Tuttle Mori Agency
Tuttle-Mori Agency is Japan's oldest and largest literary and media rights agency, intermediating translation, manga, character merchandising, and TV/film licensing between Japanese rights holders and international publishers, broadcasters, and merchandisers, and accounting for roughly 60% of the domestic market.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1978
- HeadquartersTokyo, Japan
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Tuttle Mori Agency does
Tuttle-Mori Agency (株式会社タトル・モリ エイジェンシー, TUTTLE-MORI AGENCY, INC.) is a privately held Japanese literary and media rights agency headquartered in Kanda Jimbocho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, with scout offices in London and New York. Founded in 1948 as the literary agency department of Charles E. Tuttle & Company and formally established as an independent entity in 1978, the firm is the oldest and largest literary agency in Japan, accounting for approximately 60% of the domestic market. It operates a department-structured platform spanning Translation Rights, Foreign Rights Export (Japanese works), Manga Licensing, International Co-editions, Television/Film Program Distribution, Performance Rights, Merchandising Rights, Newspaper/Magazine Rights, Photo Reproduction Rights, Internet Rights, Ebook Rights, and Lecture Coordination. Exclusive Japanese sales agency appointments include Channel 4 International and National Geographic Television International, and exclusive character merchandising mandates include Macmillan Alice (Alice in Wonderland), Moomin, and Elmer the Patchwork Elephant. The platform also extends to a Greater China subsidiary (Big Apple Tuttle-Mori Agency, Inc., 1990) and an audiovisual/merchandising subsidiary (T.M. International, 1985).
The business model is commission-based rights intermediation: Tuttle-Mori matches rights holders (authors, publishers, broadcasters, character owners) with counterparties in target markets, negotiates contracts, collects royalties, and remits net proceeds to rights holders, retaining a commission on the gross. Long-term representation agreements with major Japanese publishers (Shueisha, Shogakukan, Kodansha) cover flagship manga properties such as Dragon Ball, Weekly Shōnen Jump, and Afternoon series, and the manga division has facilitated licensing to 31+ countries in 19+ languages with 80,000+ historical contracts handled. GTM is sales-led and relationship-driven, with department-specific B2B contacts and a global scout network. International cooperation agreements with peer agencies in Korea, Germany, France, Italy, the US, and the UK underpin cross-border deal flow.
Technology is not proprietary; Tuttle-Mori describes itself as operating with no platform technology, and no AI/ML capabilities are evidenced beyond a 2026 deployment of an AI voice operator for inbound phone reception. Revenue is generated entirely through licensing and royalty commissions across the firm's content-type verticals, with annual sales stated as approximately 5 billion JPY (~$33M USD) on a headcount of 50-64. The firm is privately held by the Mori family and affiliated directors, with no external private equity or venture capital ownership indicated in the source material.
Tuttle Mori Agency firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Tuttle Mori Agency
- Legal name
- 株式会社タトル・モリ エイジェンシー
- Website
- https://tuttlemori.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1978
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Tuttle-Mori Agency is Japan's oldest and largest literary and media rights agency, intermediating translation, manga, character merchandising, and TV/film licensing between Japanese rights holders and international publishers, broadcasters, and merchandisers, and accounting for roughly 60% of the domestic market.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Tuttle Mori Agency industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Literary and Media Rights Agency
- NAICS
- Agents and Managers for Artists, Athletes, Entertainers, and Other Public Figures (7114), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)
- SIC
- Services-Legal Services (8111), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Services-Allied To Motion Picture Production (7819)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Translated & International Trade Publishing (Rights/Localizations) (MPAJAAAO)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Publishing Administration (Catalog Admin, Global Subpublishing) (MPAIABAB), Rights, ISBN & Publishing Administration Services (Identifiers, Metadata, Royalties) (MPAJAJAK), Manga Publishing (Japanese & Global) (MPAJAGAA), Merchandising, Character & Brand Licensing (MPADALAF)
Keywords
Where Tuttle Mori Agency is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tokyo
- HQ country
- Japan
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices3 records
Markets served
Tuttle Mori Agency business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Translation Rights Intermediation: Commission-based intermediary services for translation rights of foreign works into Japanese and Japanese works abroad, handling contracts, royalty collection, and remittance to rights holders
- Manga Licensing: Facilitating Japanese manga licensing to international publishers across 31+ countries and 19+ languages
- Character Merchandising Rights: Merchandising rights intermediation for international characters including Moomin, Elmer the Patchwork Elephant, and others in Japan
- Television/Film Program Distribution: Exclusive Japanese sales agent for Channel 4 International and National Geographic Television International programming
- Performance/Theatrical Rights: Brokerage of performance rights for plays, theatrical adaptations, and stage productions
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels2 records
Tuttle Mori Agency product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Tuttle-Mori Agency is a literary and media rights agency that intermediates intellectual property rights between Japan and overseas markets. The company brokers translation rights, manga licensing, character merchandising, television/film program distribution, performance rights, and other ancillary rights on behalf of rights holders and publishers. Services include contract negotiation, royalty collection and remittance, tax treaty compliance, and international co-publishing coordination, with specialized departments for Fiction, Non-fiction, Children's, Manga, Merchandising, and TV/Film rights.
