Taiyō (太陽; The Sun) was a literary and general interest magazine that existed between 1895 and 1928, which covered the Meiji and Taishō eras. The magazine was published in Tokyo, Japan. It is a significant publication which contains mostly literary criticism, samples of Japanese literature, and translations of literary works by international authors.[1] The magazine was one of the publications of Hakubunkan that made it well-known in the country.[2]
Taiyō was founded in 1895, and the first issue appeared in January 1895.[3][4] Its publisher was Hakubunkan.[3][5] It was one of the most successful brands of the company.[6] The magazine targeted middle-class people who were middle school graduates, men and women.[4]
The content of Taiyō was comprehensive and was not limited to literary works.[9] The magazine was also influential in using innovative technologies such as photography and illustrations.[10] It frequently carried articles on political, military, economic, and social commentary, the Imperial family, women, commerce, the natural sciences and cultural trends.[4][11] The magazine frequently covered articles about the Ottoman Empire, which were accompanied by photographs and illustrations.[9]
Takayama Chogyū published articles on literature, philosophy, and aesthetics in the magazine.[12]Masaharu Anesaki wrote for Taiyō under the pen name Anesaki Chōfū, including an article on German composerRichard Wagner's opera work.[13] It was one of the earliest articles about Wagner in Japan.[13] From 1902, Taiyō began to publish selected photographs of natural landscapes in Japan.[14]
Taiyō ended publication in February 1928 after producing 34 volumes and 531 issues.[3][4] The volumes of the magazine were digitalizated by JKBooks on the JapanKnowledge+ platform.[15] A similar archive also exists at the library of the Ohio State University.[16] The texts published in Taiyō were used to generate a corpus of Japanese language.[5]
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