Kinoko Hajime: ナワナノ～七菜乃緊縛写真集～

Ropework AND Photography by Kinoko Hajime

Model: Nananano (ナワナノ)

Publisher: 三和出版

ISBN-13: 978-4776913856

This might qualify as Kinoko’s second photo-book. (See a post about the first one here: https://kinbakubooks.wordpress.com/2014/09/01/kinoko-hajime-紅天狗-red-tengu-2014/ )

The book has four sections – Red, Black, Yellow, Green – all with different atmospheres and settings. It also has dense poetic texts on the different colours and scenes.

Large format, high quality paper.

*

Every now and again, I can’t help myself including some references to DVDs, although this somewhat breaks the self-imposed limitations for the format of this blog (and limitations are surely necessary to keep some kind of quality, as well as limiting the time and effort put down on it). Anyway, this time I include some quick notes on Kinoko’s video-output, as this is a field where it seems he is currently expanding. Of course, I can in no way do them justice with my scribblings, but mainly want to catalogue them here for future reference (and as usual, to make them easier to search for).

For a long time, the only DVD I knew of with Kinoko’s rope-work was the documentary ”Nawa-shi” (縄師) from 2008 (top left on the first image above). It is a quite generous movie with interviews with Kinoko and some of the models, clips from shows, tutorials of some ties, and scenes from the club and other social contexts. (Directed by 広瀬陽, ASIN: B001EXGYJ8)

Since this DVD, there has of course also been made some more recent documentaries, such as the widely seen one by VICE, still available on the Internet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNSXNCaTYl0

In the Fall of 2014, Kinoko released the luxuriously set ”Kinbaku3” (緊縛3), where he ties the famous model Kawakami Yuu. The number 3 indicates that the DVD is part of a series (in ”Kinbaku 1”, Kawakami Yuu is tied by Naka Akira, and in ”Kinbaku 2”, she is tied by Yukimura Haruki). This DVD has been said to represent a public welcoming of sorts of Kinoko to the Kinbaku adult video-scene by putting him side by side with two older masters. I found it very interesting to observe how Kinoko’s tying here contains some clear influences of Yukimura’s and Naka’s (and indirectly Nureki’s, one could argue) styles, but at the same time keeps a very distinct identity in his subjectivity as a bakushi, with his dance-like awareness of his own movements, and the grace of his hands. (Sometimes the power and clarity of his touch makes me remember I read somewhere that Kinoko has training as a chiropractor). (Code: TNH-05)

In Spring 2015, the DVD ”Bakushi-Den 2” (縛師伝 2) was released, with Kinoko tying the model Kumire. This was part of an other high-profile series, this time with Yukimura acting as Director of the movies. Yukimura has a clear presence as an influence on the style of tying (this is, in my view, a VERY sexy movie). Yukimura is also stepping into the movie frame in the last scene, as a kind of a ”making-of”. (The first in this series, ”Bakushi-Den 1” (縛師伝 1), also directed by Yukimura, featured Osada Steve as the bakushi, Iroha Shizuki as the model.) (Code: AKHO-112)

Now, the latest DVD-release by Kinoko, late sumer 2015, is called ”Insomnia” (インソムニア), and features the model Nananano (the same as in the new book mentioned above). Again in a somewhat luxurious and costumey-style, the different scenes use different dramatic locations, sometimes with clear nudges to scenes done on film by earlier masters, while in every case staying distinctly original. (Code: VAN-001)