Niigata Comic Market
The Niigata Comic Market, also known as Gataket, is a dōjinshi comic book convention held bimonthly in Niigata, Niigata Prefecture, Japan. The convention venue alternates between Toki Messe and the, attracting a regular attendance of 7,000 to 10,000 people per event. It holds the distinction of being the largest dōjinshi comic book market on the west coast of Japan. The inaugural event took place in 1983.
History
After establishing the Gataket secretariat in September 1982, the first Niigata Comic Market took place in January 1983. The inaugural event featured forty-six booths run by exhibitors and nine booths staffed by Gataket on behalf of exhibitors.A significant milestone was reached on 14 November 1999, with the occurrence of Gataket50. Renowned radio actors Tomokazu Seki and Miki Nagasawa were invited to participate to commemorate the 50th Niigata Comic Market. Another milestone event, Gataket100, took place on 31 August 2008, which included appearances by esteemed radio actors Shūichi Ikeda and Tōru Furuya.
During the 2000s, the number of participating exhibitors has gradually decreased, and the frequency of Gatakets has increased. In 1999, the event reached its peak with approximately 2,000 directly-run exhibitor booths. However, by the 121st event in 2012, the number of exhibitors had dropped to 25% of the peak, falling to the minimum amount required to hold the event. To address this decline, organizer Fumihiko Sakata encouraged participation of experienced exhibitors and extended the deadline for applications, which allowed the event to be held. It has been suggested that the decrease in exhibitors may be attributed to the increased frequency of events, which made it challenging to maintain a sufficient number of participants.