Pop-up Event 'AKASHIC RECORDS' Curated by Tatsuhiko Akashi Held

MEDICOM TOY

A Gathering of Exclusive Items from All Genres!

From Friday, October 16 to Tuesday, November 3, 2020, a MEDICOM TOY pop-up event, 'AKASHIC RECORDS,' will be held at POP BY JUN on the first floor of Shibuya PARCO. AKASHIC RECORDS is a term that signifies the concept of 'world memory,' where all events and emotions have been recorded since the beginning of time. This event is fully curated by Tatsuhiko Akashi, President and CEO of MEDICOM TOY, who will present a wide array of works from artists, brands, and content selected from around the globe. During the event, exclusive items available only here, along with various art pieces, toys, and apparel, will be sold.

Here, we speak with Mr. Akashi about the concept of this event and select items for OPENERS readers from the extensive range of related products.

Details will be announced sequentially on the 'MEDICOM TOY Official Blog' and the 'MEDICOM TOY Official App' from early October.STYLEVOICE.COM,sofvi.tokyowill also feature linked commentary pages for the products being sold.

Text by SHINNO Kunihiko | Photographs by NAGAO Masashi | Edit by TOMIYAMA eizaburo

Pop-up Event 'AKASHIC RECORDS' Curated by Tatsuhiko Akashi Held | MEDICOM TOY

All Participating Artists Are Cult Stars to Me

Late last year, shortly after Shibuya PARCO opened, the apparel company JUN approached me with an offer: 'Would you like to hold a pop-up shop at Shibuya PARCO?'
Simply put, it's an event to exhibit and sell toys, art, apparel, and collaborative works selected by MEDICOM TOY for a limited time. Initially, the plan was to hold it in April, but I suggested postponing it by six months to October to create something more substantial. Then, the threat of the novel coronavirus emerged.

During this period, I spoke with many creators. Some found themselves with an abundance of free time due to canceled schedules, while others were unsure how to present their work. So, I reached out to them, saying, 'We're planning something here; would you be interested in participating?'

The youngest artist participating in AKASHIC RECORDS is in their early twenties, and the eldest is Mr. Yoshiharu Tsuge, at 82. I wanted to create an event that brings together artists from a wide range of generations, from globally recognized content to undiscovered talents. This stems from the current reality where the proliferation of the internet and gadgets has led to the parallelization of all sorts of hobbies and interests. My initial idea was to intuitively curate things I'm interested in—be it toys, art, or clothing—and recommend fascinating people.

I've always wanted to work with new talent, but recently, hearing an anecdote about the globally popular DJ/producer Avicii further strengthened this desire. After his passing in 2018, about 200 unreleased tracks were discovered in his studio. These included collaborations with well-known artists as well as singers who were talented but still unknown. He reportedly said during his lifetime, 'It's not about who I work with, but about creating good things. That's my job. As I made those choices, I found myself able to do various things with different people,' which I find to be absolutely true.

I had always wanted to use the name 'AKASHIC RECORDS' if the opportunity arose. Among the items sold at AKASHIC RECORDS is a single released in 1993 by the rock band Electric Glass Balloon, titled 'CULT STAR GUIDEBOOK.' In fact, 'CULT STAR GUIDEBOOK' was initially a strong contender for the event's name. However, since the name belonged to the band, I couldn't use it without permission. So, I decided on AKASHIC RECORDS. But I couldn't let go of the idea, and I asked the record company and the song's composer, Eiji Sugiura, if I could use this track as the event's theme song. I'll elaborate on this later, but all the creators participating in this event are, to me, CULT STARS.

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Anne Valerie Dupond×YUTA MATSUOKA

(Left to Right)
Custom Apparel Knit
Price | ¥143,750 (excl. tax)
Custom Apparel Jacket
Price | ¥281,750 (excl. tax)
Custom Apparel Long Jacket
Price | ¥345,000 (excl. tax)
*Total of 12 items available
© Anne Valerie Dupond

YUTA MATSUOKA has an atelier in his hometown of Gifu and doesn't have many stockists yet, but he creates incredibly artisanal, meticulously crafted clothing.

