Changes

All three of the major cities published the full range of types or themes of publications, but each also came to be known especially, or more strongly, for certain types of works. Kyoto remained the center of production of Buddhist and Confucian texts, as it had more or less always been, while Osaka publishers produced a great many more practical works, such as encyclopedias; popular literature, meanwhile, took off especially powerfully in Edo. Publishing in Kyoto and Osaka also tended to be more heavily directed towards smaller print runs of more expensive, high quality printed works commissioned by [[poetry circles]] or other relatively exclusive groups, while Edo publishing was more heavily directed towards high-volume production of less expensive, less high-quality popular materials.

All three of the major cities published the full range of types or themes of publications, but each also came to be known especially, or more strongly, for certain types of works. Kyoto remained the center of production of Buddhist and Confucian texts, as it had more or less always been, while Osaka publishers produced a great many more practical works, such as encyclopedias; popular literature, meanwhile, took off especially powerfully in Edo. Publishing in Kyoto and Osaka also tended to be more heavily directed towards smaller print runs of more expensive, high quality printed works commissioned by [[poetry circles]] or other relatively exclusive groups, while Edo publishing was more heavily directed towards high-volume production of less expensive, less high-quality popular materials.

The works of [[Genroku period]] novelist [[Ihara Saikaku]] are considered to have been of particular significance in stimulating the first bridging of the Kamigata-Edo divide in publishing, and the formation of a three-city (''santo'') or nationwide book circulation. His works, ''Kôshoku ichidai otoko'' ("The Life of an Amorous Man," [[1682]]) in particular, were so popular that they were pirated by Edo-based publishers within a year of their initial publication in Kamigata. Before long, publishers in Kamigata and Edo began to form agreements, arranging permissions to produce or distribute one another's works, and to share the profits. By [[1722]] this had developed into a system of publisher's guilds, known as ''[[nakama]]'', which were then reinforced by shogunate edict, banning anyone outside of the guilds from legally operating as publishers. Still, enforcement of piracy issues continued to be handled primarily by the guilds, and not by the samurai authorities.

The works of [[Genroku period]] novelist [[Ihara Saikaku]] are considered to have been of particular significance in stimulating the first bridging of the Kamigata-Edo divide in publishing, and the formation of a three-city (''santo'') or nationwide book circulation. His works, ''Kôshoku ichidai otoko'' ("The Life of an Amorous Man," [[1682]]) in particular, were so popular that they were pirated by Edo-based publishers within a year of their initial publication in Kamigata. Before long, publishers in Kamigata and Edo began to form agreements, arranging permissions to produce or distribute one another's works, and to share the profits. The shogunate officially banned this sort of piracy in [[1698]], and required all publishers to join officially-recognized publishing guilds, called ''shorin [[nakama]]'', beginning in [[1722]]. Anyone outside of the guilds was banned from legally operating as publishers, and enforcement was handled primarily by the guilds, not by the samurai authorities.

Publishing in Japan was dominated chiefly by the ''[[chonin|chônin]]'' commoner class, and by commercial interests. This was in stark contrast to the situation in certain places elsewhere in the world, such as in [[Joseon Dynasty]] Korea, where the court maintained control over nearly all publishing. In Japan, certain publishers enjoyed exclusive rights granted them by the shogunate to publish ''daimyô'' directories called ''[[bukan]]'', calendars (the publishing of which was restricted otherwise), and city maps, but outside of this, and the occasional commissions from the shogunate for the production of given publications, for the most part the [[Tokugawa shogunate]] was relatively uninvolved in publishing. Censorship activities were delegated to the publishers' guilds, and were not performed by shogunate officials.<ref>Ikegami, 308.</ref> Formal edicts continued to be issued in manuscript form.<ref>Smith. p342.</ref>

Publishing in Japan was dominated chiefly by the ''[[chonin|chônin]]'' commoner class, and by commercial interests. This was in stark contrast to the situation in certain places elsewhere in the world, such as in [[Joseon Dynasty]] Korea, where the court maintained control over nearly all publishing. In Japan, certain publishers enjoyed exclusive rights granted them by the shogunate to publish ''daimyô'' directories called ''[[bukan]]'', calendars (the publishing of which was restricted otherwise), and city maps, but outside of this, and the occasional commissions from the shogunate for the production of given publications, for the most part the [[Tokugawa shogunate]] was relatively uninvolved in publishing. Censorship activities were delegated to the publishers' guilds, and were not performed by shogunate officials.<ref>Ikegami, 308.</ref> Formal edicts continued to be issued in manuscript form.<ref>Smith. p342.</ref>