Starting in 1974, Ito began publishing "Barazoku" monthly in order to compete with "Adon", a new gay magazine launched by Sadashiro Minami, a former writer for "Barazoku". Monthly publication of "Barazoku" was welcomed by readers and circulation increased. In 1975, however, a serially-published erotic novel "Danshoku Saiyuki" (Gay Journey to the West), which began with the April issue, was found to be obscene. This time Ito and the novel's author Mansaku Arashi were summoned and interrogated harshly, until the investigators discovered that Arashi was related to a former Japanese prime minister. The investigation was closed and Ito and Arashi were not criminalized, but further sale of the April 1975 issue was forbidden.