Suspect Nonoyama Taken into Custody. Mask Completely Covers Eyes, Possibly to Avoid Being Photographed Sold Fake Ukiyo-e for About 1.2 Million Yen Amid attention on the NHK Taiga drama “Berabou”, which features the ukiyo-e publisher Shigezaburo Tsutaya as the protagonist, a man was arrested for selling counterfeit ukiyo-e prints by popular artists on a major online auction site to swindle money. “On November 26, the Kanda Police Station of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police arrested Katsuaki Nonoyama (53), an employee of Tokyo Electric Power Holdings living in Tomioka, Fukushima Prefecture, on suspicion of fraud for selling counterfeit ukiyo-e online while pretending they were genuine. Nonoyama is suspected of listing ukiyo-e on April 13, 2025, and selling them for about 1.2 million yen. The male buyer realized the prints were fake and sent Nonoyama a message, but he became unreachable, leading the buyer to consult the police, which uncovered the case. Nonoyama reportedly told the police during questioning, ‘I won’t talk until my lawyer arrives,’ withholding his acknowledgment of the charges,” said a reporter from a national newspaper’s social affairs desk. The prints Nonoyama listed were two woodblock prints: Utagawa Kuniyoshi’s “Soma no Furuuchiri” and Tsukioka Yoshitoshi’s “Oshu Adachigahara Hitotsu Ie no Zu”, both counterfeit. Although fake, they were said to be meticulously made. The social affairs reporter explained: “‘Soma no Furuuchiri’ was auctioned for 679,000 yen, and ‘Oshu Adachigahara Hitotsu Ie no Zu’ for 502,000 yen. The counterfeit prints were allegedly made by Nonoyama obtaining image data of the original works, printing them onto traditional woodblock print paper using a printer, and processing them with paint to give them an aged appearance. In addition, as with the original prints, the images were printed on the back so they would show through from behind. Nonoyama also labeled the auction titles with ‘genuine work’ to imply authenticity.” On November 28, Nonoyama was handed over to the prosecutor’s office. Around 9 a.m., he appeared at the Kanda Police Station’s escort entrance, standing about a head taller than the surrounding officers. Possibly not wanting his face photographed, he had pulled his mask up to cover his eyes and, looking slightly upward, was escorted into the police vehicle.