Nuit de Tokyo reports:
As you know, Osada Steve (長田スティーブ) has been putting on a string of bashes to celebrate the 10th anniversary (10周年) of Studio SIX Tokyo.

I missed out on the $2k/person luxury yacht cruise - billed as “beyond the 3-mile zone, feel free as you please (or get pleased)”. This event had one AV actress per VIP on board, and from what I hear there was plenty of pleasing going down on the high seas.

What I did manage to attend was part of the Golden Week “Studio SIX Platinum Razzmatazz” on the Izu Peninsular. “Golden Week” is a weeklong holiday in Japan, usually scheduled in May, where everyone leaves town.  Read: the country folks come to Tokyo, and Tokyoites visit the countryside. Since forecasters have no way of knowing who might be going where, highways are usually clogged in any and all directions - so most Japanese spend most of their precious vacation time moving from one traffic jam to another.

The Izu event was set up for Studio SIX Jorensan (常連さん - honorable regular clients). It involved a three-night stay at a luxury resort (aka a playground for wealthy Japanese, a VIP hot spring or “onsen” as they call it), featuring non-stop kinbaku (緊縛) photo and video shoots. I don’t know about the cost involved per Jorensan, as I just dropped by for a day after logging a thousand miles on my bike touring the countryside.

On the day of my arrival, there were the Jorensan plus Mr Wang from China (he who shot many of the photos in the Aiko book). From what I hear, this book has become so popular that it is now in its third print, with a German-language version in the works.

A local fixer guided us to two different abandoned compounds (廃墟 - haikyo). The first one was a deserted chemical plant. In order not to attract attention - and for lack of keys to the front gate - a detour on foot through thick underbrush was necessary. After dodging fences and barbed wire we made our entry and commenced shooting.

Did I say chemical plant? Some areas looked like an outtake from Biohazard, The Movie. There were pools with sulfuric acid (H2SO4) - and plenty of tanks and basins filled with caustic liquids of all sorts. The voluptuous model brought along for the trip was put through several rope ordeals, and I’m sure that in the back of her mind were these puddles, hoppers, and traps that could lead to grief should she become unwilling to cooperate.

After several hours of severe and strict bondage, we went back the same way we came - dodging barbed wire, fences, and ravines once more - to move on to yet another abandoned (read: dilapidated) location, this time an old saw mill that had seen better days.

The local fixer was quite paranoid that a convoy of cars with Tokyo license plates plus an ayashi gaijin (怪しい外人, suspicious foreigner) on a monster bike would cause concern among the local populace. He had wisely brought walky-talky kind of gadgets (one for each vehicle), all programmed to the same frequency, and he continually and cunningly spread the convoy thin by radio instructions as to reach the destination without raising alarm from farmers or private guards hired to secure the perimeter and watch out for unwanted intruders.

Upon arrival in close approximation to the saw mill, we were instructed to “spread out” (park our vehicles in different places) and cover our license plates with rugs and foliage.

Everybody made it safely back to the warmth of the hot spring later that night. There followed a few more hours of kinbaku and photo ops in the tatami rooms before the lights went out. An hour later you could find Osada Steve soaking in the roten buro (露天風呂 - outdoor bath) gazing at the stars, plotting his next move.

Nuit de Tokyo reports:

Not long ago I posted about a Sugiura Norio (杉浦則夫) photo shoot featuring Asagi Ageha (浅葱アゲハ). That shoot was significant in that it provided me with the opportunity to discover the benefits of fur-lined socks to guard against icy tatami mats.

Now, with those socks on my feet, I am once again privileged to report on yet another such shoot. And again I was the fluffer as well as the rope coiler for Osada Steve (長田スティーブ). Though it all happened towards the end of March, the old pawnshop-cum-studio was as cold as ever, read: it was freezing as usual . . . until the action got hot.

This time the model was a bit on the chubby side, so Sugiura-sensei declared it a special shoot for the chubby fetishists among his fans. (I think the images speak for themselves to present a good picture of what qualifies as chubby in the Land of the Rising Sun.)

Coincidentally, Ms Chubby has already appeared in another post on this blog about a year ago.

