Ueda Seishiro and Itoh Seiu: 読切ロマンス　(Yomikiri Romance), 1952 and 1953

In summer 1952 (the same summer that the word ”kinbaku” was first used in Kitan Club) and then again early 1953, the magazine ”Yomikiri Romance”, that earlier had sometimes included a few bondage pictures, made two special issues on this theme.

The first one was published under the supervision of Ueda Seishiro, a budding nawashi, editor and close associate with Itoh Seiu. The special issue was given the title ”Nudo Fuzoku Arubamu” (Album with Various Nudes).

Master K, in his book The Beauty of Kinbaku, calls this ”the first commercial publication completely dedicated to shibari/kinbaku photography (…) a groundbreaking event in SM publishing” (p. 51).

Faviola Llervu has made a translation of a text by Ueda in this issue, now available on the website Kinbakunomicon, here: http://www.wallflowercodex.com/kinbakunomicon/1952yokip1.html

Early next year (1953) ”Yomikiri Romance”, published a second special issue, now in a smaller format. This time, it was Itoh Seiu himself who tied and supervised it. The issue was given the title ”Etsugyaku Koukotsu To” (Graphic Depiction of Ecstasy in Pleasure and Pain).

(The first five images above are from ”Nudo Fuzoku Arubamu”, the last three are from ”Etsugyaku Koukotsu To”.)