He says the fan base is mostly made up of women with ample disposable income and free time, and who are also diligent in their attitudes toward work and hobbies.ĭuring the exhibition, tickets that came with Touken Ranbu merchandise were sold, and visitors could listen to special audio guides in which voice actors from the game read out information on the displayed swords. The event, "Swords of Kyoto: Master Craftmanship from an Elegant Culture," was held from Sept. (Mainichi/Rei Oikawa)Īccording to Takahashi, 60 to 70% of visitors to the Kyoto National Museum in Kyoto's Higashiyama Ward during a special exhibition in 2018 were token joshi. I often see token joshi at sword exhibitions held in rural areas," said Takahashi.Ī banner for the event "Swords of Kyoto: Master Craftmanship from an Elegant Culture," held in collaboration with online game "Touken Ranbu," is on display at Kyoto National Museum in Kyoto's Higashiyama Ward on Dec. "These people came to understand the charms of swords through the game Touken Ranbu. Women who are described as token joshi are mostly in their 30s and early 40s. "Although we had decided to issue plenty of copies of the first edition, I never imagined we would get so many orders," he said, expressing his surprise over the strong public reaction. Takahashi says Meito Taizen's target audiences are existing middle-aged and older fans of swords, as well as the newly-emerging sword girls market. The publisher's strategy to sell the high-cost publication through Animate was a success, as the online shop's customer base overlapped with those who purchased the books. About a third of orders were placed through Animate before the first publication," Takahashi explained. "The book went viral on Twitter and the number of orders we received far exceeded our expectations, which is why we decided to reprint it before it went on sale. However, it was decided that Meito Taizen would also be sold via the Animate Online Shop, which mainly sells high-quality merchandise, such as figures, for anime fans. (Photo courtesy of Shogakukan Inc.)īefore sword lovers became a social phenomenon, publications on blades were usually sold at large bookstores or in art museums, which often display the actual weapons. Life-sized photographs of Japanese swords are seen in the book "Meito Taizen" ("The complete book of famous swords"). He added, "It's basically an academic book, and is not made in accordance with the game." "I decided to make the book after realizing it was problematic that we don't have an authentic publication despite the sword boom," he said.Īccording to the 60-year-old editor, he asked researchers of Japanese swords to supervise the making of Meito Taizen. Tatsuru Takahashi, chief editor of Shogakukan's cultural affairs department in charge of the book, attributes its popularity to fans of the game, in which Japanese swords are depicted as male characters. It shows life-sized images of 200 swords carefully selected among those produced over a period spanning from ancient Japan to the Edo period (1603-1868), including "Inaba-go," a sword made in the 14th century and a designated national treasure which had been missing for many years. in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward, costs 38,500 yen (about $350). 【Related】Theatrical sword fighting carves new path in Japan's fitness marketĪ copy of "Meito Taizen" ("The complete book of famous swords"), published by Shogakukan Inc.【Related】Japan Photo Journal: Striking ceremony.【Related】From fantasy to reality: Cosplaying youths find identity in Tokyo's Ikebukuro.
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