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: 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 )