drawing room; study; writing alcove
In traditional Japanese architecture, a room with a built-in desk or alcove for reading and writing, often with tatami and shoji. Can also refer to a study or library in a temple or old residence.
From the study of this temple, you can see a beautiful garden.
We had tea in a room built in the shoin-zukuri style.
Used in company names, e.g., 〇〇書院. Not a general term for a publisher.
Meiji Shoin is a publishing house famous for its Japanese language textbooks.
出版社 is the general, everyday term for a publishing company, while 書院 appears only as part of specific publisher names, e.g. 〇〇書院.
shoin-zukuri; traditional Japanese residential architecture style
From Middle Chinese 書院 (sho-in, literally 'writing hall'). The architectural sense developed in Japan during the Muromachi period, while the publishing house sense is a modern extension used in company names.