However, the group knew nothing about putting out a magazine. The first issue had a run of 5 million copies, every one of which had a blank cover as they had forgotten to print them. When some members of the group made their initial visits to companies seeking advertising, some businessmen mistook them for sokaiya, racketeers who extort money from companies by taking direct payments of cash in exchange for not disrupting shareholder meetings. When Horiuchi passed away in 1987, the staff discussed the possibility of discontinuing the magazine. Today, the magazine has 1,200 subscribers, mostly residents of the Kansai area, and a circulation of around 50 million.
People seem mostly drawn to the magazine's feature stories, which appear in every issue.
Readers are also drawn to the high level of expertise of contributing writers who include celebrities, university professors, newspaper reporters and history experts. Some writers are drawn to the magazine as a means of getting their research before the public. The magazine, however, has seen some rocky times. The current recession and the Hanshin Earthquake have taken a toll on advertising revenues. The writers and editors are all basically volunteers.