A Complete History of Comiket – ZenMarket.jp

Before Comiket (Early 1970s)

Comiket’s roots can be traced back all the way to the 1970s. The 70s was a time when the science fiction genre boomed. Popular movies, such as Star Wars, captured the imaginations of countless individuals all over the world. 

In Japan, science fiction was so popular that it led to the creation of popular mecha anime, including Mazinger Z, Voltes V, Tōshō Daimos, and many more. However, it wasn’t just the big companies who were interested in creating science fiction IPs such as mangas and novels. 

Regular Japanese fans also wanted to share their works and ideas, leading them to start forming Doujin circles. Of course, the Japanese concept of Doujinshi, or self-published works, wasn’t anything new at the time. The practice has existed ever since the Meiji era. 

However, during the 1970s, technologies such as photocopying allowed Doujinshi to flourish. Doujinshi groups at the time had one major issue: distribution. The internet did not exist during the 1970s, meaning there was practically no way for independent creators to publish their works. 

In addition, in 1975, a Doujinshi creator/author was denied access to Nihon SF Taikai, a Japanese annual science fiction convention. He criticized that the event prioritized professional creators over independent creators. 

Comiket in the 1970s – Early Years

The first ever Comiket, now known as Comiket 1, took place on December 21, 1975. The event was organized by Yoshihiro Yonezawa, Teruo Harada, and Jun Aniwa, three Meiji University students who founded the Doujin Circle Meikyu. 

Comiket 1 was held at the Japan Fire Defense Building. The event was a big success, with an attendance of 700 guests and 32 Doujin circles. Most groups who attended were Shoujo manga fans and were part of Japanese high school manga clubs. 

Seeing the success of Comiket 1, the organizers decided to hold Comiket thrice a year to coincide with the vacation of Japanese high school students. Throughout the 1970s, Comiket’s popularity continued to grow but was still in its infancy. 

The venues used during the Comiket events in the 1970s were odd places typically not used for conventions. Comiket 2 to Comiket 4 (1976) took place at the Itabashi Industrial Coalition Building.

Comiket then used the Ōta City Industrial Building (大田区産業会館) for Comiket 5 up until Comiket 13 (1977-1979). The only exceptions were Comiket CS1 and Comiket 9, which were held at the Yotsuya Public Hall (四谷公会堂). 

Comiket, throughout the 1970s, proved to be a big success. Comiket 2 to 4 (1976) had a total of 1750 guests. And by the end of the 1970s, Comiket 11 to 13 (1979) saw 11,000 guests. 

Comiket Special (CS) was also introduced during the 1970s. Today, it is celebrated every five years. However, at the time, it seemed to be a one-off event since CS2 would not occur until the 1990s. 

Comiket Special is an alternate version of Comiket featuring special activities and merchandise. Comiket Special 1 was held on May 6, 1978, at the Yotsuya Public Hall (四谷公会堂). 

By the end of the 1970s, the types of guests had changed. High school manga clubs started to decrease in popularity. However, more diverse anime circles started attending Comiket. 

Comiket in the 1980s – Rise to Popularity

During the 1980s, Comiket saw a drastic increase in popularity. Comiket 14 in 1980 started strong with 6000 guests. But by the end of the decade, Comiket 37 (1989) had 120,000 attendees. 

During the start of the decade, Comiket relocated to the Kawasaki Shimin Plaza (川崎市民プラザ) since the previous venues could no longer cater to the number of attendees. However, after Comiket 17 in 1981, Comiket was once again forced to relocate due to an internal conflict. 

Many believe that the conflict was among the promoters of the event. A group calling themselves “The Revolutionaries” was against the “mainstream growth” that Comiket was experiencing. The Revolutionaries wanted to place restrictions on attendees. Some rumors even stated they wanted to profit from the continuously growing Comiket. 

Ultimately, the Revolutionaries created their own convention called “New Comiket,” later renamed “Comic Squire.” No further details or sources are available today about Comic Squire, meaning it was a complete failure. 