Product overview
Tuttle Mori Agency is a traditional literary and media rights agency operating as a unified platform for intellectual property licensing. The agency offers a comprehensive suite of rights mediation services organized by content type and market direction, including Translation Rights (bringing foreign works to Japan), Foreign Rights Export (licensing Japanese works abroad), Manga Licensing, Co-editions for illustrated works, Television/Film Distribution, Performance Rights, Merchandising Rights, and ancillary services like Lecture Coordination and Internet Rights. The agency handles over 80,000 contracted works and manages approximately 60% of Japan's literary translation rights market. Services are provided through specialized departments staffed by domain experts, with downloadable tax forms and contract documents available via the company website.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Translation Rights Mediation
- Foreign Rights Export (Japanese Works)
- Manga Licensing
- Co-editions and Illustrated Books
- Television and Film Program Distribution Represents international TV and film distributors including Channel 4 International and National Geographic Television International for Japanese sales, handling television, film, and video rights.
- Performance Rights Facilitates dramatic rights, stage adaptation rights, and theatrical licensing for plays and musical adaptations of literary works for Japanese productions.
- Newspaper and Magazine Publication Rights Handles the licensing of excerpt and serialization rights for newspapers and magazines.
- Merchandising Rights Manages character merchandising and licensing for international properties including Moomin and Elmer the Patchwork Elephant, handling product commercialization and advertising use rights.
- Lecture Coordination Organizes and coordinates lecture visits to Japan by international authors and speakers, including Nobel laureates and prominent figures.
- Internet Rights Handles digital and internet rights for online publication and digital distribution of literary works.
- Photo Reproduction Rights Manages photo reproduction and image licensing rights for international authors and publications.
- Ebook Rights Digital publishing rights for electronic book formats and digital distribution.
Quantifiable outcome
- Handled over 80,000 rights contracts in its history
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Tuttle Mori Agency
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Tuttle Mori Agency technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Tuttle Mori Agency partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- S.J. Greenburger AssociatescoreCooperation agreement signed in 1979 for international rights intermediation. S.J. Greenburger Associates is based in New York City.
- Eric Yang Agency (Korea)minorCooperation agreement signed in 1995 for Korean market representation.
- Gutmann + Gutmann GmbH (Germany)minorCooperation agreement signed in 1995 for German market representation.
- Frédérique Porretta Agence Littéraire (France)minorCooperation agreement signed in 1996 for French market representation.
- International Publishing Studio (Italy)minorCooperation agreement signed in 1997 for Italian market representation.
- M.P. Robert (formerly of F. Porretta Agence)minorScouting agreement signed in 2002 following the closure of F. Porretta Agence.
- Channel 4 InternationalcoreExclusive Japanese sales agent for Channel 4 International television programming. Established as in-house Program Licensing Department in 2007.
- National Geographic Television InternationalcoreExclusive Japanese sales agent for National Geographic Television International programming. Part of in-house Program Licensing Department established in 2007.
- Big Apple Tuttle-Mori Agency, Inc.coreSubsidiary company (invested in 1990) based in Taiwan/China for Greater China market representation. Originally 大蘋果股份有限公司 before investment and renaming.
- Maria B. Campbell AssociatesminorNew York-based scout office for US market. Located at 381 Park Avenue South, Suite 1321, New York, NY 10016.
