① in the picture is Koshodo. It was on the left side of Gojikama-michi, but it is assumed to have been located around Senzoku 4-11, where the Ukiyo-e Cafe is located. In fact, it has been burned several times, so the exact location is unknown, but the location of the main gate and Gojikama-michi are roughly the same as they were at the time, so there is probably not much difference.

The Ukiyo-e Cafe is located on Gojikkanmichi (around 11 Senzoku 4-chome) in front of the Shin Yoshiwara Daimon Gate, which is said to be the place where the first Tsutaya Jusaburo started his business.

The location of “Koshodo” is shown in the opening illustration of “Yoshiwara Saisomi”, published by “Koshodo” founded by Tsutaya Jusaburo. It states “Hosomi Publishing Bookstore Tsutaya Jusaburo” on the left side of Gojikken Street at the Yoshiwara Daimon entrance. “Koshodo” was founded in 1772, and is known to have initially rented space under the eaves of his brother-in-law’s (Tsutaya Jirobei) Hikite teahouse and started out selling local books and renting books. Interestingly, in Yoshiwara Saisomi, it can be seen that the location of “Koshodo” has changed several times even within Gojikken.

Juzaburo was born in Yoshiwara in the third year of the Kan’en era (January 7, 1750). His father was Maruyama Jusuke, originally from Owari, and his mother was Hirose Tsuyo, and his birth name was Maruyama Karamaru. For unknown reasons, at the age of seven when his parents divorced, he was adopted by the Kitagawa family (house name Tsutaya), who also ran a teahouse in Yoshiwara, and his real name was Kitagawa Karamaru. Juzaburo, who was adopted by the Kitagawa family, worked at the family teahouse “Tsutaya”. At the same time, Juzaburo, who was well-informed in Yoshiwara, is thought to have worked as an editor at Urokogataya, the largest local book wholesaler. At the same time, he made a living by distributing and renting books published by Urokogataya Magobei. Initially, the company operated as an intermediary between rental bookstores and local book dealers, but later, when Urokogata-ya went into decline due to copyright issues, the company joined the Tomimoto Masamoto Publishers Association and opened an independent bookstore called Tsutaya Juzaburo “Yoshiwara Hosomi Publishers” that handled local books four houses away from Hikitechaya Tsutaya.

“Yoshiwara Hosomi Goyomatsu” (owned by the Edo-Tokyo Museum) published by Koshodo in January 1783

Source: National Book Database，https://doi.org/10.20730/100450863