Yuzankaku

Yuzankaku (株式会社雄山閣) is a Japanese academic and specialist book publisher headquartered in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo. It describes itself as one of Japan's largest publishers of academic specialist books, focusing on archaeology, history, and art. The company traces its origins to 1916 (Taishō 5), when Kaneo Nagasaka, a native of Kōfu in Yamanashi Prefecture, organized a national history lecture series (国史講習会) and began publishing the associated lecture records and journals. In 1920 (Taishō 9) the business adopted the trade name Yuzankaku, and in 1935 (Shōwa 10) it was incorporated as a company. Yuzankaku's catalogue is built around long-running series and lecture collections (講座) in fields such as Japanese and world history, archaeology, folklore and ethnology, art and craft, religion, language and literature, museum studies, and traditional performing arts. Its backlist includes major multi-volume projects such as the "Dai Nihon Chishi Taikei" (大日本地誌大系), the "Ronshū Nihon Bukkyō Shi" (論集日本仏教史), the "Minshū Shūkyō Shi Sōsho" (民衆宗教史叢書), and a complete translation of Pliny's Natural History (プリニウスの博物誌). It also publishes the quarterly journal "Kikan Kōkogaku" (季刊考古学), founded in 1982. The company is a small, privately held firm: its corporate profile lists ten employees and capital of 10 million yen, with Tetsuo Miyata as representative director. Its head office is in Fujimi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, and it sells primarily through its own online store and to libraries, researchers, museums, and heritage professionals. Over more than a century it has weathered the Great Kantō earthquake of 1923, wartime consolidation and suspension of publishing, and postwar revival, and it remains active in publishing scholarly monographs, excavation reports, exhibition catalogues, and reissues of classic titles.

Yuzankaku's history begins in 1916 (Taishō 5), when Kaneo Nagasaka, born in Kōfu, Yamanashi Prefecture, organized a national history lecture series (国史講習会) and published the lecture records (国史講習録) and the journal Kokushi-kai (国史界), later renamed Chūō Shidan (中央史壇). This marked the company's first step as a publisher. In January 1920 (Taishō 9) the trade name was changed to Yuzankaku. In the early 1920s the firm planned a major series, the Bunka Sōsho (文化叢書), of 100 volumes; 25 volumes had been published when the Great Kantō earthquake of 1923 destroyed everything. Undeterred, the company began rebuilding a month later. It became known for ambitious multi-volume "complete works" and "lecture series" (講座) projects, including the Tōyōshi Kōza, Seiyōshi Kōza, Kōkogaku Kōza, Nihon Fūzokushi Kōza, Zōen Sōsho, Dai Nihon Chishi Taikei, Nihon Emakimono Shūsei, Shodō Kōza, Isetsu Nihon Shi, Tōyō Geijutsushi Kōza, Shokumotsu Kōza, and Jinrui/Senshigaku Kōza. In June 1930 (Shōwa 5) a new three-story reinforced-concrete head office was completed at the current location. In 1935 (Shōwa 10) the business was incorporated. Between roughly 1935 and 1943 it published more than fifty lecture series, including Nihon Tō Kōza, Kyūdō Kōza, Dai Nihon Shi Kōza, Nihon Meihitsu Zenshū, Denki Dai Nihon Shi, Monogatari Nihon Shi, Kokugo Kokubungaku Kōza, Tōken Kinkō Meisakushū, Tōki Kōza, Tōki Zuroku, and Yūseigaku Kōza, as well as magazines such as Rekishi Kōron, Koten Kenkyū, Sho no Tomo, and Katana to Kendō. In 1943 (Shōwa 18), wartime corporate consolidation brought the firm under government control; Yuzankaku survived by absorbing six other companies, and it also consolidated calligraphy publishers into Dai Nihon Shodō Shuppan Co., Ltd. Around 1945 publishing activity was suspended as the war situation worsened. In 1947 (Shōwa 22) publishing resumed. In 1959 (Shōwa 34) the company revived its subscription-publication system, planning and publishing Dai Nihon Chishi Taikei, Kōza Nihon Fūzokushi, and Shinsetsu Nihon Shi, riding a history boom; the Yuzankaku Building was also expanded. From around 1960 to 1968 it published works such as Chūgaku Taiiku Shidō Kōza, Chūgaku Shakai-ka Shidō Kōza, and Kikai Taisō Series, as well as Nihon Katchū Zukan, Shinpan Nihon Tō Kōza, and the Seikatsushi Sōsho (32 volumes to date). From around 1969 to 1974 it focused on complete series such as Shinpan Kōkogaku Kōza and Gendai Kyūdō Kōza, and began publishing antiquarian art books on Japanese swords, armor, and ceramics; it also published a three-volume biography of Kim Il-sung in 1969–1970, and in 1972 the Shintō Kōkogaku Kōza (6 volumes) and Tōsō Kodōgu Kōza (8 volumes). In 1982 (Shōwa 57) the quarterly journal Kikan Kōkogaku was launched; it reached its 100th issue in 2007. A new head office building was completed in 1989 (Heisei 1). In 2001 (Heisei 13) Yuzankaku Shuppan and Yuzankaku Jigyō Shuppan (Takeuchi Shoten Shinsha) were merged to form Yuzankaku Co., Ltd. Today the company continues to publish academic monographs, excavation reports, exhibition-related titles, and reissues, and it operates an online store alongside its traditional channels.

