Bungei Shunjū (magazine)

Bungei Shunjū
October 1964 issue
CategoriesPolitical
Literary
FrequencyMonthly
PublisherBungeishunjū
FounderKan Kikuchi
Founded1923; 101 years ago (1923)
CountryJapan
Based inTokyo
LanguageJapanese
WebsiteBungeishunjū

Bungei Shunjū (文藝春秋) (Annals of Art and Culture) is a Japanese monthly magazine based in Tokyo, Japan.

History and profile

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Bungei Shunjū was started by writer Kikuchi Kan (1888–1948) in 1923.[1][2] The name of the magazine and publishing house came from the title of the literary review column in the magazine Shinchō by Kan. Bungei Shunjū is published on a monthly basis.[3] The magazine's stance is described as conservative,[4][5] with strong support for the emperor. The headquarters of the magazine is in Tokyo.[6]

Bungei Shunjū covers a wide range of topics from politics to sports. Each issue usually contains about 30 articles by politicians, researchers, journalists or non-fiction writers. It is claimed that the magazine never features articles by members of the Japanese Communist Party or the Social Democratic Party but this is actually false as there are some exceptions. It has published writing by Takako Doi, former leader of the Japan Socialist Party, in September 2005, and by Tetsuzo Fuwa, the chairman of the secretariat of the JCP, when the Soviet Union collapsed.

In 1974 Bungei Shunjū published an article concerning bribery allegations regarding the then Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka.[3] Following the event he was arrested in 1976.[3]

The magazine grants literary awards every year. The February issues announces recipients of The Reader's Prize (文藝春秋読者賞, Bungei shunjū dokusha shō). In the March and September issues the Akutagawa Prize, established in 1935,[6] recipients are announced; in June issues the Ohya non-fiction prize; in July issues the recipients of the Matsumoto Seichō prize; and the December issues announce recipients of the Kikuchi Kan prize which was started by the magazine in 1939.[7] The prize is named for Kikuchi Kan who is the founder of the magazine.[7]

In 2006 Bungei Shunjū sold 620,850 copies.[8]

References

  1. ^ "History of Magazines in Japan: 1867-1988". Kanzaki. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
  2. ^ "Bungeishunju Ltd". J'lit. Retrieved 27 October 2013.
  3. ^ a b c Mariko Oi (21 April 2016). "The Japanese magazine shaking up the cosy media club". BBC. Retrieved 15 September 2016.
  4. ^ Tetsuya Kataoka (1991). The Price of a Constitution: The Origin of Japan's Postwar Politics. New York: Crane Russak. ISBN 9780844817149.
  5. ^ "Labeled the reporter who "fabricated" the comfort woman issue: A Rebuttal". The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  6. ^ a b Rudiger Wischenbart (21 June 2010). "The Top Seven Japanese Publishing Companies from PW's Global Ranking 2009". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  7. ^ a b Jane Clapp (1963). International Dictionary of Literary Awards. New York: Scarecrow Press. p. 192. OCLC 327723.
  8. ^ "Manga Anthology Circulations 2004-2006". ComiPress. 27 December 2007. Retrieved 6 February 2017.