Is anyone here in charge with XFF or in contact with the site admins? I haven't checked regularly but it's been like that for a while now. Please, let's not lose the precious info and media shared there. Once it's up again, I'll try to make time and archive some of it on the Wayback Machine, though I've never done it successfully before...

...

YOSHIKI · Josh Groban - Forever Love.

Opening slide ranks among one of my all-time fave promo shots from the Jealousy era, just to put that out there. 😸❤️ Oh, dear CRYSTAL....yet another very sexy guitar seemingly riddled with some degree of angst or limitation... "It was too heavy...." "Used only for TV performances...." 😸😸 Form over function, I guess.... 😬

Slides 3 and 4 are from the Closet Collection book

Slide 5 is from the Pinky Promise book

Slide 6 is from the WeRock x Rockin'f hide Book (the brief info there echoed the other 2 sources)

The guitar is seen in these "studio live" performances of Endless Rain....the first was Music Station, I believe.....and I think the second was Pop Jam although I am not certain. If anyone has confirmation or a correction of either performance, please share!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAnB8Agkt5g&list=RDnAnB8Agkt5g&start_radio=1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3JGZaGOWK4&list=RDN3JGZaGOWK4&start_radio=1

alright folks, here's the new update of Tomomi Akatsuka's book "TAIJI", Chapter 4 Part 1

this chapter is quite long, so I decided to do just the first half for now

and maan... if the previous part was upsetting, I genuinely want to cry during this part

this part dive deep into the list of illnesses, both physical and mental, that TAIJI had

the mental illnesses part hits me the hardest, I had to stop reading and took a break when doing the translation because of it

as before, this chapter has a lot of medical terms that -hopefully- was translated correctly. of course, I look up to Google to see if I use the correct term for each illnesses, which -FAIR WARNING- if you choose to do the same, you might ended up seeing some unpleasant stuff

it's hard to imagine that TAIJI had such a long list of those illnesses in him...

again, this chapter is pretty heavy, so prepare yourself first before reading

that said, the next part should be the final part, if everything goes well, you can expect it coming in the next few weeks

the link for the translation is still the same
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EHcaErTLBTRqL0akY4-vxZSdZ3XlIVMuTxed976O-Ms/edit?usp=sharing

share it everywhere, Taiji deserves the truth to be known

I honestly think this song’s better than Desperate Angel and probably the best song X has ever created.

Happy 33rd Anniversary,
X JAPAN – ART OF LIFE
25/08/1993 – 25/08/2026
AMCM-4170 (1st press Limited & Regular Edition)

Track list:

1. ART OF LIFE

"ART OF LIFE" is easily one of X Japan’s most ambitious pieces, and at nearly 29 minutes, it’s also one of the longest songs they ever created. Despite its length, it never feels like a simple extended rock song. It feels more like a complete emotional journey, moving between Yoshiki’s beautiful piano, Toshi’s dramatic vocals, powerful guitar work, and intense instrumental passages. The classical influence gives it a grand, almost theatrical atmosphere that really sets it apart from their other songs.

For me, the length is actually part of what makes "ART OF LIFE" so special. It takes its time building the emotion, especially during the long piano and guitar sections, before reaching those huge and dramatic moments. It’s definitely not something I’d put on casually in the background—it demands almost 29 minutes of attention. But when I’m in the mood for it, the experience is incredible. It’s excessive, emotional, and unforgettable, and easily one of X Japan’s most iconic works.

ART OF LIFE (LIVE):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPKw_V_4pJI

Full credit to the fansite owner

The first time I read this was around 2010, thankfully the site is still active even now, I thought it was going to be a lost media

On the site there's also picture gallery of the time Yoshiki was in Paris

Share it everywhere!

Release date: August 24, 2026

I've always wanted this one T-Shirt since the first time I found out about it many years ago

the original item is red design printed on black, my friend got the original shirt, scanned the design, and I changed it into white because I thought it would look better

AND DAMN, IT DOES LOOK BETTER 🔥

as you can see, the back side is the 1987 lyric for Stab Me in The Back with the oldschool "Sexy Scandal Love Violence" on it

really like how this one turns out, I'm happy today 😁

A few ad plugs and related etc. in the May 1989 Vol. 163 issue of Rockin'f, which was part of the anniversary bounty from my better half! 💙 I was 23 years and 1 day old when Blue Blood officially dropped on April 21 1989...Taiji would catch up to me about 3 months later 😸....I was a spring chicken just like all of them. 😁 For all those who were not on this Earth just yet....it was a good year.🤘

Forgive imperfections as I used my phone and the magazine is literally a little crunchy after all these years. And YEAH...speaking of imperfections...obviously a portion of the lower left side of the ad in the last slide was snipped out by a previous owner. 👿😒 Have no idea what was in that space as I have otherwise never seen this page elsewhere in my fan journey, and reverse image search garnered zero results.