Anne Valerie Dupond is a French textile sculptor. Her collaboration with BE@RBRICK last year, which was a one-off piece, was extremely well-received. So, for our next project with Anne, I wanted her to customize clothing. It's a reverse homage to Jun Takahashi of UNDERCOVER, who created clothing at Anne's atelier after observing her techniques for his 'BUT BEAUTIFUL…' (Autumn/Winter 2004-2005) collection. I was very curious to see how Anne herself would approach customizing garments.

When I proposed the collaboration to both of them, they both immediately responded, 'This sounds interesting, we'd love to do it.' Incidentally, they had never met, and all the exchanges were done via FedEx and DHL, so the clothing was essentially created remotely.

First, Mr. Matsuoka selected 12 garments for Anne to customize, and she agreed to work on all of them. Despite her established status, she asked, 'How should I make them?' She was incredibly receptive to my input. I told her, 'No, no, I trust you completely, so please create them as you see fit.' The result is what you see here. There's a rabbit inside a pocket; it's a very charming finish.

These items are available through a lottery sale. Anyone who visits the venue during the event period can enter. I would be delighted if you could come and see them in person.

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Anne Valerie Dupond

ONE OF KIND BE@RBRICK 1000%
Price | ¥350,000 each (excl. tax)
*Total of 12 types available
© Anne Valerie Dupond
BE@RBRICK TM & © 2001-2002 MEDICOM TOY CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

For this event, Anne Valerie Dupond x BE@RBRICK's custom line, previously featured twice at 2G, has been recreated with entirely new pieces. Similar to the apparel line with YUTA MATSUOKA, these are sure to captivate fans.

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YPON

BAUHAUS CAP
Price | ¥78,000 (excl. tax)

YPON is a hat brand founded in 2015 by designer Yutaka Matsubara. I personally used to order hats from him. I asked him to create a few hats inspired by the key graphics of AKASHIC RECORDS, and the result is this BAUHAUS CAP. I named it myself, as the face on it reminded me of the album cover of the rock band Bauhaus.

Making hats is surprisingly difficult. Typically, a wooden mold is created first, and then felt is heated and pressed into shape. Producing just a few pieces would be too labor-intensive for most manufacturers. Although this is a very avant-garde hat, it's quite cute when worn. Please try it on at the venue.

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BED j.w. FORD

Jacket, 1 style, 1 piece
Price | ¥150,000 (excl. tax)
Blouson, 1 style, 1 piece
Price | ¥150,000 (excl. tax)

I personally love the brands BED j.w. FORD, sulvam, MASU, and KIDILL, and I have several ongoing projects with them.

When I presented the AKASHIC RECORDS concept to BED j.w. FORD, they were very enthusiastic and created a unique jacket and blouson exclusively for this event. They even went to the trouble of creating patterns for just one piece each, for which I am incredibly grateful.

The jacket, with the concept of 'a jacket that isn't a jacket, retaining only the form' in a time when wearing suits to the office feels nonsensical due to COVID-19, features a tacked lapel and unusually long sleeves, resulting in a very punk and cool garment. The blouson, while appearing simple at first glance, also has intricate details, so I highly recommend seeing it in person.

Incidentally, KIDILL and MASU are also creating garments for this project. MASU has produced a special, off-white coat in a different colorway from their current season, and KIDILL mentioned they are working right up to the deadline, so I'm eagerly awaiting their contribution.

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MASU

WHITE BOHEMIAN COAT
Price | ¥180,000 (excl. tax)

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GOD SELECTION XXX

GOD SELECTION XXX TEE Black
Price | ¥14,000 (excl. tax)
GOD SELECTION XXX TEE White
Price | ¥14,000 (excl. tax)

While exploring a collaboration with GOD SELECTION XXX for AKASHIC RECORDS, I received an invitation for a completely different event. This led to a joint initiative with GOD SELECTION XXX that spans both events.

Who is the woman depicted in the motif?
I believe fans will recognize her immediately.

AKASHIC RECORDS and events at Shibuya Seibu/Tower Records Shibuya will take place almost simultaneously.

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YAMAMULO TOMOHILO

Grim Reaper
Price | ¥11,000 (excl. tax)
Putto (Angel)
Price | ¥6,000 (excl. tax)
Murmur (Demon)
Price | ¥11,000 (excl. tax)

YAMAMULO TOMOHILO is an artist who creates brass pins for hats, often collaborating with CA4LA. While hats themselves are not widely worn in Japanese culture, I found it interesting that he creates such niche, three-dimensional works as hat pins.

