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''Kashihon'ya'', or booklenders, played a prominent role in the publishing and distribution industry of [[Edo period]] Japan. While many consumers purchased books outright from publishers/bookshops or from traveling salesmen, borrowing of books from booklenders, and from one another, was extremely popular.

''Kashihon'ya'', or booklenders, played a prominent role in the publishing and distribution industry of [[Edo period]] Japan. While many consumers purchased books outright from publishers/bookshops or from traveling salesmen, borrowing of books from booklenders, and from one another, was extremely popular.

They are believed to have emerged around the late 17th century, if not earlier, and by [[1808]], booklenders in Edo numbered at least 656, outnumbering public bathhouses in the city. Most maintained storefronts, but conducted much of their business through visits directly to the homes of regular customers, or by peddling books on the street. The book peddler, with a rectangular pile of books on his back, is actually a very common sight in ''[[ukiyo-e]]'' [[genre painting]]s. Traveling booklenders - or perhaps staff in the employ of a booklender from one of the major urban centers - are also known to have made visits to more rural communities and individuals.

They are believed to have emerged around the late 17th century, if not earlier, with one source indicating the emergence of the term in [[1713]]. By [[1808]], booklenders in Edo numbered at least 656, outnumbering public bathhouses in the city; this number jumped to at least 800 by the 1840s. Most maintained storefronts, but conducted much of their business through visits directly to the homes of regular customers, or by peddling books on the street. One scholar has estimated the customer base of each ''kashihon'ya'' at, on average, 150-200 households. The book peddler, with a rectangular pile of books on his back, is actually a very common sight in ''[[ukiyo-e]]'' [[genre painting]]s. Traveling booklenders - or perhaps staff in the employ of a booklender from one of the major urban centers - are also known to have made visits to more rural communities and individuals.

The [[seal]] of the ''kashihon'ya'' would often be placed in the front of the book - either on the inside cover, or on the first page. Along with the seals of later owners of the books (e.g. 20th century Western collectors), these booklenders' seals provide interesting and useful information about the provenance or history of a particular copy of a book.

The [[seal]] of the ''kashihon'ya'' would often be placed in the front of the book - either on the inside cover, or on the first page. Along with the seals of later owners of the books (e.g. 20th century Western collectors), these booklenders' seals provide interesting and useful information about the provenance or history of a particular copy of a book.

==References==

==References==

*Ikegami, Eiko. ''Bonds of Civility: Aesthetic Networks and the Political Origins of Japanese Culture''. Cambridge University Press, 2005. pp302-306.

*Ikegami, Eiko. ''Bonds of Civility: Aesthetic Networks and the Political Origins of Japanese Culture''. Cambridge University Press, 2005. pp302-306.

[[Category:Edo Period]]

[[Category:Edo Period]]

[[Category:Culture]]

[[Category:Culture]]

[[Category:Economics]]

[[Category:Economics]]