Here are some sample images of Minomura’s rope-work in a few special issues of SM Collector from 1976 and 1979. Who is tying is often not made explicit, but in these issues it is printed clearly already on the cover.
SM Kitan was an SM magazine published 1975–1980, with lots of high-quality materials. We will be returning to it here on the blog.
In this post, I want to share some poetic texts written by Minomura Kou, accompanied by an illustration (also by Minomura). This was a recurring feature in the magazine. The material I have chosen is from SM Kitan issues #9, #10, #12 (1979), and #1 (1980).
The translations are done by rish. THANK YOU again!
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Hey, one more time
Terribly sweaty all over the body
Sticky and slimy wet
Never experienced such cruel things
Being pinched and hit…
Being tickled and hurt…
You played around with me mercilessly
You were great tonight
Manly and violent…
Ah, that’s why I was on fire
It was good, it made me go crazy
Hey, mess me up like that one more time
Rope-love blues
Ah, the rope… the friction…
If I move my hips even a little
It presses hard on my embarrassing spot
It’s painful…
It’s very tight
”Getting wet, right?”
Please don’t say such embarrassing things
You know I’m very sensitive
You are mean, such a cruel person
Please remove the rope already
No, I want you
Please torment me more with your body!
Sweet cry
Hey, forgive me… Be patient with me…
The arms hurts… and it stops the blood
The tips of the fingers are getting cold
Tops of the boobs too
You treated me so violently
I am throbbing, aching
Hey, it’s enough now, right
It’s hard… and painful…
No, it’s not that I dislike it
It’s not that I dislike it but now, now…
Hold me
Hey, please hold me…
The cry frowned upon
Ah, don’t look
Don’t look at me so much
You do know that I’m shy
You are mean, looking at me from behind
The touch of your breath tickles me
Oh, don’t touch
No, no, no…
I’m too loud, you say, but it’s impossible not to
Because you are too good
Yes, there, harder
Ah, you may, you may look
– Translations by rish, commissioned and edited by Bergborg / KinbakuBooks
Dan Oniroku: 猟奇の女 [Ryoki no onna, ”Bitchy Girl”]. SM Novels series No. 5
This small format paperback book is part of a series of reprints of stories by Dan Oniroku. (This particular story was first published in SM Select in January 1971.) But don’t be fooled by the modest appearance – the book also contains twenty-something high quality print colour photos of Minomura Kou‘s kinbaku from the period 1975–1980. In October 1980, Minomura fell ill, so these pictures could maybe be said to represent his ”mature” style.
Many of the readers of this blog are perhaps more familiar with Minomura’s artwork (presented under the name of ”Kita Reiko”) than with photos of his ties. Such photos can of course be seen in many magazines through the years, but very often these magazines contain no information about who has done the tying. Here, it is cleary stated, along with the years the photos were taken.
Here is a link to an earlier post about the 1953 Minomura-book ”Beautifully Bound”:
https://kinbakubooks.wordpress.com/2015/01/21/beautifully-bound-1953-a-presentation/
And here is a link to a conversation between Nureki and Yukimura, where they among other things talk about the shooting of the film The World of Minomura Kou: https://kinbakubooks.wordpress.com/2017/01/05/nureki-yukimura-dialogue-in-sm-spirits-1993/
This book was included in Osada Steve’s generous donation. Thank you again!
https://kinbakubooks.wordpress.com/2015/02/04/donation-from-osada-steve/
Cover art: Saroyama Hajime
Publisher: サン出版, 2011
ISBN: 978-4-8644-4800-0
Osada Eikichi: 緊縛秘戯 [Secrets of Kinbaku] (1978)
Publisher: Edo Productions
No ISBN
This rare publication documents the activities of the ”Osada Seminar” from the late 1970s.
32 pages long, it contains photos (both in color and in black & white), a tutorial, and a short text inviting the reader to be a member, describing the activities of the Osada Seminar as regularly doing ”SM theatre”.
Urado Hiroshi (Ed.): ”Es and Em” (えすとえむ) No. 3, 9, 10, 11 (1979)
The magazine ”Es and Em” (えすとえむ) was a magazine edited by Urado Hiroshi, published in the years 1978–1981. It has the subtitle ”A magazine about fulfilling dreams”. Many of the same people involved with ”Sun and Moon”-magazine are contributing also here, such as for example ロマン派生 (Roman Hasei).
