Changes

Tsutaya Jûzaburô is today the most famous and celebrated [[printing and publishing|publisher]] of the [[Edo period]]. He is known for having worked with many now-famous ''[[ukiyo-e]]'' artists, including [[Utamaro]], [[Sharaku]], and [[Santo Kyoden|Kitao Masanobu]], and for having been the publisher for many of their most famous works.

Tsutaya Jûzaburô is today the most famous and celebrated [[printing and publishing|publisher]] of the [[Edo period]]. He is known for having worked with many now-famous ''[[ukiyo-e]]'' artists, including [[Utamaro]], [[Sharaku]], and [[Santo Kyoden|Kitao Masanobu]], and for having been the publisher for many of their most famous works.

The publisher, commonly referred to as "Tsuta-jû," an abbreviation of his full name, was born and raised in the [[Yoshiwara]]; his father was the owner of a [[teahouse|brothel]], and when he was young he was adopted by the owner of a teashop. He thus grew up with an intimate knowledge of and familiarity with the pleasure district, and in the earlier years of his career, beginning in [[1773]], operated out of a shop located just outside the district's main gate.

The publisher, commonly referred to as "Tsuta-jû," an abbreviation of his full name, was born and raised in the [[Yoshiwara]]; his father was the owner of a [[teahouse|brothel]], and when he was young he was adopted by the owner of a teashop. He thus grew up with an intimate knowledge of and familiarity with the pleasure district, and in the earlier years of his career, beginning in [[1773]], operated out of a shop located just outside the district's main gate. Jûzaburô was actively involved in prime social circles of his time, maintaining close relationships with the likes of Santô Kyôden, [[Hiraga Gennai]], [[Ota Nanpo|Ôta Nanpo]], and even sharing his home with Utamaro and [[Takizawa Bakin]] for a time.<ref>Christine Guth, ''Art of Edo Japan'', Yale University Press (1996), 109.</ref>

The [[1776]] publication ''[[Seiro bijin awase sugata kagami|Seirô bijin awase sugata kagami]]'', featuring images of [[courtesans]] by artists [[Katsukawa Shunsho|Katsukawa Shunshô]] and [[Kitao Shigemasa]], was his first large-scale publishing venture. In [[1782]], he purchased the exclusive rights to produce Yoshiwara ''[[saiken]]'' (courtesan directories), and moved his base of operations to the [[Nihonbashi]] area, the chief merchant district in [[Edo]], moving again the following year to Toriabura-chô, the heart of Edo's publishing district.

The [[1776]] publication ''[[Seiro bijin awase sugata kagami|Seirô bijin awase sugata kagami]]'', featuring images of [[courtesans]] by artists [[Katsukawa Shunsho|Katsukawa Shunshô]] and [[Kitao Shigemasa]], was his first large-scale publishing venture. In [[1782]], he purchased the exclusive rights to produce Yoshiwara ''[[saiken]]'' (courtesan directories), and moved his base of operations to the [[Nihonbashi]] area, the chief merchant district in [[Edo]], moving again the following year to Toriabura-chô, the heart of Edo's publishing district.