Dōjin

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dōjin (同人, dōjin or doujin^?) is the broad sense the Japanese term for group of people or friends who share an interest, activity, hobbies, or achievement. The word is sometimes translated into English as clique, coterie, society, or circle (i.e a "sewing circle".)

In Japan the term is used to refer to amateur self-published works, including but not limited to manga, novels, fan guides, art collections, music and video games. Some professional artists participate as a way to publish material outside the regular publishing industry.

1 Literary societies
2 Manga circles
3 Dōjin today
4 Western perception
5 See also
- 5.1 Related concepts

[edit] Literary societies

Literary circles first appeared Meiji Period when groups of like-minded waka writers, poets and novelists met and publised literary magazines (many of which are still publishing today.) Many modern writers in Japan came from these literary circles. One famous example is Ozaki Koyo and who lead the Kenyusha society of literary writers that first published collected works in magazine form in 1885.

[edit] Manga circles

Post-World War II manga dōjin started to appear in Japan. Mangaka like Shotaro Ishinomori (Kamen Rider, Cyborg 009) and Fujiko Fujio (Doraemon) formed dōjin groups such as Fujio's New Manga Party (新漫画党, Shin Manga-to^?). At this time dōjin groups were used by artists to make a professional debut. This changed in the coming decades with dōjin groups forming as school clubs and the like. This culminated in 1975 with the Comiket in Tokyo.

[edit] Dōjin today

Avid fans of dōjin attend regular dōjin conventions, the largest of which is called Comiket (short for "Comic Market") held in the summer and winter in Tokyo's Big Sight. Here, over 20 acres of dōjin materials are bought, sold, and traded by attendees. Dōjin creators who based their materials on other creators' works normally publish in small numbers to maintain a low profile from litigation. This makes a talented creator's or circle's products a coveted commodity as only the fast or the lucky will be able to get them before they sell out.

Over the last decade, the practice of creating dōjin has expanded significantly, attracting thousands of creators and fans alike. Advances in personal publishing technology have also fueled this expansion by making it easier for dōjin creators to write, draw, promote, publish, and distribute their works.

[edit] Western perception

In Western cultures, dōjin is often perceived to be derivative of existing work, analogous to fanfiction. To an extent, this is true: many dōjin are based on popular manga, anime or game series. However, many dōjin with completely original content also exist. It is also important to note that among the numerous dōjin categories, dōjinshi are the ones getting by far the most exposure outside of Japan. It is also true to a certain extent in Japan itself, as dōjinshi are by tradition the most popular and numerous dōjin products.