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Comic Takaoka

35°41′45.0″N 139°45′31.2″E / 35.695833°N 139.758667°E / 35.695833; 139.758667

Comic Takaoka
Native name
コミック高岡
FormerlyTakaoka Shoten
Company typeJoint-stock
IndustryManga
Founded1880
FoundersYasutarou Takaoka
Torajiro Takaoka
DefunctMarch 31, 2019 (2019-03-31)
Headquarters
Jinbōchō, Tokyo
,
Japan

Comic Takaoka (Japanese: コミック高岡, Hepburn: Komikku Takaoka) was a manga and comic book store in Jinbōchō, Tokyo, Japan. Opened in 1880 as a general bookstore under the name Takaoka Shoten (Japanese: 高岡書店, Takaoka Bookstore), the store changed its name after it began selling manga exclusively in 1979. Comic Takaoka is noted as one of the first specialty manga bookstores and, prior to its closure in 2019, was one of the longest continually-operating manga bookstores in Japan.[1]

History

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The store opened in 1880 under the name Takaoka Shoten, where it operated as a general used bookstore.[2] The store was founded by Yasutarou Takaoka and Torajiro Takaoka, two brothers who moved to Tokyo from Gifu Prefecture; the brothers later entered the publishing industry, where they focused on publishing reference books by mathematician Taketaro Akiyama [ja] and scientist Ayao Kuwaki [ja].[2] The store closed during the Second World War before re-opening as a joint-stock company in 1948, and after beginning to sell manga exclusively in 1979, changed its name to Comic Takaoka.[3]

Upon re-establishing itself as Comic Takaoka, the store became one of the first specialty manga bookstores in Japan.[4] Comic Takaoka developed a reputation as "one of the most iconic manga stores in Tokyo"[5] for its sale of a wide breadth of manga, from works by major publishers[6] to niche otaku books.[7] The store was one of the few manga-focused stores in Jinbōchō, a district in Tokyo noted for its high volume of used bookstores, where it was distinguished by its bright yellow facade.[6] At its peak of popularity in the mid-1980s, Comic Takaoka reported selling 1,700 books per day.[4]

In February 2019, Comic Takaoka announced that it would close on March 31, 2019.[7] The Japanese publishing recession [ja], the proliferation of e-books, and the rising cost of rent in Jinbōchō were cited as causes for the closure.[7] That same year, the British Museum included a virtual recreation of Comic Takaoka in its exhibit The Citi Exhibition: Manga on the history of manga.[1][8]

References

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  1. ^ a b "The Power of Manga". Asian Art. May 29, 2019. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Fujii, Seijiro (1962). 回顧五十年 (in Japanese). pp. 191–192.
  3. ^ 東京古書組合五十年史 [Fifty Year History of Tokyo Old Book Association] (in Japanese). Tokyo Metropolitan Old Book Commercial Cooperative. 1992. p. 466.
  4. ^ a b Ohno, Tomomi (March 19, 2019). "３月末で閉店する神保町の老舗マンガ専門店「コミック高岡」が"オタクの聖地"と呼ばれた理由". Weekly Pre-News (in Japanese). Shueisha. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  5. ^ Morrissy, Kim (February 9, 2019). "Tokyo Manga Bookstore Comic Takaoka to Close After a Century of Service". Anime News Network. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  6. ^ a b "コミック専門の高岡書店が閉店". Weekly Economist (in Japanese). March 22, 2019. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  7. ^ a b c "コミック高岡：神保町の老舗マンガ専門店が3月末に閉店 100年以上の歴史に幕". MANTANWEB (in Japanese). February 6, 2019. Archived from the original on February 6, 2019. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  8. ^ "大英博物館で国外最大規模のマンガ展、「ゴールデンカムイ」ほか約70タイトル". MyNavi News (in Japanese). April 25, 2019. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
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