• 2007

  Kikan Kōkogaku reaches its 100th issue.

• 2001

  Yuzankaku Shuppan and Yuzankaku Jigyō Shuppan (Takeuchi Shoten Shinsha) merged to form Yuzankaku Co., Ltd.

• 1989

  New head office building completed.

• 1982

  Quarterly journal Kikan Kōkogaku launched.

• 1959

  Subscription-publication system revived; major history series published amid a history boom.

• 1947

  Publishing activity resumes after wartime suspension.

• 1943

  Wartime corporate consolidation; Yuzankaku survives by absorbing six other companies and consolidates calligraphy publishers into Dai Nihon Shodō Shuppan.

• 1935

  Business incorporated as a company.

• 1930

  New three-story reinforced-concrete head office completed at the current location in June.

• 1923

  Great Kantō earthquake destroys the company's stock and facilities; rebuilding begins a month later.

• 1920

  Trade name changed to Yuzankaku in January.

• 1916

  Kaneo Nagasaka organizes the Kokushi Kōshūkai (national history lecture series) and begins publishing, the first step as a publisher.

A long-established specialist academic publisher positioning itself as one of Japan's largest publishers of scholarly books in archaeology, history, and art, serving researchers, museums, libraries, and heritage professionals.

• Dai Nihon Chishi Taikei (大日本地誌大系)

• Ronshū Nihon Bukkyō Shi (論集日本仏教史)

• Minshū Shūkyō Shi Sōsho (民衆宗教史叢書)

• Pliny's Natural History, complete 3 volumes (プリニウスの博物誌)

• Kikan Kōkogaku (季刊考古学)

• Nihon Katchū Zukan (日本甲冑図鑑)

• Shinpan Nihon Tō Kōza (新版日本刀講座)

• Seikatsushi Sōsho (生活史叢書)

• Shinpan Kōkogaku Kōza (新版考古学講座)

• Gendai Kyūdō Kōza (現代弓道講座)

• Shintō Kōkogaku Kōza (神道考古学講座, 6 volumes)

• Tōsō Kodōgu Kōza (刀装小道具講座, 8 volumes)

• Kim Il-sung biography (金日成伝, 3 volumes)

1. 1「雄山閣」学術専門書籍出版社 (official website)yuzankaku.co.jp
2. 2会社案内 | 雄山閣についてyuzankaku.co.jp
3. 3房総の伊勢信仰 | 雄山閣yuzankaku.co.jp
4. 4124 天皇陵古墳のいま | 雄山閣yuzankaku.co.jp
5. 5Yuzankaku - Wikidatawikidata.org
6. 6雄山閣 - Wikipedia (Japanese)ja.wikipedia.org