books

Commercial printing and publishing first became popular in Kyoto. By mid-17th century, printing houses appeared in Osaka and in the 18th century, they were established in Edo and other large castle towns. Although the movable print and the printing press were available from the late 15th century, by 1626 the old technology of wooden blocks were used again. Wooden blocks were easier to write Japanese characters on and they made it possible to add illustrations to the print.

Printing was a private industry and it was not controlled by the Bakufu. However, certain objects were banned. There could be no writing on Christianity. Nothing could be written of a political nature that could be against the public order. Romance novels were very popular. By the 17th century, there were books on everything from household needs to farming.