I encountered his work at Design Festa and, thinking it would be interesting to collaborate, invited him to work with us. This spring, he created the FLY GEM for MAMES. For this event, he has produced 'Grim Reaper,' 'Angel,' and, at my personal request, 'Demon' as lapel pins under his own name. There's a saying about having an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other, whispering advice. In my case, when I'm about to do something, it's always the devil whispering, 'Just do it!' (laughs).

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KNIT GANG COUNCIL

CREW NECK SWEATER "Don't Eat Rice!"
Price | ¥27,000 (excl. tax)
KNIT SCARF "Don't Eat Rice!"
Price | ¥12,800 (excl. tax)
© Kō Machida / TOKUMA JAPAN COMMUNICATIONS., LTD

Knit HorinouchiThe crew neck knit featuring "INU," which was a major hit last year, is now available again from Knit Horinouchi and MEDICOM TOY's brand KNIT GANG COUNCIL.

Additionally, a new scarf, inspired by the obi of the original album, will be released first.

This is an iconic item based on the masterpiece first album by Kō Machida (then known as Machida Machizō), who was called 'the terrifying teenager' in his band.

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I believe everyone has a song that they feel was written just for them.

For me, that song was 'CULT STAR GUIDEBOOK,' released by Electric Glass Balloon in 1993.

Reading the lyrics now, they seem like a cut-up of contemporary culture and subculture, but they possess a strange tension that is neither despair nor happiness.

While I was conceptualizing AKASHIC RECORDS, I happened to hear this song again. Its theme and concept perfectly matched the event, so I decided to use it as the theme song.

When I contacted MIDI Records, who holds the master recording, to obtain permission for the analog single release, I learned that their representative, Mr. Hiroshi Okura, had suddenly passed away just a few days prior, and I couldn't reach anyone. I then contacted Eiji Sugiura, the songwriter,SUGIURUMN, directly. As he is a great fan of our products, we hit it off, and he kindly granted permission.

Since we were producing an analog record, we decided to include 'CULT STAR GUIDEBOOK 2020,' a re-recording of the song by the artist himself after 27 years, as the coupling track. Producing yourself from 27 years ago. It's quite wonderful, isn't it?

The logo design has also been newly created, evoking the atmosphere of a certain film. We plan to expand the merchandise further, so please look forward to it.

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NOODLE

BE@RTEE 2 White
Price | ¥8,000 (excl. tax)
BE@RTEE 2 Black
Price | ¥8,000 (excl. tax)

BE@RTEE1 White
Price | ¥7,000 (excl. tax)
BE@RTEE1 Black
Price | ¥7,000 (excl. tax)

GIRLS PHOTO T-DAOKO- White
Price | ¥11,000 (excl. tax)
GIRLS PHOTO T-DAOKO- Black
Price | ¥11,000 (excl. tax)

GIRLS PHOTO T-IBUKI- White
Price | ¥11,000 (excl. tax)
GIRLS PHOTO T-IBUKI- Black
Price | ¥11,000 (excl. tax)

Premium error cap 3Layers Black
Price | ¥25,000 (excl. tax)
Premium error cap 3Layers Light Blue
Price | ¥25,000 (excl. tax)
BE@RBRICK TM & © 2001-2020 MEDICOM TOY CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

NOODLE, led by Hideyuki Tanaka of Frame Graphics, who continues to work on edgy projects such as directing the recent comeback PV for Denki Groove, will have their new releases showcased first at AKASHIC RECORDS.

Following the international success of the BE@RBRICK-motif T-shirts produced last year, new color variations and a new model of BE@RBRICK T-shirts, along with two new types of photo T-shirts from NOODLE's new line, will be available first.

The motifs are DAOKO and IBUKI, another excellent casting choice that highlights Tanaka's keen eye.

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Yoshiharu Tsuge ×ODEYA

400mm Screw-Driven Boy
Price | ¥48,000 (excl. tax)

This is a finished, painted statue of the boy appearing in manga artist Yoshiharu Tsuge's masterpiece 'The Screw-Turned Boy' (published in 1968).

I previously collaborated on the commercialization of wind-up clockwork dolls for 'The Screw-Turned Boy' once when Seirin Kogeisha was publishing 'Garo,' and again when it was adapted into a film starring Tadanobu Asano in 1998.

