THE LATEST NEWS

Twelve new original paintings by Chika Yamada are now available at akatako! Mostly from 2020, with a few earlier paintings from as early as 2017. Shipping direct from Tokyo to you.

Flower Blooming in Dreams -	Combat Class -	Living -	Full Red -
Together With You -	Commonplace Paradise -	Blue Melting -	Safe Breathing -
Show Your Face	Our Madness	Blue Explosion and Mediocre Everyday	Melts in the Wind

Please click the images above for more photos and details.

Three cute new enamel pins produced by Em Nishizuka are now available! Pins are hard enamel with gold finish metal. Your choice of Blue Nurse, Pink Nurse, or Imomafu. Original painting "Red Window" is just under 4" (10cm) square.

Em Nishizuka Enamel Pins

Em Nishizuka Original Painting Red Window

Click the images above for more photos and details.

All Kira Imai items have been restocked (if possible) and there are some new additions too!

Kira Imai 2021 Calendar -	Kira Imai Mini Poster -	Kira Imai Sticker Eau de Sirene -	Kira Imai Sticker Group 3 -
Kira Imai Postcard Group 10	Kira Imai Postcard Group 11	Kira Imai Postcard Group 12

Please click the images above for more photos and details.

A giant shipment of kinbaku charms and dolls by Kitanya Design Factory has landed! Almost everything has been restocked but some notable arrivals:

Upside Down Bunny Kinbaku Charm	White Bunny Pink Karada Kinbaku Charm	White Bunny Red Karada Kinbaku Charm	White Bunny Kikko Blue Kinbaku Charm	White Bunny Karada Kinbaku Charm
Black Mask Bunny Karada Kinbaku Pin	Red Mask Cat Karada Kinbaku Pin	Flying Heart Kinbaku Charm	Black Latex Lady Kinbaku Charm	Red Latex Lady Karada Kinbaku Charm

Click the images above for more photos and details OR just view all items available by Kitanya Design Factory.

A dozen new Tama postcards are now available! Images are from her books "Calling", "Nighttime Dream Flight", one previously unpublished, and three styles of AMABIE Japanese yokai who is supposed to ward off pandemics. :)

Some new small size buttons are available too:

And the 2021 desktop calendar and t-shirt are both arrived and in stock too!

Already on the way to AkaTako USA, a selection of XL oversized lithograph prints by Hajime Sorayama. These are all vintage, dead stock prints from the 1990s and signed/numbered limited editions. They might be from the AP (artist's proof), the regular edition of prints, or HC (Hors Commerce = sample print). Exact details will be added to each print upon arrival. Quantities very limited!

Please click the images above for more photos and details.

A few new Tama items are scheduled to arrive to AkaTako in early to mid-November (depending on how fast international shipping goes....). You can buy both of these on pre-order and they will ship to you as soon as they arrive. Quantities are limited!

Some new postcards and buttons will also be added after arrival to AkaTako in November.

Click the images above for more photos and details.

Very unfortunately, it has recently been confirmed by multiple, reliable sources that the Suehiro Maruo account on instagram and tumblr is actually a "fan" account who decided to scam people out of hundreds of dollars. I link to them here in the hopes that you will take a few minutes to visit their profile, unfollow them untag any photos that you may have added, and to REPORT them to instagram/tumblr.

HOW TO REPORT:
INSTAGRAM REPORT
When viewing the profile, click the three dots at top right, Report... , It's inappropriate, Report Account, It's pretending to be someone else, Someone I know (can only choose celebrity/public figure if the real person has an instagram account to compare), submit.

TUMBLR REPORT
Seems to only work if you are in the mobile app but try on desktop too... Go to the blog itself, click the "human" shaped icon at top right, click Report, Report spam.
I am currently working on getting a copyright violation filed. It is impossible on tumblr to report impersonation of "Someone else". The person being impersonated has to do it themselves so ... report as spam has to be good enough for now.

Further, detailed info about this scam:

• The account has taken posts from Suehiro Maruo's official Twitter and posted it to the fake accounts, often with English translations. These posts are usually a few days (or weeks) after the original posts by Maruo.
• They curated (very well!!) a lot of archival images and artworks - photos taken from other accounts of Maruo himself, original artworks, statements he made about friends and other artists themselves, etc.
• Around June 2020, they began to post about selling "a very limited number of orders commissions available now" and original artworks donated to benefit charities. They listed suehiromaruo1956@yahoo.co.jp AND jigoku@maruojigoku.com as the contact email addresses.
• The jigoku email address is officially listed on Maruo's actual website BUT it seems to be unmonitored. The scammers ONLY ever replied using the yahoo address and NEVER replied using the jigoku address. This is one of many ways that they increased their appearance of credibility.
• According to several emails I have been forwarded, they requested PayPal payment in US dollars ($) with the email address smaruoteam@aol.com and also requested to be paid by "Friends and Family". Doing so removes the obligation for them to show tracking and delivery details to PayPal = very difficult to get a refund.
• Their emails also detailed very specific breakdowns of pricing, images stolen from the Maruojigoku website for the signature and "Suehiro Maruo Team".
• Most images of the originals they were "selling" were clearly scans taken from the Maruograph books (especially the pencil drawings/under drawings). Upon request for actual photos of originals they showed a haphazard stack of drawings with prominent price tags by Komiyama Bookstore (Tokyo). They claimed to be unable to provide a photo because they are "Mr. Maruo's international group of collaborators" and the originals would be sent direct from Komiyama Bookstore.
• This is Komiyama Bookstore's official statement against this lie. Please read it (Japanese/English text).
• I personally communicated with the owner of Editions Treville Publishing to get an official confirmation that this is in no way connected with Suehiro Maruo.
• Suehiro Maruo published several tweets saying he has nothing to do with those accounts. The only social media that he uses is Twitter. I posted screenshots and translations to AkaTako Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

If you have questions, further information, screenshots, proof, any idea who this impersonator actually is - please contact me directly! So far I have heard Barcelona Spain and Colombia as supposed location. PayPal contact name is Johana Andrea Ceron Rodriguez..... Does anyone know this person? They clearly started off as a fan before they decided to start stealing.

If you sent money by PayPal, please contact the customer service immediately and inform them of this scam. If you can request the refund (if you didn't pay with Friends & Family), please do so right away! If you unfortunately sent money by Friends & Family, PayPal will tell you that they can't do anything except take your report. You should them file a claim with however you funded the purchase - your own credit card, your bank, etc. File a police report for THEFT if you need to. It is theft! If you need any supporting documents or information, please tell me. If you file a police report, or receive any more information, please tell me. I am doing my best to gather all information and to forward it to Tokyo for official proceedings.

Two large format, rare Toshio Saeki prints are now available.
The "Akai Hako" print is from the famed 1972 boxed series and is in excellent condition. The "JAIN" print is a lithograph issued in 2005, limited to 30 pieces with hand written details. Both prints are signed and will ship flat in a reinforced parcel.

Toshio Saeki Akai Hako Print

Toshio Saeki JAIN Lithograph Print

Please click the images above for more details and photos.

Just added to AkaTako, a mini, postcard sized original painting by Em Nishizuka. "Leuco Twin Chan" are two cutie girls who have been infected with the zombie parasite leucochloridium also known as "crazy eyes".

Click the image above for more details.