, established in 1923, is a Japanese publishing company known for its leading monthly magazine Bungeishunjū

Bungeishunju (magazine)

is a leading Japanese monthly magazine published by Bungeishunjū. The magazine was started by writer Kikuchi Kan in 1923 in tandem with the founding of Bungeishunjū. The name of the magazine came from the title of the literary review column in the magazine Shinchō by Kan...

. It also grants the annual Akutagawa Prize

Akutagawa Prize

The is a Japanese literary award presented semi-annually. It was established in 1935 by Kan Kikuchi, then-editor of Bungeishunjū magazine, in memory of author Ryūnosuke Akutagawa...

, one of the most prestigious literary awards in Japan, as well as the annual Naoki Prize

Naoki Prize

The Naoki Prize is a Japanese literary award presented semiannually. The official name is Naoki Sanjugo Prize. It was created in 1935 by Kikuchi Kan, then editor of the Bungeishunjū magazine, and named in memory of novelist Naoki Sanjugo...

 for popular novelists. It also grants the annual Bungeishunjū Manga Award

Bungeishunju Manga Award

The was an annual award established in 1955 and given out by Bungeishunjū in Japan for gag, yonkoma, one-panel, and satirical manga. The award was also given out for works considered the magnum opus of manga creators....

 for achievement in the manga and illustration fields. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo

Chiyoda, Tokyo

is one of the 23 special wards in central Tokyo, Japan. In English, it is called Chiyoda ward. As of October 2007, the ward has an estimated population of 45,543 and a population density of 3,912 people per km², making it by far the least populated of the special wards...

.

The company publishes , the weekly , and the sports magazine Number

Number (magazine)

Number is the leading Japanese sports magazine published on every Thursday by Bungeishunju. The official name is Sports Graphic Number. Though the circulation once hit 47 million, it is now around 10 million....

, which represent public opinion of literary, political, and sport-journalistic culture, respectively. The Bunshun, in particular, has come to be known for litigation involving freedom of speech issues, particularly alleged privacy violations and defamation; for example Mitsuo Kagawa

Mitsuo Kagawa

was a Japanese archaeologist and a professor at Beppu University in Ōita Prefecture, Japan. He committed suicide by hanging himself on March 9, 2001.- Life :...

List of magazines

The magazines published by Bungeishunjū include:
(published monthly) (published weekly) (monthly literary issue) (women's quality) (op-ed magazine)

Company history

Bungeishunjū was founded in 1923 by writer Kan Kikuchi

Kan Kikuchi

, known by his pen name Kan Kikuchi , was a Japanese author born in Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture, Japan. He established the publishing company Bungeishunjū, the monthly magazine of the same name, the Japan Writer's Association and both the Akutagawa and Naoki Prize for popular literature...

. The company was disbanded in March 1946 but was reestablished in June of the same year.