The career and connections of the talented producer who created the golden age of ukiyo-e

Tsutaya Juzaburo and Sankyoden. A picture of Tsutaya Juzaburo asking Kyoden for a manuscript.

About birth

Tsutaya 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 name at birth was Maruyama Kara. 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.

Local book sales and rental books

Juzaburo, who was adopted by the Kitagawa family, worked at the family business, the teahouse “Tsutaya.” At the same time, Juzaburo, who was well-informed about 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, he operated as an agent for rental book stores and local book stores, but later, Urokogataya fell into decline due to copyright issues, and he joined the Tomimoto Masamoto Publishers Association and opened an independent bookshop called Tsutaya Juzaburo “Yoshiwara Hosomi Publishers” four houses away from the teahouse “Tsutaya.”

　

Yoshiwara Fine View, Goyomatsu, Tenmei 4, Tsutaya Juzaburo, Shoshi Koshodo, New Yoshiwara Daimonguchi

To the publisher

Tsutaju first became a publisher by winning over several large Yoshiwara stores with catchy sales pitches that would attract customers, earning him bankroll (essentially advertising fees). With this bankroll, he released “Hitome Senbon” (A Thousand Eyes at a Glance) in 1774 (An’ei 3), which introduced the courtesans of the large stores. He published the book with the help of Kitao Shigemasa as an illustrator. Later, when Urokogata-ya fell into decline due to copyright issues over the pirated edition of “Hayabiki Setsuyo-shu,” Tsutaju took the opportunity to acquire an exclusive share of Yoshiwara Hosomi, becoming a publisher and expanding his business. The first issue of Yoshiwara Hosomi was a work called “Rigid Flowers,” published by Juzaburo himself in 1775 (An’ei 4). At first, two versions of Yoshiwara Hosomi, one by Koshodo and one by Urokogata-ya, were sold, but Juzaburo gradually took over the market share. Juzaburo was skilled in producing content that attracted attention, and in directing the composition of books. As he became more successful, his influence grew, and he was blessed with a diverse array of artists and comic writers, including Katsukawa Shunsho, Kitao Shigemasa, Koikawa Shuncho, and Santokyoden, all of whom were popular. He was skilled in the art of placing advertisements in publications, and he quickly became the darling of the era.

The rise of a major publisher and the suppression of the Kansei era

A turning point came when Tsutaju was 34 years old. He acquired shares (business rights) in the bookshop “Hosendo” of Maruya Kobee (commonly known as Maruko) in Toriyucho, Nihonbashi, where many major and first-class publishers were located. In September 1783 (Tenmei 3), he changed the name of the shop to “Koshodo” and made it his new headquarters. On this occasion, he showed his filial side by inviting his parents to come and live with him. It is known that he especially respected his mother.

The Yoshiwara Daimonguchi store was managed by Tokusaburo, a clerk. It is assumed that having a store alongside a major publisher was a way of improving Koshodo’s branding. Until then, Koshodo had been a local book wholesaler that mainly handled entertainment books such as kusazoshi and ukiyo-e, but in 1791, it acquired shares in a book wholesaler. A book wholesaler was someone who handled academic books such as history books, medical books, waka poetry, and Confucian books. This allowed them to expect stable sales and also aimed to expand their sales routes to the Kansai region. Around this time, Takizawa Bakin, Jippensha Ikku, and Kitagawa Utamaro worked at Koshodo or were live-in guests. Tsutaju was said to have been very caring, and generously supported talented people. Tsutaju recognized the talents of Katsushika Hokusai and Sharaku, entrusting them with illustrations and other tasks, and gradually deepened his relationship with them. Shortly after that, the incident occurred. Tsutajyo, who had been on a roll with a string of hits in the yellow-covered book format, was oppressed by the publishing control imposed by the Kansei Reforms (1791, the third year of the Kansei era). He was reprimanded for three humorous books that he had published with Santo Kyoden as the author, and was sentenced to 50 days in prison with half of his salary. He also had shares in a book wholesaler, which helped him make up for the decline in his sales of original books. Despite the headwinds, Tsutajyo continued to create new works, undeterred by the Shogunate’s oppression. He released “Large Head Portraits of Beautiful Women” to try to make a comeback. Kitagawa Utamaro had been illustrating yellow-covered books and kyoka books, but he released the “Ten Bodies of Women’s Physiognomy” series of nishikie prints produced by Juzaburo. Until then, Suzuki Harunobu, the father of nishikie prints, was famous, but he mainly depicted the whole body of slender, eight-head-tall beauties. In contrast, Utamaro painted not only courtesans and actors, but also lively expressions of poster girls of the city, and made a series of large-headed paintings of waist-ups. It was a novel production under the keen eye of Juzaburo. Among them were Miyamoto Toyo Hina, Namba-ya Okita, and Takashimaya Ohisa. The large-headed paintings of these three women were called the “Three Beauties of the Time (Kansei Era)” and were a big hit.