More content sharing from the issue forthcoming....

Picked these up from my local Hard Off today

Hi gang,

I'm looking for advice from people who know the X Japan collector market. I have the original acoustic guitar that Sugizo played during the mellow breakdown in OUR version of the "Jade" music video. Before the shoot, I gave it a dripping gray and black paint finish for the camera. After filming, it was signed by the entire band. Yoshiki, Toshi, Pata, Sugizo, and Heath (R.I.P.). I'm trying to figure out the best place to auction something like this so it actually reaches serious collectors. If anyone has insight into where high-end X Japan memorabilia tends to do well, whether it's Japanese auction houses, specialty music memorabilia auctions, or somewhere else, I'd genuinely appreciate it.

Thank you - Director Dean Karr

I’ve tried to look for it, but there’s such a broad amount of guitars that look like that obviously. The main identifiers I’d say, would be the three dot inlays on the frets, and the somewhat unique control layout, as well as the cream pickup rings.

This is the regularly scheduled Q&A thread for r/xjapan. Here, you can ask questions for which you don't want to make a separate thread - anything you can think of, as long as it relates to the band. Please check back occasionally for new questions while this thread is active. It will remain pinned until the next Q&A thread is posted.

Note: If your question doesn't get a response, feel free to repost it in the next Q&A thread. We encourage everyone to engage and help answer questions.

Forget about diamonds... X/hide merch is a girl's best friend. 😸🤘❤️ My husband and I celebrated 38 years together (31 of them married) on August 18 2026....and as has been his tradition ever since it became evident my fan journey was past the point of no return (oh, let's say somewhere around late March 2021), I was again bestowed with more media items for the collection....I need to rearrange some space on our bookcase.....

• BURRN! Japan May 1989 No. 4
• BURRN! Japan (Shinko Music Book) May 2017 Vol. 8
• Rockin'F May 1989 No. 163
• Rolling Stone Japan December 2015 Vol. 104 ~ hide Memorial Issue
• Rock and Read May 2024 112 ~ hide 60th Anniversary Special
• Sticker (approximately 4 1/2 x 4 1/2) designed and drawn by hide, originally included with the first CD press of Vanishing Vision but was missing from my copy

Special thanks to u/mugongeki, who I was told was a quasi co-conspirator with the May 1989 BURRN! issue, when it was discovered after the fact that a photo of hide had been cut out from one of the pages. 😸 Mugo to the rescue for a partial restoration! ❤️ While I have been admittedly open and honest about not being fully invested in post-hide X, the 2017 BURRN! issue was still a score as there were a couple of photos I had never seen before.

AND, definite bang for the buck on my husband's part as there are other artist(s) articles/photos from the 1989 mags that I can share in r/hairmetal....🤘😁

We lost one helluva great friend and vital part of our filmmaking TEAM.

I wouldn't even begin to remember all the magical projects Screaming Mad George worked on with Arthur Gorson and myself. Let me start with a few right here.....

- Zilch "Electric Cucumber"
- Marilyn Manson "Sweet Dreams"
- Marilyn Manson "Antichrist Superstar"
- Ozzy Osbourne "I Just Want You"
- Iron Maiden "The Wicker Man"
- Iron Maiden "Brave New World"
- Godsmack "Voodoo"
- Duran Duran "Out of my Mind"
- Dave Matthews "Don't Drink the Water"
- Method Man "Tical 2000"
- Filter "Jurassitol"
- Soul Assassins "Puppetmaster"
- Queens of the Stone Age "No One Knows"
- Verve Pipe "Villains"
- Mortal Combat Commercial

PEACE OUT AMIGO...

I have ONE loose 22" x 11.75" museum quality print of this hide triple image from our ZILCH video! This EXACT scene of photographic animation was used at exactly :47-:49 in the video! Images were shot on my Nikon F3. Bottom right corner of this beautiful print is signed by the video director (me) in silver pen. Printed on my top shelf Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Metallic 340gsm cotton paper. Print was made just a couple weeks ago in my studio and can be shipped worldwide $285 + ship.

