Two types of bookshop were prominent during the Edo period. One was shomotsu-ya which dealt in books of scholarly and religious material. The other type of bookshop was ezōshi-ya which published and sold mainly books for entertainment such as ukiyo-e and illustrated books called ‘kusazōshi’. In Edo, ezōshi-ya were also known as jihondon-ya (sellers and publishers of local books) and these-- contributed to the evolution and development of many narrative arts that represented both the lives and values of Edo residents.