4chan messaging board sold to Japanese 2channel founder

On the verge of its two billionth post and 12th birthday the anonymous message board, 4Chan, has been sold to Hiroyuki Nishimura, the founder of Japanese site 2channel.

Christopher Poole (pictured above), the original founder of 4Chan, wrote in a blog post that “It has been a great privilege to serve as 4chan’s founder and steward for almost twelve years, and I can’t wait to see what lays in store under Hiroyuki’s experienced leadership.”

Though Nishimura sold 2channel in 2009, he is no stranger to the world of anonymous communities. By Poole’s admission, 2channel indirectly led to the birth of 4chan and Nishimura can be thought of as the great-grandfather of 4chan.

Read more: Anonymity is not cowardice, says 4chan founder (SXSW2011)

“His creation of 2channel in 1999 sparked an era of anonymous-centric web culture in Japan that led to the creation of Futaba Channel, the site that inspired 4chan. None of us would be using 4chan today or potentially any anonymous image board if it weren’t for him,” wrote Poole in a blog post.

Poole and Nishimura have known each other since 2011 and have remained friends since then. Referring to Nishimura, Poole wrote in a post on 4chan:

He is one of few individuals with a deep understanding of what it means to provide a digital home for tens of millions of people for more than a decade. There is nobody more qualified than Hiroyuki to lead 4chan, and I can’t think of a person better suited for the task.

The terms of the acquisition have not been disclosed.

Image byTakumi Suidu via Flickr