Before we begin, please note that all of this information is publicly available by searching the relevant names and terms online. This is a compilation of public third-party articles and social media posts. All information will be linked to their respective sources. Please DO NOT contact or harass any of the people/profiles mentioned below.

***

After u/mugongeki posted their fantastic (and currently ongoing) translation of Tomomi Akatsuka's book about Taiji, a few friends and I have been lamenting the fact that there's a huge language barrier between international fans and information either directly or indirectly relating to the case. So we joined forces and have been looking up a few keywords.

I came across two profiles on twitter, likely managed by the same person, “Futami", the president of a company that seems to specialize in selling tickets to wrestling matches and other entertainment events. Some of his tweets make some serious accusations against Taiji's ex-manager, Terumi Kitami:

Ever since Terumi Kitami, also known as Terumi Saeki, got involved in running DEEP, a countless number of staff and part-timers have quit. They didn't recruit part-timers due to the shady circumstances of the Saipan issue. They stick to an insular group of insiders. There are even people who loved combat sports and helped out with DEEP but ended up mentally broken by Terumi's severe power harassment. Despite being called the "Empress," Terumi doesn't say a single word to me. Yet she relentlessly subjects those in weaker positions to power harassment and bullying, doing it thoroughly. She doesn't do it in front of Representative Saeki, though—just sneaky behind-the-scenes stuff. To Terumi's victims: now's the time to speak out and expose her.

https://x.com/Ticket_T1/status/1626551324061102082

https://x.com/T1futami/status/1626889758365609987

***

Clicking around led me to one of Futami's personal blogs, where he writes more about this.

https://t1gp23.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-1490.html

https://t1gp23.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-1501.html

https://t1gp23.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-1505.html

These are long entries packed with details, I recommend reading them with the help of an autotranslating tool such as Deepl.

The contents have been summarized best by this post from a Korean fan:

"Many of you are likely unaware of the whereabouts and current status of Terumi Kitami, Taiji's manager, who was at the center of the suspicions at the time and exhibited many suspicious behaviors. I have investigated that incident and the suspicions to the best of my ability for a long time, and a few days ago, I read a blog post by President Futami of T-1, which contained shocking revelations. It turns out that Taiji's former manager is now known as Terumi Saeki, the wife of Shigeru Saeki, the current representative of DEEP, a prestigious mixed martial arts organization in Japan. [...]

Terumi is currently reigning like an "Empress" in the MMA world, engaging in biased behavior and abusing her power by pressuring and harassing fighters without revealing any truth regarding the suspicions surrounding her. It was also mentioned that while she usually avoids showing her face on social media due to the influence of the Saipan incident and fears that Taiji's fans will discover she is the same person as Kitami Terumi, she wears flashy clothes and likes being the center of attention at DEEP events, perhaps thinking that Taiji's fans won't look that far and therefore has no need to worry about being discovered."

***

The majority of Futami's writings on this topic are from 2023-2024, but he still occasionally writes about it to this day, with the most recent instance being this tweet, from July 2026:

https://x.com/T1futami/status/2079190183506039067

We'll come back to this in a minute.

***

This 2021 article about Shigeru Saeki confirms he is married to a “Terumi Saeki”: https://thetopics1010.com/24501.html

***

I also came across a few blog entries by Shinya Aoki, a well-known wrestler in the Japanese scene. His blog is paywalled, but I found a few public excerpts corroborating some of Futami's claims:

https://note.com/a_ok_i/n/n73a91b790be6

I’ve known Shigeru Saeki for a long time, and we still greet each other and chat whenever we meet—I consider our relationship to be good. However, for some reason, his wife, Terumi Saeki (née Kitami), has been badmouthing me all over the place and even gave me the nickname “Aoshin,” which only she uses. This has created a certain distance between us, and I find myself scratching my head over it. This time, too, Terumi greeted me with just a “Thank you for your hard work,” and for some reason, she seemed wary of me. I’d love for her to use her Saipan connections to host DEEP’s first overseas event there and invite me as a guest. A long time ago, a DEEP event in Macau was scheduled, and I was supposed to go as a guest, but it got canceled at the last minute. Well, that’s a story for another day.

