I recently met with Mr. Bungaku Ito, the publisher and editor in chief of Barazoku magazine. He said that he has kept some of the artworks that appeared in the magazine in his personal collection, and though many of them have already been sold away it will soon become possible to purchase some of these [...]
For the Tokyo bar Mezzo Forte, Wednesday is a special day. On that day every week Mr. Noriaki Fushimi becomes the owner and bartender. In 1991 Mr. Fushimi published the book “Private Gay Life”, and came out as a gay man and influenced the gay movement of 90′s. To tell the truth, he was the [...]
I’ve had several requests from collectors to obtain vintage Japanese gay magazines such as Barazoku and Sabu. These magazines feature illustrations by artists such as Go Hirano and other artists featured in my blog. If you’re interested in some copies of these magazines please contact me.
Here are some profiles of Barazoku artists whose work is displayed on the Vintage Barazoku page. Please check out that page for a taste of what was being produced in Japan in the 70s and 80s. Tatsuji Okawa The information about Tatsuji Okawa in extremely limited. His name and work first appeared in public in [...]
Barazoku (the rose tribe), was Japan’s (and Asia’s) first gay magazine It was first published in 1971, and had a run of 33 years until its bankruptcy in 2004. It was a powerful force for the Japanese gay community, and published the first interview with an aids sufferer in Japan when maintsream media avoided the [...]