In addition to rope-play and other SM play, a recurring thematics in this magazine is ”seppuku”.
I have chosen some images of seppuku for the blog this time.
Urado Hiroshi (Ed.): ”Sun and Moon サン・アンド” No. 3, 5, 6, 10/11 (1978)
In the first images here (from issue 3 and issue 5) rope is by Yamamoto (see further my last blogpost about ”The Beacon”).
Then follows four images with rope by Urado, from issue 6, where the model Mayumi Miyata appears (mentioned in my earlier post about the magazine ”Image” No.2), with Urado using his hands to form her face. (Marginal note: Issue 5 also features some of the photos of Urado’s rope that are included in Image No. 2, along with an article – but here, the photo-reproduction is not as good [small, black and white, non-glossy paper].)
In the double issue 10/11 there is a photo-illustrated article called ”Female seppuku mania letter”. As we shall see in an upcoming post, this as a recurring theme in a related publication from this time.
Urado Hiroshi: The Beacon (ザ・ビーコン)
”The Beacon” was a photo-magazine published only in a few issues (indeed maybe only these three). Most probably 1977–1978.
I am not sure, but to my eye, it seems it contains rope-work both by Urado Hiroshi (the images where white cotton rope is used above), and by Yamamoto Issho (山本一章 , my proposal of identifying the tying person wearing the blue striped pants).
Yamamoto (born 1927) is a historically interesting bakushi that we may well be returning to on this blog. In an interview with Akechi Denki from 2005, Osada Steve asks:
”Are you completely self-taught? Did you learn rope from someone?
No one taught me. But I did become friends with Tsujimura Takashi, whose work appeared in Kitan Club in those days, and his friend Yamamoto Issho. They were based in Kansai (Osaka) but we would meet when we could and practice bondage together, and lend each other our partners.” (Source: http://www.tokyobound.com/blog/?p=114 )
ザ・ビーコン The Beacon 別冊 SUN & MOON No.2
被虐妖精 陶酔希求の影像 (Images of desire, cruelty and euphoria)
Publisher: エドプロダクツ
(White cotton rope throughout, probably all Urado)
ザ・ビーコン The Beacon No.2
調教部屋１被虐性の涵養 (Training Room 1 Cultivation of Mortality)
Publisher: エドプロダクツ
(Black, hojojutsu-inspired, rope and golden rope, probably all Yamamoto)
ザ・ビーコン The Beacon No.3
調教部屋（２）甘美な緊縛 (Training Room 2 Sweet Bondage)
Publisher: エドプロダクツ
(Mixed, some white cotton rope, some golden rope, probably both Urado and Yamamoto)
Urado Hiroshi: Sun and Moon, No 5 (1977)
Here are a few posts about publications that appeared around the same time-period, and with many of the same people involved. I am painfully aware that I have not been able to sort out all the specifics, but I am now sharing some of the material and hope to learn more. As often is the case, an important source for me has been http://www.smpedia.com
The misunderstandings and errors are however all my own. Comments and corrections are welcome as always.
”Sun and Moon” was an SM-magazine, started in 1977. In 1978 it branched off into some special issues and separate publications (see the next few posts here on the blog), and in 1980 it was re-launched with names like ”The High Sun & Moon”, ”The Original Sun & Moon”.
The images posted here are from ”Sun and Moon” No. 5 (1977), the first one edited by Urado Hiroshi. The issue opens with a ten-page article by Urado.
On the backside cover is a advertisment for the first issue of ”The Beacon” (see further separate post).
A marginal note: the issue also has an article signed ”Shima Shikou” (志摩紫光) – one of his very first apperances in a publication. UPDATE: I have now included some of the photos from Shima Shikou’s article below.
Urado Hiroshi: IMAGE No.2 (”Playmate MM 1”)
Probably from around 1978. Rope: Urado Hiroshi. Model: Mayumi Miyata (宮田 真由美)
See an earlier post about Image No 1, here:
https://kinbakubooks.wordpress.com/2017/01/19/urado-hiroshi-image-no-1/
Publisher: エドプロダクツ
Both Image nos 1 and 2 are photo-publications, but they each also contain short editorial texts by Urado Hiroshi. Below, you can find them in translation.
Translation: Shiba. Commissioned and edited by Bergborg / KinbakuBooks.
