Tsutaya Juzaburo and CCC
Inspired by Edo-period publisher Tsutaya Juzaburo, our original business TSUTAYA honors his bold, original spirit. The name reflects his legacy of creativity and challenge. (Updated March 21, 2025)
The origins of TSUTAYA and its founding philosophy
The origin of the name "TSUTAYA" dates back to the name of the family business run by the grandfather of the company's founder, Muneaki Masuda.
When we first founded the company, Muneaki Masuda learned that the name "TSUTAYA" was linked to Tsutaya Juzaburo, a symbol of Edo culture. He was deeply impressed by Tsutaya Juzaburo, the renowned producer who discovered the talents of artists such as Kitagawa Utamaro and Toshusai Sharaku and introduced them to the world, and decided that under the name "TSUTAYA," we would take on the role of spreading culture.
This spirit is also written in the booklet "Culture & Culture2," distributed to employees in 1993. On the page titled "The Heart of Tsutaya," we state that Tsutaya Juzaburo's philosophy of "delivering culture to the masses" is reflected in our vision as a planning company: "A company that creates cultural infrastructure."It is said that this overlaps with the mission of "
CCC inherits the spirit of Tsutaya Juzaburo
As a publisher, Tsutaya Juzaburo actively engaged in creative activities, discovering creators such as Kitagawa Utamaro and Toshusai Sharaku and bringing them to the world, thereby popularizing culture.
We have inherited that spirit and have taken on many new challenges while evolving with the times. For example, Tsutaya has expanded the culture of movies, music, and more through rentals, to TSUTAYA BOOKS, which offers lifestyle suggestions, SHARE LOUNGE, which combines the functionality of a shared office with the comfort of a lounge, and SHIBUYA TSUTAYA, which is centered around IP. Their challenging attitude is the very essence of Tsutaju's spirit.
The name of the shop "Koshodo" where Tsutaya Juzaburo is said to have conveyed his many talents to the world.
We will celebrate our 40th anniversary in 2025. In this milestone year, the historical drama "Berabou: Tsutaya Juzaburo's Dream Story" is shedding new light on the charm and achievements of Tsutaya Juzaburo. I hope that this historical drama will bring renewed attention to Japanese culture and Tsutaya Juzaburo's way of life.
Furthermore, in order to carry on the will of Tsutaya Juzaburo, in 2017 we registered the trade name "Koshodo" (※), which is said to be the name through which Tsutaya Juzaburo shared his many talents with the world. This shop name is also engraved in an ukiyo-e print produced by Tsutaya Juzaburo, and will continue to convey its charm to many people in the future.
*This was the first bookstore opened by Tsutaya Juzaburo, and later developed into a local book wholesaler.
In addition, original products that combine the atmosphere of the Edo period with modern design, using the company name "Koshodo," are available at TSUTAYA bookstores nationwide.
Following in the footsteps of Tsutaya Juzaburo, we will pass on culture to the future.
We will continue to create projects that will pass on culture to the future, while cherishing the spirit of Tsutaya Juzaburo.
Each employee is a producer like Tsutaya Juzaburo, but like the ivy, they thrive by interacting with others, creating an environment that makes people and the world more enjoyable - a cultural infrastructure - and with this in mind, we will continue to work to promote culture.