Bunkasha

**Bunkasha Co., Ltd.** (株式会社ぶんか社, *Kabushiki-gaisha Bunkasha*) is a Japanese publishing company headquartered in **Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan**. It operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of **Beaglee Inc.** (株式会社ビーグリー) and focuses primarily on manga magazines and paperback books aimed at female readers. The company's corporate concept is **"Yukai Tsukai Shuppansha"** (愉快痛快出版社), which conveys a spirit of cheerful and exhilarating publishing.

The business was originally founded in **March 1948** as **Nihon Bunkasha** (日本文華社) in Marunouchi, Chiyoda, by **Keiji Oshima**, a former employee of Bungeishunju. In **April 1992**, the company changed its name to **Bunkasha Co., Ltd.** (株式会社ぶんか社). However, the current legal entity was newly established on **August 19, 1997**, while the original business traces its founding to 1948. This distinction is important: the Bunkasha of today is a successor corporation that inherited the name and operations of the earlier entity.

The company is best known for its **ladies' comic (redikomi) magazines**, having entered the genre in 1992 with the launch of *Ladies Comic Cara*. It expanded its female-oriented manga catalog throughout the 1990s and established a strong foundation in the field. It also published a wide range of other magazines, including 4-koma comedy magazines (centered on *Mikosuri Han Gekijō*), horror manga magazines (such as *Horror M*, published from 1993 to 2010), and even a male-oriented fashion magazine, *asayan*, in 1994. In recent years, Bunkasha has expanded into light novels with the **BK Books** label (2018) and digital comics, and it opened its own smartphone comic site, **Manga Yomonga**, in 2019.

A significant turning point came in **April 2017**, when Bunkasha entered a capital and business alliance with the **Nippon Sangyo Suishin Kiko (NSSK)** through its holding companies **NSSK-CC** (later Bunkasha Holdings) and **NSSK-C** (later Bunkasha Group). In **June 2019**, Bunkasha and its subsidiary **Kaiosha** transferred their male-oriented content publishing businesses to **Rakuraku Publishing** through absorption-type company splits, while Bunkasha's hobby and information-related content was transferred to **Bunyusha**. In **October 2020**, **Beaglee Inc.** acquired all shares of NSSK-CC (Bunkasha Holdings), making Bunkasha and its group companies wholly owned subsidiaries of Beaglee. In **January 2021**, Bunkasha Holdings absorbed Bunkasha Group and simultaneously changed its name to **Bunkasha Group**. In **December 2021**, Beaglee formed a capital and business alliance with **Nippon Television Network Corporation**, which acquired a 25.43% voting stake, making Beaglee an equity-method affiliate of **Nippon Television Holdings**; through this relationship, Bunkasha also became connected to Nippon TV.

In **June 2022**, through an absorption-type company split of **Rakuraku Publishing**, Bunkasha inherited the male-oriented manga content business, while the photographic and entertainment business was transferred to **Bunyusha**. Finally, on **December 1, 2024**, as part of a group reorganization by Beaglee, **Bunkasha absorbed Bunkasha Group** and became a direct subsidiary of Beaglee, with Bunkasha Group dissolved.

As of **December 2023**, Bunkasha employed approximately **130 people**. Its revenue for the fiscal year ending December 2024 was **¥6.18 billion**, and its capital stands at **¥10 million**. The company is led by Representative Director **Harumi Kon** (今 晴美). Its stated mission is to **"gather, edit, and deliver 'fun' to enrich people's lives"** (面白いを集め、編み、人生を楽しくする). Its vision is to be a publisher that **"illuminates half a step ahead and moves people's hearts"** (半歩先を照らし、人の心を動かす出版社), guided by the values of **Curiosity, Co-creation, and Challenge** (the "3C" principles).