The official Comiket, on the other hand, moved to the Harumi Fairgrounds, which became its home for the majority of the 1980s. 1986 and 1987 were the only time Comiket was held in a different venue. Comiket briefly used the Tokyo Logistics Center/Tokyo Ryutsu Center for Comiket 31,32 and 33 before returning to Harumi. 

Starting in 1984 with Comiket 26, Comiket started being held twice a year. The Comiket event held in August became Summer Comiket, while the Comiket held in December became Winter Comiket. 

During the 1980s, the fandoms that attended Comiket were more diverse. This generation of Comiket attendees were fans of popular 1980s manga and anime, including Captain Tsubasa, which was popular among women, and the works of Rumiko Takahashi (Ranma ½, Inyuasaha), which were popular among men. 

(Photo: Captian Tsubasa Manga Chapter 1 & Inyuasaha Manga Chapter 1) 

The technology available in the 1980s allowed more Doujin circles to make more Doujinshi. In Comiket 37, a total of 11,000 Doujin circles attended. 

Despite the success of Comiket in the past two decades, Comiket encountered several issues during the late 1980s and early 1990s. In 1988, Tsutomu Miyazaki, a frequent Comiket attendee, was arrested for the murder of four minors between 1988 and 1989.  

Comiket in the 1990s – Emergence of Issues

Comiket’s troubles continued in the early 1990s. Comiket’s previous venue, Harumi Fairgrounds, could no longer accommodate the large number of attendees for the event. As a result, Comiket’s organizers had to look for a larger venue. 

However, with more trade shows and conventions in the 1990s, Comiket had trouble securing a venue appropriate for its large audience. Finally, Comiket secured Makuhari Messe in Chiba as its official venue for Comiket 37 in 1989. 

Makuhari Messe was potentially going to be the official home of Comiket for the rest of the 1990s. Unfortunately, Comiket was rejected by the venue right before Comiket 40 due to the rampant uncensored/NSFW material being sold at the event. The sudden change in Comiket’s venue led to mass cancellations of hotel reservations, and restaurants had to discard their stock prepared for the event. 

As a result, Comiket was forced to return to the Harumi Fairgrounds for the next five years. Also, starting with Comiket 40 (1991), the Comiket committee placed restrictions on adult/NSFW/inappropriate material, resulting in all Doujinshi presented at the event being manually reviewed beforehand. 

Unfortunately, Comiket’s issues did not end with Comiket 40. During Comiket 42 (Summer Comiket 1995), hundreds of fans suffered heat stroke and were rushed to the hospital.

With that said, Comiket’s issues during the late 1980s and early 1990s led to more public exposure and, thus, gained more interest. Each Comiket during the 1990s saw an attendance of 200,000-250,000 guests. 

Comiket 48, which was Comiket’s 20th anniversary, was held in August 1995. It was a special event since it changed Comiket from a two-day to a three-day event. 

Finally, in 1996, Tokyo Big Sight became Comiket’s official venue starting with Comiket 50. To this day, Tokyo Big Sight remains the home to Comiket. 

(Photo by Mimi Dietderich: The entrance of Tokyo Big Sight during Comiket)

1996 was also the year when Comiket resumed Comiket Special activities. Comiket Special 2 was held at the Harumi Fairgrounds and would officially be held every five years. 

As expected, during the 1990s, new fandoms emerged. Manga and anime, such as Sailor Moon, Saint Seiya, and Neon Genesis Evangelion, were extremely popular.

(Photo: Sailor Moon Manga & Saint Seiya Manga) 

During Comiket 51, corporate booths were finally allowed to have booths at Comiket. Fans criticized this move since Comiket has a reputation for being an amateur event run by fans. However, allowing corporate booths allowed companies to be more open to fan creations and parodies often sold at Comiket. 

Even so, Comiket faced several copyright issues in the late 1990s. The two most famous examples are the “Tokimeko Memorial Incident of 1998” and the “Pokemon Doujinshi Incident of 1999.” In summary, Konami and Nintendo sued the Doujin circles, which created inappropriate Doujhinshi based on their intellectual property. 

Comiket in the 2000s – Gradually Maturing