I suspect the choice of today’s lady originated with the fellow from Sanwa Shuppan (三和出版), the Kinbaku publishing company - judging by the fact that he was fawning over her for the full 10 hours plus after-party. I should be forever grateful to him, because it was he who introduced me to the only fur sock shop in town.

Undeniably a little extra flesh is allowing the rope to bite so much better. Osada Steve was in his element, and he found ever more devilish ways to make the extra pounds stand out.

The day started with Ms Chubby assuming the role of a rather well-fed housewife, soon to become ensnared in a rope trap. As she was consecutively stripped of her clothes, her fondness for mouth gags soon became clear - and almost every scene found her gagged with either rope or tenugui (手拭い).

At one point, when her legs were expertly spread by rope with the help of a bamboo pole, a suitably sized vibrator found its way into her loins, then aptly secured by an assortment of weighted metal clamps attached to the labia. For good measure, further clamps were applied to all the softer parts of the body (read: everywhere), the ensuing pain resulting in plenty of moans.

“The chubby maniacs are going to love this,” Sugiura-sensei said enthusiastically, cranking up the frequency of shutter releases quite a few notches.

I imagine the model would have appreciated the esthetic side of the photos, though I got the impression she was more concerned about how to deal with the pain from the clamps and the wobbling dildo between her legs.
As is customary with those Sugiura shoots, the final scenes entailed strict suspension progressions and were played out in the kura (倉). This was the ideal setting for Osada Steve to prove that he is equally adapt at doing tsuri (吊り) on heavy women as he is with butterfly-class models.

After an eternity of air time where Ms Chubby was put through her paces, she was finally released on her own recognizance. As soon as the last rope was off, she went on her knees in customary seiza position, demurely bowed and thanked the maestro.

A nice gesture, I thought. And proof that the lady enjoyed the entire ten hours of torment to the fullest.
Cheers
NdT

NuitdeTokyo reports:

After yet another grueling 12-hour Shibari shoot with Sugiura Norio (杉浦則夫), where Osada Steve (長田スティーブ) did the tying and I did the coiling, I was checking my auction account and had a pleasant surprise.

I had been hunting for issue #2 of M女マニアCollector (The Mania Collector of Submissive Women), and there it was, up for bidding. “Mania Collector” was a short-lived SM/fetish magazine in 1998/1999.

Issue #4, by the way, features an article about the Bondage Bar in Shinjuku - the place to be in the late ‘90s. Legend has it, that it was here where Osada Steve first met his shisho (師匠): the venerable Osada Eikichi (長田英吉) sensei.

The story focuses on Osada Eikichi’s weekly performances at the bar. (Translation below.)

It wasn’t until April, 2000, when Osada Eikichi moved his Osada Seminar to Steve’s place. In other words, Studio SIX Tokyo is celebrating its 10th anniversary (10周年) this month.

Here now the translation of the article:
SM Bar Study Group

Directly from the SM cram school Osada Seminar

Initiation to the essence of fetishism

Host: Bondage Bar

Every Friday, fans of SM are congregating to a building across the street from Shinjuku 2-chome (ndt: Tokyo’s famous gay district featuring 300+ lesbian and homo bars).

Here, starting at 8pm sharp, it is show time for Osada Sensei, a grand master of SM for more than 40 years.

Osada Sensei started Osada Seminar in 1975, and represents the quintessence of SM. In particular the kinbaku (緊縛) of Osada Sensei is quick, beautiful and of a high technical level. For the fans, the interest is in the beauty and technique of the master’s tying skills, and the spectacle of a submissive girl, enraptured by the ropes, suspended in the air is an absolutely must-see.

All submissive girls who want to do a session with the Sensei are amateurs. This must be a pleasant way of enjoying the week, one day at a time.

So, what kind of place is the Bondage Bar? During the afternoon, it’s a café with an SM theme. In the evening it’s “pub time” when the real action starts.

There a S girls and M girls, as well as switches on the premises ready to entertain visitors. Customers seeking more intense and private action can retreat to a nearby”play room” for a session with a woman of their choice - at extra charge, of course.

Every Friday night, Osada Eikichi sensei will give a performance. This time, the model is Miss J. She is wearing a red juban (kimono undergarment) and respectfully kneels before the Sensei . . .

