Tsutaya Juzaburo
Tsutaya Juzaburo
Japanese, 1750–1797
Person TypePerson
American, born Switzerland, 1826–1899
BiographyBorn in the Yoshiwara pleasure district and adopted by a family living just outside the quarter’s great gate, he began his career by acquiring the rights to publish guidebooks to the district. He expanded his business to include guides to the quarter and humorous illustrated books. Using the capital from these popular offerings, he purchased a shop in the heart of Edo. From this base, Tsutaya worked the literary and artistic networks to produce sumptuous poetry albums for limited circulation and to publish fiction by Edo’s most celebrated writers for wide release. He collaborated with Utamaro, Sharaku, Choki, Eiri, and Hokusai