diff --git a/examples/js/loaders/MMDLoader.js b/examples/js/loaders/MMDLoader.js
index 95aca48e440f4811939a0c4eac06afaff0b49281..402992f6f532c146a54d6c1aa9c0c23cea0ab391 100644
--- a/examples/js/loaders/MMDLoader.js
+++ b/examples/js/loaders/MMDLoader.js
@@ -94,15 +94,15 @@ THREE.MMDLoader.prototype.loadModel = function ( url, callback, onProgress, onEr
 
 	this.loadFileAsBuffer( url, function ( buffer ) {
 
-		callback( scope.createModel( buffer, modelExtension, texturePath ) );
+		callback( scope.createModel( buffer, modelExtension, texturePath, onProgress, onError ) );
 
 	}, onProgress, onError );
 
 };
 
-THREE.MMDLoader.prototype.createModel = function ( buffer, modelExtension, texturePath ) {
+THREE.MMDLoader.prototype.createModel = function ( buffer, modelExtension, texturePath, onProgress, onError ) {
 
-	return this.createMesh( this.parseModel( buffer, modelExtension ), texturePath );
+	return this.createMesh( this.parseModel( buffer, modelExtension ), texturePath, onProgress, onError );
 
 };
 
@@ -860,6 +860,8 @@ THREE.MMDLoader.prototype.createMesh = function ( model, texturePath, onProgress
 		var textures = [];
 		var textureLoader = new THREE.TextureLoader( scope.manager );
 		var tgaLoader = new THREE.TGALoader( scope.manager );
+		var canvas = document.createElement( 'canvas' );
+		var context = canvas.getContext( '2d' );
 		var offset = 0;
 		var materialParams = [];
 
@@ -902,7 +904,29 @@ THREE.MMDLoader.prototype.createMesh = function ( model, texturePath, onProgress
 
 			var texture = loader.load( fullPath, function ( t ) {
 
-				t.flipY = ( params.isToonTexture === true ) ? true : false;
+				// MMD toon texture is Axis-Y oriented
+				// but Three.js gradient map is Axis-X oriented.
+				// So here replaces the toon texture image with the rotated one.
+				if ( params.isToonTexture === true ) {
+
+					var image = t.image;
+					var width = image.width;
+					var height = image.height;
+
+					canvas.width = width;
+					canvas.height = height;
+
+					context.clearRect( 0, 0, width, height );
+					context.translate( width / 2.0, height / 2.0 );
+					context.rotate( 0.5 * Math.PI );  // 90.0 * Math.PI / 180.0
+					context.translate( -width / 2.0, -height / 2.0 );
+					context.drawImage( image, 0, 0 );
+
+					t.image = context.getImageData( 0, 0, width, height );
+
+				}
+
+				t.flipY = false;
 				t.wrapS = THREE.RepeatWrapping;
 				t.wrapT = THREE.RepeatWrapping;
 
@@ -920,7 +944,7 @@ THREE.MMDLoader.prototype.createMesh = function ( model, texturePath, onProgress
 
 				delete texture.readyCallbacks;
 
-			} );
+			}, onProgress, onError );
 
 			texture.readyCallbacks = [];
 
@@ -1265,7 +1289,6 @@ THREE.MMDLoader.prototype.createMesh = function ( model, texturePath, onProgress
 				var toonFileName = ( p2.toonIndex === -1 ) ? 'toon00.bmp' : model.toonTextures[ p2.toonIndex ].fileName;
 				var uuid = loadTexture( toonFileName, { isToonTexture: true, defaultTexturePath: isDefaultToonTexture( toonFileName ) } );
 				m.gradientMap = getTexture( uuid, textures );
-				m.gradientMapAxisY = true;
 
 			} else {
 
@@ -1294,7 +1317,6 @@ THREE.MMDLoader.prototype.createMesh = function ( model, texturePath, onProgress
 
 				var uuid = loadTexture( toonFileName, { isToonTexture: true, defaultTexturePath: isDefaultToon } );
 				m.gradientMap = getTexture( uuid, textures );
-				m.gradientMapAxisY = true;
 
 			}
 
diff --git a/src/loaders/MaterialLoader.js b/src/loaders/MaterialLoader.js
index 936ef21164110d88646135b6cc7b7a9257200f0f..22dc9cc8019b2844495ff673523e48151f8a0007 100644
--- a/src/loaders/MaterialLoader.js
+++ b/src/loaders/MaterialLoader.js
@@ -143,7 +143,6 @@ Object.assign( MaterialLoader.prototype, {
 		if ( json.aoMapIntensity !== undefined ) material.aoMapIntensity = json.aoMapIntensity;
 
 		if ( json.gradientMap !== undefined ) material.gradientMap = getTexture( json.gradientMap );
-		if ( json.gradientMapAxisY !== undefined ) material.gradientMapAxisY = json.gradientMapAxisY;
 
