What Takeshobo does

Takeshobo Co., Ltd. (株式会社竹書房) is a Tokyo-based private publishing company founded in October 1972, operating with approximately 130 employees as of October 2025. It produces manga, novels, bunko (pocket books), magazines, mooks, and DVD/BD titles, with a distinctive emphasis on niche verticals — Boys Love, Teens Love, horror/supernatural, mahjong, and 4-koma comics — that are underserved by Japan's mass-market publishers. The active catalog exceeds 15,000 titles spanning long-running properties (Bonobono at 40+ years of serialization, Akagi, Kindai Mahjong) and newer hits (Made in Abyss, Mahou Shoujo ni Akogarete, FakeFactLips, StarWalk, Apocalypse Hotel), the last of which won the 57th Seiun Award (Comic Division) in 2026.

The company's technology stack centers on a portfolio of 10+ genre-specific web-comic platforms — TaleComic (竹コミ！, launched October 2025), StoryDash, Web Comic Gamma, 竹書房BL通信, 竹書房TL通信, Kindai Mahjong THE WEB, and bamB! — enabling digital serialization alongside traditional print. Distribution runs through Japan's two principal wholesalers (Toraya, Nippan), direct e-commerce via takeshobo.co.jp, all major Japanese online retailers (Amazon Japan, Rakuten, 7net, e-hon, Kinoppy), and the leading e-book platforms (Kindle, Comic Cmoa, Renta!, LINE Manga, ebookjapan).

Revenue is generated across five streams: print book/comic sales (B6 manga volumes priced ¥750–¥990), digital content sales, physical DVD/BD sales, character licensing and collaboration deals, and media-adaptation royalties from anime and live-action productions. The customer base is highly diversified across general manga readers, BL/TL genre enthusiasts, horror readers, mahjong fans, and bookstore retailers nationwide, with no single enterprise customer concentration. CEO 宮田純孝 leads the company as it expands media adaptations (Made in Abyss theatrical series debuting October 2026, FakeFactLips live-action drama from April 2026) and cross-publisher collaborations to drive IP value.

Name

Takeshobo

Legal name

株式会社竹書房

Website

https://takeshobo.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Takeshobo (竹書房) is a Tokyo-based private publishing company founded in 1972 that produces manga, novels, bunko, magazines, and DVDs across niche genres including BL, TL, horror, and mahjong content, serving Japanese readers through traditional wholesalers and 10+ digital web-comic platforms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Manga and Book Publishing

NAICS

Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Manga Publishing (Japanese & Global) (MPAJAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Digital Comics, Manga & Serialized Reading Platforms (BPAMAJAJ), Children’s & All-Ages Comics Publishing (MPAJAGAI), Adult/Seinen/Josei Comics Publishing (MPAJAGAJ), Comic Books, Graphic Novels & Manga Retail (CRALAAAF)

Keywords

• Manga publishing
• Web comic platforms
• Genre fiction books
• Character merchandise licensing
• Magazine publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Print Book and Comic Sales: Revenue from publishing and selling printed manga, novels, bunko (pocket books), magazines, and related print products through book distribution wholesalers (Toraya, Nippan) to bookstores nationwide, as well as direct website sales.
2. Digital Content Sales: Revenue from selling digital editions of manga and novels through dedicated web-comic platforms (竹コミ！, WEBコミックガンマ, ストーリアダッシュ, etc.) and major e-book retailers. Electronic magazines also sold digitally.
3. DVD/BD Sales: Revenue from producing and selling idol DVDs, anime DVDs, and other video products through physical retail and e-commerce.
4. Character Licensing and Collaboration: Revenue from licensing characters and intellectual property for commercial use, product collaborations, media adaptations, and merchandise, as well as offering characters for business and promotional use to corporate partners.
5. Media Adaptation Royalties: Revenue from TV anime, drama, and film adaptations of Takeshobo-published manga, generating royalties through licensing IP to animation studios and broadcasters.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Takeshobo is a Japanese publishing house founded in 1972 that publishes manga, novels, books, and magazines across diverse genres, and also produces DVDs and character merchandise. The company operates a portfolio of more than ten web comic platforms for digital distribution of its titles, and licenses its character IPs for use in retail goods, games, and other media.

Product overview

Takeshobo is a Japanese publishing company specializing in manga, novels, and related media. The company operates multiple web comic platforms (竹コミ！, ストーリアダッシュ, WEBコミックガンマ series) alongside traditional print publishing across various imprints. Core comic imprints include バンブーコミックス with genre-specific sub-brands, 近代麻雀 series for mahjong content, and specialty BL/TL sites (竹書房BL通信, 竹書房TL通信). The company also publishes the 竹書房怪談文庫 horror bunko line, ラズベリーブooks romance imprint, and manages merchandise through 竹書房STORE. Notable properties include the long-running bonobono series (40 years), Made in Abyss, and various mahjong-related publications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 近代麻雀 THE WEB: 麻雀漫画専門誌「近代麻雀」の立たかい Webサイト。
• 竹書房BL通信
• 竹書房TL通信
• 竹書房怪談文庫
• ラズベリーブックス
• Neko Planet
• 竹コミ！
• bamB！（バンビー）
• WEBコミックガンマ
• ストーリアダッシュ
• WEBコミックガンマぷらす
• 竹書房コミックエッセイcafe
• ぼのねっと
• アイドル学園
• ねこようかい
• すくすくパラダイスぷらす