Urado Hiroshi: Editor’s postscript to Image no.1
Maybe Image (”The Beauty of Kimono and Black Hair”) is a somewhat too pompous name for a graphic magazine. It is the replacement for The Beacon, which we have been publishing until now. In this first issue of Image, we included photos which I tied and photographed about eight years ago, and also some special photos taken recently. Since some of the old ones have been published before, I am afraid I might be scolded, you saying “what, such thing…” But the situation eight years ago from today was different, there were just two or three SM-magazines and the photos were relatively mild. The images are marked by my own preconceptions in such situation. Because of that, it feels like they were not as good as they could have been, as I see it now, but my basic favorite kinbaku, with women in kimono and long black hair, this fondness hasn’t been changed until today. Anyway, this graphic magazine called Image is planned to be published every month, like its sister-magazine Sun & Moon. I ask for your opinions and requests for the magazine, for example if the size of the publication is right, as your view would be help us in planning further issues. Of course, the project is not just a separate volume of Sun & Moon, it is designed as a graphic magazine in itself (we are considering the possibility also of releasing special issues of Sun & Moon separately).
Urado Hiroshi: Editor’s postscript to Image no.2
After Image no.1 (”The Beauty of Kimono and Black Hair”), now follows Image no.2 (”Playmate MM 1”). For this issue, we chose Mayumi Miyata. I tied her in different ways I like, and tormented her for about four hours. You probably see how her facial expressions change if you view the pictures in the right order. I had tied her once before and from my impression of her body and the atmosphere she has around her, I strongly felt that she could be a playmate M-girl who could give us great satisfaction and live up to all expectations if we tried a photo-shooting with her. So, we chose her as a model for Image no.2. She indeed did not make us disappointed, and the photos turned out to good. As we have already stated in the May issue of the magazine Sun & Moon, we will continue making photos with her circa once a month, and we believe that it this will find approval by our readers. We would be glad to receive your opinions or thoughts on Image, both the current, no.2 and the previous, no.1.
イマージュ IMAGE No.1 和装と黒髪の美学 [The Beauty of Kimono and Black Hair]
This all-photo magazine in A4 format features ropework by Urado Hiroshi. I have found no information about the year of publication, but I recognize some of the images from other publications by Urado from 1970 and 1972 respectively. I have also not found any further issues of the magazine. My guess (see also a couple of upcoming blogposts) is that Urado tried some different names for this kind of magazine-format, thus making each issue a ”No. 1”.
Publisher: エドプロダクツ
See two earlier posts:
https://kinbakubooks.wordpress.com/2013/07/14/urado-hiroshi-shashin-nawa-to-onna-1-2/
https://kinbakubooks.wordpress.com/2014/09/17/urado-hiroshi-sm-play-you-can-play-sm-1972/
UPDATE: Master ‘K’ kindly shared some more information on this publication. Commenting on Facebook, he wrote the following:
”Greetings Berg Borg! I thought you might appreciate a little further information about my sensei Urado Hiroshi and Image Magazine which you are kind enough to feature. First off, Urado sensei told me he was not a big fan of kinbaku picture magazines in general and only contributed to a few of them. He was more interested in writing and editing somewhat more scholarly things like the ”How to Play SM” book which includes some of the images from Image #1 and Sun and Moon Magazine, etc. As to this magazine, Urado sensei told me it was published in 1978 (though the pictures were taken earlier) and is one of two issues that were published by a company called Edo Puro although no date is given in the magazines. He did them as he was becoming very busy with the Nikkatsu/Naomi Tani/Oniroku Dan cycle of films and show some of his very characteristic styles of Kinbaku. According to Urado sensei, the subtitle of Issue #1 is ”The Beauty of Japanese Clothing and Black Hair” which is a nod to Itoh Seiu and his fascination/fetish with black hair. I love these magazines because they include wonderful examples of Urado sensei’s unique rope style and include a number of quite unusual techniques, all inspired by his admiration for his boss at Uramado Magazine, the great Minomura Kou. Urado sensei was always a rope minimalist and would often say to me when looking at the ropework of other bakushi, ”Too much rope!” I include two pictures, one is from Image #1 which he was kind enough to sign for me and the other is the cover of Image #2. Best regards, your friend, Master ‘K’.”
(Source: http://tinyurl.com/z7arj7v )
Kinbaku Books 