There is theatrical feel to the scene. The fast rope comes out flying, and then, one by one, the layer of clothes covering the body are let go. The red rope envelops the voluptuous body of Miss J in all directions at the same time.

At some point, the right leg of Miss J goes up in the air and candle wax is poured on her thigh. Illuminated by the candle, a black leather whip comes down with a cracking sound.

Miss J now has her two legs up in the air while a pole fixed to her ankles ensures that her legs stay apart. Hips raised, but her shoulders still touching the floor, more red candle wax is poured on the woman’s breast in semi-suspension. The breathing of Osada Sensei and Miss J are now in tune.

As the show approaches its climax, Miss J is now completely suspended and swiveling through the air. Her body is strictly tied.

A mix of pleasure and pain enraptures Miss J, and the Sensei, with all his heart, extends plenty love to the submissive girl with his whip. “Swish . . . swish . . . swish.” With each stroke of the whip, the Sensei roars like a brave lion “Haaar! . . . Haaar! . . . Haaar!” Mixed with the sound of rapid whipping and manly roars are the yelps of the voluptuous Miss J: “Ha-a-aaa, huh-u-huh”.

The show lasts approximately one hour. When I interviewed Miss J afterwards, you could still feel from her the remnants of the intense pleasure and pain she just went through.

Clearly, Osada Sensei is no ordinary person . . .

NuitdeTokyo reports on the latest Sugiura Norio (杉浦則夫) photo shoot.

In Japan, pawn shops are known as ‘shichiya‘ (質屋). Due to kanji homonyms, however, the word can also be read as ‘7-8′. Predictably enough, ‘going to the 7-8′ was once upon a time slang for going to the pawn broker.

Given that pawn shops are typically refuge to an array of wealth and treasures, they used to be built around a robust ‘kura‘ (倉), a large concrete vault which not only discouraged burglary but was also resistant to earthquakes and fire.

Unsurprisingly, some of these pawn shops of old are still upright today. One such shichiya, not far from the Tokyo Dome/Big Egg baseball palace and the Korakuen amusement park, is today a functioning studio for TV and movie productions. And it is exactly here where, one snowy morning, we were all to gather: Master kinbaku (緊縛) photographer Sugiura Norio (杉浦則夫), three of his assistants (including his two sons), a rope worker (縄師) going by the name Osada Steve (長田スティーブ), the model of the day, the incomparable Asagi Ageha (浅葱アゲハ), one make-up artist and yours truly.

Now, did I mention that snow was lining the streets and that, more pertinently, pawn shops from yesteryear don’t exactly have central heating? As a result, whenever there was a break of some kind everybody would swiftly huddle together around the only kerosene stove in the house.

In spite of (or perhaps due to) its lack of modern amenities, the location is still popular with those putting together kinbaku productions and can be rented for roughly $1,500/day. Indeed, the late Akechi Denki (明智伝鬼) had a certain fondness for the place, and even held one of his birthday bashes there.

Sugiura Norio is quite the traditionalist. As such, he prefers Read more »

by NuitdeTokyo

この日の撮影は、古くは明 治の時代から現存する古い日本家屋で行われた。戦火を生き延びたその建物は、昔質屋として使われていた。

今年の日本で一番の寒さが 記録されまだ雪が残る中での撮影は、日本が誇る緊縛写真家の権威である杉浦則夫と彼のアシスタント三人、モデルは杉浦作品初の浅葱アゲハ、そして縄師としてこれも初めての参加となる長田スティーブ、ヘアメイク、そして取材兼アシスタントとして同行した私、 NuitdeTokyoで行われた。

さて私はすでに、その日ま だ道路は雪で凍り、旧時代からのこの質屋にはエアコンなどの暖房設備が無かった事を記していただろうか？撮影に休憩が挟まれると、全員が全員灯油ストーブ の周りを囲み暖を取る状況であった。現代的なインテリアなどはなにひとつ無いこのスタジオは色々な緊縛撮影で頻繁に使われており、故明智伝鬼もこの場所を 気に入って誕生日イベントに使用したこともあるそうだ。

