This study reveals the publishing activities of Kenchiku Shoin and examines the development of architectural books based on the characteristics of publication types.

1. Founded during the Meiji period, the pioneering Kenchiku Shoin is one of Japan’s longest-running architectural publishers. Its activities are divided into four phases according to changes in the engineering literature field.

2. Kenchiku Shoin’s architectural books a) fulfilled the demand for textbooks in the early days of architectural education, b) expanded readership to upwardly mobile, soon-to-be architecture clients by conveying visual information through plates, and c) contributed to the reinstatement of architecture in modern Japanese culture.