The Three Beauties of the Kansei Era　

Tsutaya Juzaburo did not succumb to the oppression and achieved the utmost acclaim as a publisher. In his later years he released 28 large-scale pictures of actors all at once. This was the appearance of the mysterious artist “Toshusai Sharaku.” The release of a four-part series totaling 140 works in just 10 months caused quite a stir, but sales were lackluster and the actors who served as models for the works did not rate them highly, claiming that the figures were too deformed. Tsutaya Juzaburo became a giant in the publishing world and left behind masterpieces, masterpieces and controversial works known to all Japanese people. The first Juzaburo died in 1797 (Kansei 9) at the age of 48 from beriberi (nutritional deficiency of vitamin B1). “The crowbar hasn’t struck yet.”

The second generation Koshodo

After that, Yusuke, who was the head clerk, took over the stage name of Tsutaya Juzaburo and became the second generation. He continued to work with Katsushika Hokusai, Kyokutei Bakin, and Jippensha Ikku. Yusuke’s most famous works are probably “Tokyo Famous Places List” and “Tokyo Travel Illustration Book,” which he produced with Katsushika Hokusai. However, hardships came again. In 1812, the head clerk Chubei was punished by the shogunate for publishing “Itako Zekkushu” with illustrations by Hokusai for being too flashy. Koshodo’s business gradually deteriorated and it moved from Tonoyu-cho to Yokoyama-cho. It was later moved to Kodenmacho 3-chome, but it is believed that its business worsened year by year. Yusuke worked there for 36 years and passed away in 1835, when the Tenpo famine began. Yusuke’s Koshodo had a longer business period than the first generation. Yusuke’s adopted son became the third generation. However, he passed away after only four years. At this time, it moved from Nihonbashi to Asakusa. In the winter of 1837, he handed over the shares of Yoshiwara Hosomi to Iseya Sanjiro. The fourth Tsutaya Juzaburo is said to have written comic stories under the name “Sankyu Haruma” near Asakusa Kaminarimon, but is not known to have been a prominent publisher. One theory is that the business closed around the time of the fourth generation (1861), while another theory is that the fifth generation, who took over the business, continued to operate under the name Koshodo until the early Meiji period, but the details are unknown. The last edition of Yoshiwara Hosomi was published by Tamaya Sanzaburo, and it seems that Hosomi’s role came to an end.

[Tsutaya Koshodo has a history of relocations, starting in Yoshiwara and ending in Asakusa.]

Place of Origin: Yoshiwara Daimonguchi (Gojukken-dori) ② Nihonbashi-dori Abura-cho ③ Yokoyama-cho ④ Kodenmacho 3-chome ⑤ Asakusa Kaminarimon ~ ⑥ Around Sensoji Temple Closed – Closed after 5 generations, counting from the first. As inferred from the colophon of a book published by Tsutaya.

Reference books and sources
“Yoshiwara Hosomi Goyomatsu” (owned by Edo-Tokyo Museum)
Source: National Book Database, https://doi.org/10.20730/100450863
Ukiyo-e Cafe Book Collection: Kanninbukuro Ojime Zentama