杉浦則夫は、伝統主義者 だ。彼は古いセット、現代の人に見捨てられた小屋、そして苦悶する女性を、写真に収める。またこの巨匠は、撮影に常に大きな柱を持ち込み、モデルの体から 放射状に走る縄をそれに括りつけることも特徴である。

セッティングが終わり、朝 一番の撮影が始まった。杉浦が今回の写真シリーズをなんと名づけるかは分からないが、私には「富豪令嬢の苦悶」の物語に見えた。黒いストッキングと黒いド レスを身に着けた若い令嬢である浅葱アゲハと、彼女に縄で苦痛を与える担当である長田スティーブ。（写真参照）

撮影が進むにつれ、黒いス トッキングは脱がされ、処女娘の雪花のような腿と臀部はむき出しにされ、ライトのもとに晒されてゆく。令嬢にさらなる責めを加えるため長田は縛りに大きい 竹を加え、彼女の体はよりみだらな姿勢を強いられた。実際、浅葱の胸に最初の縄をかけた瞬間から長田はすでに現在の彼ではなく、100年前にその時代その 場所にいた人物のようであった。まるで長い間屋敷の娘に恋焦がれ、ついにその体を意のままにできる時を獲た庭師のように。

杉浦作品の縄に馴染み深い 人であれば、杉浦がモデルの表情に大変な重きを置いていることはご存知と思われる－苦痛で追い詰められた、苦悶の表情。建物の屋根が雪で覆われ、室内に暖 房が無い状態でのモデルの”自然な”表情ならば、「私に暖を与えてくれれば、いくらでも苦痛を受け入れます」といったものであった筈だが、ここで私は浅葱 アゲハが、（彼女がちょうど前日まで風邪で高熱を出していたばかりであったにも関わらず）寒さに凍えて死にそうな表情ではなく、あくまで力強く苦悶と官能 の甘美な表情をもって、撮影の中自らを追い詰めていたことは賞賛しなくてはならないだろう。

杉浦作品のもうひとつの キーポイントは、杉浦がとにかく速く動く、ということである。  もう一度言おう。とても速く動く。アシスタントや縄師に怒鳴りつけるように指示を出しながら、ポイントを定め、アングルを変え、ものすごい速さでシャッ ターを切っていく。それは縄師にも多大なプレッシャーを与え、この日は、縄出しを助け、使った縄を纏めていかなければならない私自身の指にも、私が長田ス ティーブの助手となってから最もプレッシャーがかけられていた日でもあった。私は長田が縛るよりも速く縄を纏められる、と思っていたがこの日、悟った。杉 浦の撮影のスイッチが入り、長田がその指示に対応していくそのテンションには、この世界のどの人間もそのスピードについて縄を纏めていくなんてできないだ ろう、と。

冷たい畳の上で12時間ひ たすら縄を纏め続けるその作業には、鉄の神経が必要だ。だが私がこの日なんとかやり遂げることができたのは、長年禅の修業を積んできたおかげだろうと思 う。

午前の撮影が終わり短い昼 食を済ませると、二階での撮影に移行した。畳が多く、雪のあととはいえ、窓からの日当たりもいい。この東京は建物が密集していて、ともすればこの緊縛撮影 の様子も隣の建物から見えてしまいそうだ。

伝統的な日本の家には、高 さ1.7mほどの床の間というものがあり、美しい日本画の掛け軸が飾られていることが多い。この質屋も例に違わずで、だがこの撮影ではその日本情緒を芸術 の為ではなく、縄を絡ませられた裸の浅葱を括り付ける為に使われた。畳の上で厳しい姿勢での胡座縛り（捕縄術では海老縛りともいわれる）を強いられた浅葱 の体には、半ダースまたはそれ以上の縄がかけられ、またそれらの縄が床の間の上部にある鉤に通されてゆく。これはそれらの鉤がいかに滑りやすかったかと人 間の指の本数を考えれば、言葉にするのは簡単だが実際に行うのは大変に困難なことで、手伝いに来ていた緊縛雑誌の出版社社員の助けがあったのは幸いだっ た。社員の彼にとってこの撮影が初めての冬の現場でなかったことは、彼が冬用の厚手のスポーツソックスを着用していた事からも見受けられた。

