Kashi-hon

Kashi-bon-ya (貸本屋) can be translated to "retal library" or "a person renting out books", and kashi-bon means the books and magazines for rent. "Kashi-bon" often refers also to the industry it was based on.

Kashi-bon was introduced in Japan in the Edo period because books were too expensive for common people to buy, and therefore people would prefer borrowing over buying. Some "librarians" would travel around in order to increase their clientele and make more money.

In the beginning of the 20th century it started the popular book and manga culture, Rampo Edogawa and Osamu Tezuka as pioneers.

The kashi-bon market exploded after World War II in the whole Japan. People of both genders and all ages rented books, manga and monthly magazines. However, when libraries were built nation-wide and publishers started to print more copies of their books and magazines so they could be sold for lower prices in the mid-50s, the number of kashi-bon decreased dramatically. In today's Japan there are only a few kashi-bon stores left, and the market is very small.