Gendai Shichō Shinsha

Gendai Shichō Shinsha (現代思潮新社) was a Japanese publishing house founded in 1957 by Kyoji Ishii under the name Gendai Shichōsha. From its inception, it adopted the motto of publishing "bad books" that went against the grain of good customs and the progressive cultural establishment of postwar Japan. With the guidance of Ishii's close friend Morimoto Kazuo, a University of Tokyo faculty member, the company launched its first title, a translation of Marquis de Sade's 'Eugénie de Franval' by Shibusawa Tatsuhiko, who had been marginalized in academia for choosing Sade as his graduation thesis. The publisher went on to release works by Leon Trotsky, Nikolai Bukharin, Rosa Luxemburg, and Japanese thinkers such as Haniya Yutaka, Yoshimoto Takaaki, and Takei Akio, positioning itself as a voice of anti-Stalinist and new left thought. In 1961, it began publishing the journal Gendai Shisō, edited by Shimizu Ikutaro, and in 1962 launched Byakuya Hyōron. The company also started the Classical Library series in 1967, based on a list by Shibusawa, and the Shinpen Nihon Koten Bunko series for Japanese classics. In 1969, it established Bigakko, an avant-garde art school, which it ran until 1975. After Ishii left management in 1996, the company was reorganized and renamed Gendai Shichō Shinsha in 2000. It continued to publish under labels such as Éditions Collection and released memoirs. In July 2025, the company announced on its website that it would cease operations at the end of September 2025, fulfilling Ishii's long-cherished wish for the "death of the publisher." The company was also involved in the 1960s Sade Trial, a landmark obscenity case, and had ties to radical political groups like the Tokyo Action Front.

Gendai Shichō Shinsha was established in 1957 by Kyoji Ishii as Gendai Shichōsha. The company's motto was to publish "bad books" that ran counter to good customs and the progressive cultural figures of postwar Japan. With the help of his close friend Morimoto Kazuo, a University of Tokyo faculty member, Ishii recruited Shibusawa Tatsuhiko, who had been ostracized by academia for writing his graduation thesis on Marquis de Sade. The first publication was Shibusawa's translation of Sade's 'Eugénie de Franval'. The publisher continued to release works that shocked the existing left and artistic establishment, including the complete works of Leon Trotsky from 1961, edited by Tsushima Tadayuki, as well as books by Nikolai Bukharin and Rosa Luxemburg. It also published new left thinkers such as Haniya Yutaka, Yoshimoto Takaaki, and Takei Akio, and translations of German and French authors. In 1961, it launched the journal Gendai Shisō, edited by Shimizu Ikutaro, with contributions from members of the Gendai Shisō Kenkyūkai, including Kayama Ken'ichi and Kitakōji Satoshi. The following year, it began publishing Byakuya Hyōron, edited by Ishii, which featured translations of Maurice Blanchot and Bertolt Brecht, and contributions from Hiraoka Masaaki. In 1967, the company started the Classical Library series, based on a list by Shibusawa, which collected neglected classics that major publishers like Iwanami hesitated to publish. It later launched the Shinpen Nihon Koten Bunko series for Japanese classics, including works like 'Kojidan' and 'Mutsu Waki'. From 1970 to 1971, it published the literary magazine Shogen and the Russian Library series, with Uchimura Gōsuke as editor-in-chief. In 1969, the company founded Bigakko, an avant-garde art school, which became a hub for experimental art; it withdrew from school management in 1975. In 1959, it published Shibusawa's translation of Sade's 'The Misfortunes of Virtue' and its sequel, which led to the Sade Trial: the books were seized in 1960, and Ishii and Shibusawa were prosecuted in 1961, with the trial lasting until 1969. In 1965, Ishii helped form the anarchist group Tokyo Action Front, which included Yamaguchi Kenji, Kawahito Hiroshi, Sasamoto Masataka, and Matsuda Masao. The group was involved in protests against the Japan-Korea Treaty. In 1996, Ishii left the management, and in 2000, the company was reorganized and renamed Gendai Shichō Shinsha. It published under the Éditions Collection label and released memoirs such as Suyama Ikuo's 'The Flash of Gendai Shichōsha' in 2014. On July 15, 2025, the company announced on its website that it would cease operations at the end of September 2025, stating that it had fulfilled Ishii's long-cherished wish for the "death of the publisher."

• 2025

  Announced closure effective end of September

• 2014

  Published Suyama Ikuo's memoir 'The Flash of Gendai Shichōsha'

• 2000

  Reorganized and renamed Gendai Shichō Shinsha

• 1996

  Kyoji Ishii left management

• 1975

  Withdrew from Bigakko school management

• 1970

  Launched Shogen magazine and Russian Library series

• 1969

  Founded Bigakko art school; Sade Trial concluded

• 1967

  Started the Classical Library series

• 1965

  Helped form the anarchist group Tokyo Action Front

• 1962

  Launched Byakuya Hyōron journal

• 1961

  Ishii and Shibusawa prosecuted; began publishing Trotsky's complete works and the journal Gendai Shisō

• 1960

  Books seized by police as obscene literature

• 1959

  Published Shibusawa's translation of Sade's 'The Misfortunes of Virtue' and its sequel

• 1957

  Founded by Kyoji Ishii as Gendai Shichōsha

Anti-establishment, avant-garde literary and philosophical publisher

• Classical Library series (古典文庫)

  A series of neglected classics based on a list by Shibusawa Tatsuhiko, started in 1967.

• Shinpen Nihon Koten Bunko series (新撰日本古典文庫)

  A series of Japanese classics, including works like 'Kojidan' and 'Mutsu Waki'.

• Éditions Collection (エートル叢書)

  A publishing label used after the 2000 reorganization.

• Gendai Shisō journal (現代思想)

  A journal launched in 1961, edited by Shimizu Ikutaro.

• Byakuya Hyōron (白夜評論)

  A journal launched in 1962, edited by Ishii, featuring translations of Blanchot and Brecht.

• Shogen (初原)

  A literary magazine focused on Russian literature, published from 1970 to 1971.

• Russian Library series (ロシア群書)

  A series of Russian literature published alongside Shogen.

1. 1Gendai Shichō Shinsha - Wikidatawikidata.org
2. 2現代思潮新社 - Wikipedia (Japanese)ja.wikipedia.org