga DX" series. It also published the golf magazine "Albatross View" (distributed by Mainichi Shimbun) and golf-related books, and operated golf-related membership services. In April 2005, these golf-related businesses were transferred to FT Unit Leasing, an affiliate of internet marketing company Opt, which later changed its name to ALBA Inc. Koike Shoin also published textbooks such as "Character Principles" (キャラクター原論) and university magazines "Kan'an Bungei" and "University Manga" when Koike became a professor at Osaka University of Arts. In 2007, it launched the paperback-sized "KS Pockets" series. From October 2011 to September 2012, it published the bimonthly magazine "Gutsupon," and from October 2013 to February 2016, the bimonthly magazine "Stranger Sorrento." In November 2016, the company began bankruptcy proceedings, though as of February 2018, no formal bankruptcy commencement decision had been registered. The company is now defunct.

Koike Shoin's history began in 1972 when manga author Kazuo Koike founded Studio Ship (スタジオシップ) as a production company. The company was modeled after Saito Production, where Koike had previously worked, and brought together seven manga artists who had also left Saito Production: Yu Koyama, Seisaku Kanou, Takeshi Kanda, Satomi Kanda, Kazuhiro Iga, and others. These artists lived together in a rented house, with Koike writing original stories and the artists drawing them. While most works had a single main artist, some, like "Tokugawa Ieyasu," used different artists for different characters. Studio Ship soon expanded into publishing, focusing on Koike's works. It also co-produced the 1973 Nippon TV drama adaptation of "Lone Wolf and Cub" (子連れ狼), based on a story by Koike and Goseki Kojima, with Union Eiga. In 1973, the company established Orion Publishing (オリオン出版) as its publishing division, which handled works beyond Koike's own. Orion Publishing was dissolved in 1977, and publishing operations returned to Studio Ship. During this later Studio Ship period, the company hosted the Kazuo Koike Gekiga Sonjuku (小池一夫劇画村塾), a manga school whose office was located within the company. The school's debut magazines included "Comic Gekiga Sonjuku," "Young Shoot," and "Comic Shoot," which featured many alumni such as Rumiko Takahashi, Keisuke Itagaki, and Akio Tanaka. Other magazines included "Comic HAL" and "Comic Corsage." The company also launched the "Michikusa Bunko" imprint, which categorized manga with a turtle mark and celebrity essays and novels with a crane mark. In 1995, Studio Ship changed its name to Koike Shoin. The company continued to publish manga in its "King Series" and entered the convenience store market with the "Manga DX" series. It also published the golf magazine "Albatross View" (distributed by Mainichi Shimbun) and golf-related books, and operated golf-related membership services. In April 2005, these golf-related businesses were transferred to FT Unit Leasing, an affiliate of internet marketing company Opt, which later changed its name to ALBA Inc. Koike Shoin also published textbooks such as "Character Principles" (キャラクター原論) and university magazines "Kan'an Bungei" and "University Manga" when Koike became a professor at Osaka University of Arts. In 2007, it launched the paperback-sized "KS Pockets" series. From October 2011 to September 2012, it published the bimonthly magazine "Gutsupon," and from October 2013 to February 2016, the bimonthly magazine "Stranger Sorrento." It also published the monthly magazine "Jidaigeki Manga: Blade -JIN-" until its July 2008 issue; initially focused on Koike's works, it gradually included other authors and genres. In November 2016, the company began bankruptcy proceedings, though as of February 2018, no formal bankruptcy commencement decision had been registered. The company is now defunct.

• 2016

  Began bankruptcy proceedings in November.

• 2013

  Began publishing the bimonthly magazine "Stranger Sorrento" (until February 2016).

• 2011

  Began publishing the bimonthly magazine "Gutsupon" (until September 2012).

• 2008

  Ceased publication of the monthly magazine "Jidaigeki Manga: Blade -JIN-" with the July 2008 issue.

• 2007

  Launched the paperback-sized "KS Pockets" series.

• 2005

  Transferred golf-related businesses to FT Unit Leasing (later ALBA Inc.).

• 1995

  Changed company name to Koike Shoin.

• 1977

  Dissolved Orion Publishing; publishing operations returned to Studio Ship.

• 1973

  Established Orion Publishing as a publishing division; co-produced the TV drama adaptation of "Lone Wolf and Cub."

• 1972

  Founded as Studio Ship by Kazuo Koike and seven manga artists.

Publisher specializing in manga and related books, particularly works by or associated with Kazuo Koike, later diversifying into golf media and general publishing.

• King Series

  Manga paperback series.

• Manga DX

  Convenience store manga series.

• KS Pockets

  Paperback-sized manga series launched in 2007.

• Michikusa Bunko

  Paperback imprint with turtle and crane marks.

• Albatross View

  Golf magazine distributed by Mainichi Shimbun.

• Comic Gekiga Sonjuku

  Monthly manga magazine featuring Gekiga Sonjuku alumni.

• Young Shoot

  Monthly manga magazine.

• Comic Shoot

  Monthly manga magazine.

• Comic HAL

  Manga magazine.

• Comic Corsage

  Manga magazine.

• Jidaigeki Manga: Blade -JIN-

  Monthly period drama manga magazine, published until July 2008 issue.

• Gutsupon

  Bimonthly magazine published from October 2011 to September 2012.

• Stranger Sorrento

  Bimonthly magazine published from October 2013 to February 2016.

1. 1Koike Shoin - Wikidatawikidata.org
2. 2小池書院 - Wikipedia (Japanese)ja.wikipedia.org