After that, I heard from people involved that Mr. Tsuge's health was not good, making product development difficult, and I had given up on further projects.

However, in February of this year, I saw news that he received a special honor award at the 47th Angoulême International Comics Festival and attended the award ceremony in France.

Furthermore, at Wonder Festival the same month, ODEYA had also commercialized 'The Screw-Turned Boy' as an unpainted resin kit. This prompted me to contact Mr. Tsuge again. Through his son, Shosuke Tsuge, we received his kind approval, and based on ODEYA's original mold, we have produced a larger, finished, painted version.

I am very happy to be working with Mr. Tsuge again.

Also, ODEYA himself is a manga artist, so the work truly feels like a sculpture created by a drawer. He was satisfied with the samples for mass production, so fans of 'The Screw-Turned Boy' can look forward to it.

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MAMES
Art Piece (Original) Lottery Sale

This spring, the MAMES solo exhibition 'DestinyLand,' held at Shibuya PARCO 2G during the lockdown, is being revived at AKASHIC RECORDS.

You can enjoy this as an event within an event, featuring entirely new art pieces compared to the previous exhibition.

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Kaori Hinata× MILKBOY

MORRIS × MILKBOY TEE "MAD MORRIS" Black
Price | ¥7,000 (excl. tax)
Size | M, L
MORRIS × MILKBOY TEE "MAD MORRIS" White
Price | ¥7,000 (excl. tax)
Size | M, L
© KAORI HINATA

The collaboration between Kaori Hinata's MORRIS and MILK, announced as part of MILK's 2020AW collection, generated significant buzz. Ahead of its official release, we will be pre-selling the MAD MORRIS cut-and-sew items produced by MILKBOY at AKASHIC RECORDS. These items will also be available simultaneously at the MILKBOY Harajuku flagship store.

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To commemorate the 'Halloween Art Jam' event starting October 20th at Shibuya Seibu/Tower Records Shibuya, tricot's first analog 7-inch single is being released.

As the first installment of collaborations between popular music and active artists both domestically and internationally,
at the 'Halloween Art Jam,' illustrator Asami Matsumura will create illustrations of the 'tricot' members, and these artworks will be sold as various merchandise.

Through our involvement in curating and art direction for this event,
we decided to urgently handle the analog record release of 'Akugi' at AKASHIC RECORDS.

tricot enjoys high popularity not only in Japan but also overseas, with millions of views on YouTube for their lead tracks!

The quantity available at AKASHIC RECORDS is very limited, so if it sells out, please purchase it at the Shibuya Seibu or Tower Records venues.

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prasthana

AKASHIC SHIRT White, Black
Size | One Size
Price | ¥22,000 each (excl. tax)

Daisuke Takei, the designer of PRASThana, has boldly reinterpreted and reconstructed a shirt originally released in 2018 for AKASHIC RECORDS.

Created with Takei's concept of 'a shirt for those who dislike shirts,' this original model features a dramatically widened neckline for an open feel. As someone who loves shirts, I made various requests, and we fused it with a dressy line. The result is a shirt that I personally find to be the best in the world. The material is 94% cotton and 6% silk. The weft uses a cotton-silk yarn with 20% silk, creating a thick, high-density cotton-silk typewriter fabric with a powdery touch and a luxurious feel. Each button is made of black mother-of-pearl.

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midland creation

Kutani BE@RBRICK "Kachō Fūga" (Birds, Flowers, Wind, and Moon)
Price: ¥1,500,000 (excl. tax)
*One-of-a-kind item
BE@RBRICK TM & © 2001-2020 MEDICOM TOY CORPORATION. All rights reserved.

Midland Creation, whom OPENERS has featured several times, has unveiled a stunning new work just before the AKASHIC RECORDS event. This is a one-of-a-kind Kutani BE@RBRICK, likely achieved through countless firing processes.
Ultimately, this new piece has become a masterpiece that perfectly embodies the theme I envisioned for AKASHIC RECORDS: 'The future takes shape according to what we create (imagine).' Please come to the venue to witness the evolution of Kutani BE@RBRICK. I'm confident you'll be truly amazed.

*On certain dates during the event, to prevent congestion and issues at the venue, entry will be managed through a lottery system conducted online.

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you can quickly check the latest information on 'AKASHIC RECORDS.'

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