- Koukla MacLehose AssociatesminorLondon-based literary scout covering Europe including the UK. Located at 3 Westbourne Road, London N7 8AR.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Tuttle Mori Agency competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- ICM Partners (now part of CAA): CAA/ICM is one of the largest global talent and literary agencies, representing authors and brokering film/TV, translation, and merchandising rights at scale — a broader incumbent operating in adjacent author-rights space.
- Shueisha (集英社): Shueisha is one of Japan's largest manga publishers and a key Tuttle-Mori principal; it operates its own expanding international rights business and represents both customer-side and increasingly competitive overlap with Tuttle-Mori.
- VIZ Media: VIZ Media is the largest English-language manga publisher in North America and a major manga rights licensee; it is both a major customer of Tuttle-Mori's manga licensing business and a comparable manga-IP intermediary.
Direct peers
- Andrew Nurnberg Associates: Andrew Nurnberg Associates is the largest international literary agency focused on translation rights between Asia (including China and Russia) and Western publishers, directly comparable to Tuttle-Mori's cross-border translation and rights intermediation model.
- Japan UNI Agency: Japan UNI Agency is a leading Japanese literary agency handling translation rights in both directions between Japan and overseas publishers, making it the closest direct competitor to Tuttle-Mori within the Japanese market.
- Janklow & Nesbit: Janklow & Nesbit is a top-tier New York literary agency handling translation, film/TV, and subsidiary rights for major authors, comparable to Tuttle-Mori's high-end outbound rights representation work for Japanese content.
- The Wylie Agency: The Wylie Agency is a major international literary agency representing authors worldwide and brokering translation, film/TV, and subsidiary rights globally — a direct functional analog to Tuttle-Mori's outbound rights business.
- Curtis Brown Group: Curtis Brown is one of the world's leading literary and talent agencies, representing authors and brokering translation, film/TV, and performance rights — directly comparable to Tuttle-Mori's full-stack rights intermediation model.
- Japan Foreign-Rights Centre (JFRC): JFRC is a Japan-based rights agency that intermediates translation and subsidiary rights between Japanese and foreign publishers, operating in the same addressable market as Tuttle-Mori's translation rights division.
Others
- Maria B. Campbell Associates: Maria B. Campbell Associates is a New York-based literary scouting firm that serves as Tuttle-Mori's US scout, illustrating the broader ecosystem of literary scouts and intermediaries that complement or compete with full-service literary agencies.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Tuttle Mori Agency social profiles
Digital presenceTuttle Mori Agency financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Tuttle Mori Agency leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Tuttle Mori Agency subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Tuttle Mori Agency funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Tuttle Mori Agency M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Tuttle Mori Agency
What does Tuttle Mori Agency do?
Tuttle-Mori Agency is a literary and media rights agency that intermediates intellectual property rights between Japan and overseas markets. The company brokers translation rights, manga licensing, character merchandising, television/film program distribution, performance rights, and other ancillary rights on behalf of rights holders and publishers. Services include contract negotiation, royalty collection and remittance, tax treaty compliance, and international co-publishing coordination, with specialized departments for Fiction, Non-fiction, Children's, Manga, Merchandising, and TV/Film rights.
Is Tuttle Mori Agency a public or private company?
Tuttle Mori Agency is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Tuttle Mori Agency founded?
Tuttle Mori Agency was founded in 1978. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Tuttle Mori Agency based?
Tuttle Mori Agency is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, in the Asia region.
How does Tuttle Mori Agency make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Translation Rights Intermediation is the primary driver. The others are manga Licensing, character Merchandising Rights, television/Film Program Distribution and performance/Theatrical Rights.
Who are Tuttle Mori Agency's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are ICM Partners (now part of CAA), Shueisha (集英社) and VIZ Media. Direct peers are Andrew Nurnberg Associates, Japan UNI Agency, Janklow & Nesbit, The Wylie Agency, Curtis Brown Group and Japan Foreign-Rights Centre (JFRC). Maria B. Campbell Associates is listed as an others.
Does Tuttle Mori Agency have an API?
No public API is recorded for Tuttle Mori Agency.
What industry is Tuttle Mori Agency in?
Tuttle Mori Agency's product category is Literary and Media Rights Agency. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAAAO, Translated & International Trade Publishing (Rights/Localizations), with a secondary code of MPAIABAB, Publishing Administration (Catalog Admin, Global Subpublishing). Its NAICS code is 7114 and its SIC code is 8111.