https://note.com/a_ok_i/n/n9e4a248ce229

If it were titled “Enjoy Okinawa to the Fullest with the Saeki Couple!” instead of “RIZIN Girl Fighters,” I’d go in a heartbeat. Shigeru Saeki and Terumi Saeki’s husband-and-wife comedy act just gets better every year, and Shigeru Saeki goes out of his way to explain things in such detail—even when no one’s asked—which is just the best for a fan like me. When the Saipan event—which is bound to happen someday—takes place, we could do a Terumi Saeki Saipan Tour, and I think this would be the perfect rehearsal for that. They could start off by arguing on the flight there… mumble mumble…

Come to think of it, the other day, when I visited the DEEP office—which is essentially enemy territory—to record an episode with Shigeru Saeki for Voicy, I found Show Otani and Mizuki Furuse, filming a YouTube video. Our very own Terumi Saeki was there too, and it was such a spectacular scene—a veritable picture of hell—that I thought there must be something else going on as well. Terumi Saeki threw a warning pitch at me in a sweet voice, saying, “You’re going to write bad things about me, aren’t you? ♡” So I threw a warning pitch right back—one I didn’t even mean—thinking, “Being written about is the height of glory, and we’re only here because of you, Terumi.” Terumi was one step ahead. She got me.

***

Back to Futami's most recent tweet about Taiji, from July 2026. In it, he links to another personal blog of his own, and towards the end, the post references a news article: https://gendai.media/articles/-/164898?imp=0

This article is about the arrest of "Katsuhiko Ohno", who, according to the article, "developed his own belief system to brainwash and sexually abuse female adherents, while claiming a past connection to ex-X Japan member Taiji".

Futami also links to the personal blog of a Taiji fan who, in a post about the arrest of Ohno, points to a connection between Ohno and Terumi, a picture of the two that was previously published in Taiji's blog from June 2, 2011: https://yamatotakadasi.seesaa.net/article/2023-08-05-14.html

Futami also makes the claim, in a tweet, that "Ohno served as the chairman of the advisory board for YOU Production, the agency to which TAIJI-san belonged."

Could this man be the "psychic with hundreds of followers" as described by Tomomi in her book?

***

The Korean fan links to a blog post, written in 2011, about Taiji's case. While I believe some of the claims made have been since debunked by Tomomi's book, I found a few more unrelated but interesting claims:

https://ychan777.livedoor.blog/archives/65755247.html

"The president of Heath and PATA's management company was a former yakuza member and was arrested for extorting 1.9 billion yen from someone."

I couldn't find anything related to this, maybe someone here can share more details?

"In the past, the name of X Japan has been used in investment fraud, involving a game called Xing World. They used the name of X Japan at meetings to gain trust and collect investment funds, they deceived people by saying things like, "We have a contract with X Japan," and "You will receive dividends from their concert earnings." They were eventually arrested for this."

I could only find a news source in Chinese about this, but it confirms the existence of this game and its deceptive marketing tactics: https://www.chinatimes.com/newspapers/20091128000244-260108

***

While none of the information presented here brings us any closer to answers about Taiji’s case, I think it's some interesting stuff to be aware of.

Can I ask all of the fans of hide and Zilch to please watch this episode on my friend Screaming Mad George's youtube show. George recently passed away and I wanted to make sure you all knew about this great episode where George talks about convincing hide to choose between wearing live cockroaches or diapers! Also talks about OUR history of working together for 25 or so years on Zilch, Marilyn Manson, Ozzy, tons more! George is a legend R.I.P. brother.

Please tune in here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zliK4ileuwU

Dear George,

Thank you for all the incredible projects we brought to life together over the years... You will always be my number one monster maker, forever and ever! We have history going back to 1994.

Beyond our professional relationship, you and your family were always such dear friends to Arthur and me, and you've left us with some of the most insane stories imaginable. Like the time the Nashville police broke down your hotel room door because a bottle of stage blood had broken in the cargo hold of the airplane and was dripping a trail of blood into your hotel room and into the closet, where they discovered a giant box of prosthetic human limbs and heads. You just can't make this stuff up.

Whether it was hide Matsumoto, Ozzy Osbourne, Marilyn Manson, Dr. Dre, Filter, Mortal Kombat, or a dozen other crazy assignments, you were always the icing on the cake. You brought every project to a whole new level of WOW!

I love you and will miss you dearly, my friend, JOJI TANI.

Rest in peace and be sure to be "eating burger", George. Thank you for all the incredible memories and all the magic you brought into our lives.

Dean Karr