Magazines and the Making of Mass Culture in Japan

Amy Bliss Marshall’s Magazines and the Making of Mass Culture in Japan is a comparative study of two leading Japanese journals during the prewar era, Kingu (King) and Ie no hikari (Light of the Home). During their heyday they each bore the distinction of reaching the million-seller mark: Kingu in its first year in circulation and Ie no hikari in its tenth. Although both magazines got their start in 1925, the comparisons quickly taper off from there. Launched by the Kōdansha publishing company, Kingu burned brighter and faster as an entertainment magazine for the masses, yet ultimately did not survive into the postwar era. Ie no hikari was founded by the Sangyō Kumiai (Industrial Cooperative), which despite its name was primarily an agrarian organization; its publication continues into the present day.