 		// MultiMaterial
 
diff --git a/src/materials/Material.js b/src/materials/Material.js
index ae92a41bab42ff0001693d675310a586c68359cf..72bb555dbbef0b3a6bd061b3bd511b17fb93196a 100644
--- a/src/materials/Material.js
+++ b/src/materials/Material.js
@@ -205,7 +205,6 @@ Material.prototype = {
 		if ( this.gradientMap && this.gradientMap.isTexture ) {
 
 			data.gradientMap = this.gradientMap.toJSON( meta ).uuid;
-			data.gradientMapAxisY = this.gradientMapAxisY;
 
 		}
 
diff --git a/src/materials/MeshPhongMaterial.js b/src/materials/MeshPhongMaterial.js
index 1d0c5060e0b711b73d8211dc760f3fb50bd113e3..542a6731c86360a5366cf5b745549db994076d51 100644
--- a/src/materials/MeshPhongMaterial.js
+++ b/src/materials/MeshPhongMaterial.js
@@ -45,7 +45,6 @@ import { Color } from '../math/Color';
  *  refractionRatio: <float>,
  *
  *  gradientMap: new THREE.Texture( <Image> ),
- *  gradientMapAxisY: <bool>,
  *
  *  wireframe: <boolean>,
  *  wireframeLinewidth: <float>,
@@ -98,7 +97,6 @@ function MeshPhongMaterial( parameters ) {
 	this.refractionRatio = 0.98;
 
 	this.gradientMap = null;
-	this.gradientMapAxisY = false;
 
 	this.wireframe = false;
 	this.wireframeLinewidth = 1;
diff --git a/src/renderers/shaders/ShaderChunk/gradientmap_pars_fragment.glsl b/src/renderers/shaders/ShaderChunk/gradientmap_pars_fragment.glsl
index 61f82a841810afccec0d6d2cedb67184e8b7189a..aabfe13bcea95433629a2912296e6e17ddce3efe 100644
--- a/src/renderers/shaders/ShaderChunk/gradientmap_pars_fragment.glsl
+++ b/src/renderers/shaders/ShaderChunk/gradientmap_pars_fragment.glsl
@@ -6,17 +6,7 @@
 
 		// dotNL will be from -1.0 to 1.0
 		float dotNL = dot( normal, lightDirection );
-
-		#ifdef GRADIENTMAP_AXIS_Y
-
-			vec2 coord = vec2( 0.0, dotNL * 0.5 + 0.5 );
-
-		#else
-
-			vec2 coord = vec2( dotNL * 0.5 + 0.5, 0.0 );
-
-		#endif
-
+		vec2 coord = vec2( dotNL * 0.5 + 0.5, 0.0 );
 		return texture2D( gradientMap, coord ).rgb;
 
 	}
diff --git a/src/renderers/webgl/WebGLProgram.js b/src/renderers/webgl/WebGLProgram.js
index 0d009ba3addb4c31aa239d477fabba83c72327d9..5084139b0084d6342732d201ba0020b7f064861c 100644
--- a/src/renderers/webgl/WebGLProgram.js
+++ b/src/renderers/webgl/WebGLProgram.js
@@ -447,7 +447,6 @@ function WebGLProgram( renderer, code, material, parameters ) {
 			parameters.vertexColors ? '#define USE_COLOR' : '',
 
 			parameters.gradientMap ? '#define USE_GRADIENTMAP' : '',
-			parameters.gradientMapAxisY ? '#define GRADIENTMAP_AXIS_Y' : '',
 
 			parameters.flatShading ? '#define FLAT_SHADED' : '',
 
diff --git a/src/renderers/webgl/WebGLPrograms.js b/src/renderers/webgl/WebGLPrograms.js
index 226c6827d79762ff8141c3808a474890b96c3514..c64d5cfe672e835b933f17d429bc0b23845c25a0 100644
--- a/src/renderers/webgl/WebGLPrograms.js
+++ b/src/renderers/webgl/WebGLPrograms.js
@@ -154,7 +154,6 @@ function WebGLPrograms( renderer, capabilities ) {
 			alphaMap: !! material.alphaMap,
 
 			gradientMap: !! material.gradientMap,
-			gradientMapAxisY: !! material.gradientMapAxisY,
 
 			combine: material.combine,