Ezoushiya - Ezoushiya

A shop that sold e-zoshi is called an e-zoshi-ya. E-zoshi are books for the masses that contain many illustrations, and were procured from e-zoshi wholesalers. E-zoshi were published by bookshops and bookshops. This type of publishing became popular from around the 18th century. When nishikie (colored woodblock prints) began to be published, they were also handled by e-zoshi-ya, but picture shops that specialized in illustrations also appeared. Publishers of nishikie were separate from general bookstores. From the 17th to 18th centuries, there were people called e-zoshi sellers. These people would print out one page of a story about a world event, compose it into a short poem, set it to joruri melody, and read it out loud on the streets, selling it, and people would compete for it. It was a shrewd business. The reading and selling of kawaraban (wallpaper block prints) is also linked to this.

[Motoo Endo]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

絵草紙の小売りの店を絵草紙屋という。絵草紙は挿絵を多く入れた大衆向けの読物で、絵草紙問屋から仕入れた。絵草紙は本屋や草紙屋で出版されていた。18世紀ころからこうした出版は盛んとなった。錦絵(にしきえ)が刊行されるようになると、それも絵草紙屋で取り扱ったが、絵専門の絵屋も現れてきた。錦絵の版元は一般の本屋とは別であった。17世紀から18世紀にかけては絵草紙売りというのがあった。これは、世上の事件などを一枚刷りにし、それを小歌につくり、浄瑠璃(じょうるり)に節付けして街頭で読み上げながら売り歩いたものであるが、人々は争って求めたという。抜け目のない商売である。瓦(かわら)版の読み売りも、これと結び付くものである。

［遠藤元男］

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