Kyodo Printing Co. (共同印刷株式會社; 1897 - present) traces its roots back to the Meiji period, when the owner of the publisher Hakubunkan (博文館), Ōhashi Sahei (大橋佐平), founded an offshoot company called the Hakubunkan Printing Factory (博文館印刷工場). In 1925, it merged with Seimido (精美堂) to form Kyodo. For many years, Kyodo competed with Dai Nippon Printing (大日本印刷) and Toppan (凸版印刷) among for the top-spot among comprehensive publishers.