Editors who published Yen-pon (One-yen Book)

—Present-day Implications of Gendai Nihon Bungaku Zenshu (Complete Series of Modern Japanese Literature) by Kaizo-sha in 1926

Abstract

The years from 1927 to 1929 in Japan saw the so-called “Yen-pon” boom, when a complete series of books sold at the low price of 1 yen per copy. This phenomenon was triggered by the Gendai Nihon Bungaku Zenshu (Complete Series of Modern Japanese Literature) by Kaizo-sha in 1926. This paper analyzes the editorial intentions and policies of this Kaizo-sha series, focusing on the concerned the relationship between author and copyright, the design and content of the book, the monthly newsletters, and other editorial ideas. It is argued that these editorial efforts resulted in the establishment of editorializing by publishers—editors doing their own critiquing and maintaining an independence from authors—in the beginning of the Showa Era. The editorial characteristics of the Kaizo-sha series has historical significance because It offered a basic model—the framework of editing, bookmaking, advertisement and sales network—for today's publishing in Japan. It is even more significant because that framework has been undermined by the recent advent of multi-media environment.