Products and services

• Manga Volumes and Magazines (竹書房コミックス / BLADE / etc.) Printed manga tankobon volumes and genre magazines (including mahjong, adventure, fantasy, and gag titles) sold through Japanese bookstores and retail channels to individual readers.
• Web Comic Platforms (e.g., Web Comic Gamma, manga CROSS, 漫画Mee) Digital manga serialization and distribution platforms operated by Takeshobo to deliver serialized chapters directly to consumers online, complementing print publication.
• Novels and Genre Fiction Books (e.g., Earth Star Novels) Novels and light novels published under Takeshobo imprints for readers of fantasy, adventure, and other genre fiction, distributed through bookstores and e-book platforms.
• Idol and Music DVDs DVDs featuring idol, music, and video content produced by Takeshobo and sold to consumers, accompanied by launch events.
• Character IP Licensing Licensing of Takeshobo-owned character IPs (e.g., bonobono) to game publishers, amusement operators, and merchandise manufacturers for use in commercial products and attractions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Multiple manga IPs have been adapted into anime and drama series, generating cross-media revenue and expanding reader base
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and minor.

• 秋水社 (Shusuisha)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 June 2026Takeshobo and 秋水社 jointly hosted a collaboration fair celebrating the dual Seiun Award wins for 'アポカリプスホテル'. The fair features titles from both publishers with exclusive limited-edition illustration cards given to purchasers. The partnership highlights cross-publisher collaboration around shared IP (Apocalypse Hotel originated from a 秋水社 work but has become a co-managed franchise).
• Japanese publishing industry coalition (18 publishers + Japan Anime Association + Japan Manga Artists Association)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 October 2025Takeshobo joined 18 other Japanese publishers, the Japan Anime Association (1), and the Japan Manga Artists Association (2) in issuing a joint statement on AI-era creation and rights. The coalition called for AI companies to obtain explicit opt-in licensing from rights holders, ensure learning data transparency, and provide fair compensation. This is a significant industry-wide position paper on protecting creators' rights in the generative AI era.
• 株式会社双葉社 (Futabasha)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 July 2025Takeshobo and Futabasha are jointly piloting RFID tag insertion in their publications through PubteX. Both publishers committed to inserting the bookmark-shaped RFID tags in select titles as part of a publishing industry supply-chain innovation initiative.
• 喜久屋書店 (Kikuya Shoten)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner bookstore chain for hosting author signings and genre-specific promotional events, including the '真夏の怪談会in松戸' ghost story reading event featuring Takeshobo horror authors.
• Amazon Japan, Rakuten Books, and other online retailersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor e-commerce platforms serving as primary online sales channels for Takeshobo print and digital products. All major online bookstores (Amazon, Rakuten, 7net, Honya Club, e-hon, Kinoppy, etc.) listed on the company website.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Shogakukan (小学館): Top-tier Japanese manga and book publisher (Sunday, Big Comic lines) with analogous print/digital manga portfolio. Sister company to Shueisha within the Hitotsubashi Group and a direct competitor across most genres Takeshobo serves.
• Kodansha (講談社): Major Japanese manga and book publisher (Magazine, Morning, Afternoon) with comparable print and digital publishing operations. Overlaps significantly with Takeshobo in genre manga, magazines, and bunko publishing.
• Kadokawa (角川): Diversified Japanese publisher with strong manga (Monthly Comic Alive, ComicWalker) and light novel franchises. Comparable in operating web comic portals and digital-first strategy alongside print publishing.
• Shueisha (集英社): One of Japan's largest manga publishers (Shonen Jump, Shonen Jump+) and a direct competitor to Takeshobo across multiple manga genres. Highly comparable in publishing manga, magazines, and digital content, though at significantly larger scale.

Emerging players

• Pixiv (ピクシブ): Operator of pixiv Comic and digital manga platforms; Takeshobo's bamB! webcomic is published exclusively on pixiv Comic. Comparable as a digital-first competitor and partner for serialized web manga distribution.
• LINE Manga (LINE Digital Frontier): Major Japanese digital manga platform and a key distribution channel for Takeshobo digital titles. Competes in digital serialization while also serving as a wholesale partner — a hybrid platform/peer relationship.

Direct peers

• Akita Shoten (秋田書店): Established Japanese manga publisher (Shonen Champion, Princess) covering shonen, shojo, and adult lines. Comparable mid-tier peer to Takeshobo across manga genres and magazine publishing.
• Futabasha (双葉社): Mid-sized Japanese manga publisher (Manga Action, Weekly Manga Goraku) and a near-direct peer to Takeshobo in scale and genre mix. Recently partnered with Takeshobo on the PubteX RFID pilot, confirming close peer positioning.
• Hakusensha (白泉社): Japanese manga publisher (Young Animal, Hana to Yume, LaLa) with strong BL/TL and shojo/seinen lines. Directly comparable to Takeshobo's BL/TL-focused 麗人 and ラヴァーズ文庫 imprints.
• Ichijinsha (一迅社): Specialty manga publisher with BL, otome, and subculture focus. Comparable to Takeshobo in genre specialization and scale, with overlapping web comic platform strategies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/takeshobopr
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@fakefactlips-drama
• Facebookfacebook.com/takeshobo
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/takeshobo

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Takeshobo