撮影内容は徐々に厳しく なっていき、杉浦は浅葱にまず手ぬぐいで猿轡を噛ませ、鎖でつながった錘でもって彼女の体に責めを加えていった。猿轡の奥から涎が垂れ、加えられた錘によ る苦痛で声にならない悲鳴があがり、苦悶の涙が幾筋にもなって頬を流れていく。

写真が音声を記録しないの は残念であると言わざるを得ないが、撮影の様子は一日に渡ってビデオに納められていた。私はこれらが杉浦則夫ウェブサイトにて公開されることを楽しみにし ているところである。

この比較的快適な場所での 撮影は終わり、今度は蔵での吊りの時間となった。最初のカットは長田スティーブが目下特許懸案中の太腿吊りから始まった。緊縛撮影は一定の時間内で展開さ れるショーと違い、様々な無茶な吊りが施される場合が多いが、この時もまさにそれで、浅葱が彼女の肉体の耐久力と、追い詰められた精神の限界まで超える気 概を示した瞬間であった。

休憩無しでの一時間程の吊 りの後、長田がやっと、彼女を下ろし少し休ませるように提言した時、杉浦は、スティーブは常にモデルに優しくて紳士的すぎるがアゲハには特別優しい、とか らかい、私は黙ってただひたすら縄を纏め続けていた。

最後のカットで照明は落と され、竹に括り付けられた浅葱の手に握らされた白い蝋燭がほのかなあかりを灯すと同時に、彼女の体に熱い雫を垂らしてく。暗闇の中をか細い悲鳴が流れ、夜 は刻々と深まっていった。

夜9時、12時間に及ぶ撮 影がとうとう終了した。撮影の間ほぼずっと裸であった浅葱に私が撮影の感想を聞いたとき、彼女は微笑んでこう言った。「凄く恥ずかしかったですし過酷でし たが、杉浦先生とスティーブ、二人のテンションのお陰で、私もとても頑張れました。」

＊この日撮影された写真 は、杉浦則夫ウェブサイトでご覧いただけます。

http://www.sugiuranorio.jp

The following interview is from volume 6 of SM 秘密俱楽部 (SM Secret Club) published in 1997. It used to be a relatively minor player within the Tsukasa Shobo Publishing portfolio - ranking behind magazine titles like SM Fan and SM Frontier, that left their mark on Showa era SM publishing.

After a messy change of ownership, Tsukasa Shobo went bankrupt in 2007. The interviewer for the article signs as Tajima Osamu, a fairly common name. An internet search hasn’t come up with any other SM-related works under that name.

Interestingly enough, the article includes mention of Osada Seminar pioneered by Osada Eikichi Shi.

Thanks to NuitdeTokyo (NdT for short) we can bring you now the English translation of this interview. Next to Master K, NdT is probably the most avid collector of Japanese SM literature. In the past, NdT has discovered another Akechi Denki interview (from ca. 1976) and kindly shared it with us here.

For those unfamiliar with the who’s who’s of the Japanese Shibari and Kinbaku world, both Osada Eikichi (長田英吉) and Akechi Denki (明智伝鬼) are considered grandmasters of the art - the former having passed away in 2001, the latter in 2005. The probably last ever interview with Akechi Denki Shi was conducted by Osada Steve (長田スティーブ) for Steve’s own magazine, Fetish Japan, and for SM Sniper, one of the largest surviving SM magazine players, until it folded in January 2009.

Before we now get to the actual story, a few words by NuitdeTokyo: Read more »

NuitdeTokyo writes:

In Tokyo it is that very special time of the year between Golden Week and the rainy season where the weather is just perfect. The sun is shining, neither too hot nor too cold, no humidity in the air, crisp evenings, and all the pretty girls in mini skirts . . . So it was a good time to hit the rope trail with Osada Steve (長田スティーブ).

It all started on Sunday where we managed to get invited to Nureki Chimuo (濡木痴夢男) sensei’s re-opening of Kinbiken, the legendary rope appreciation society, that is now being revived after a 10-year hiatus.

Osada Steve came with Master K’s latest book The Beauty Of Kinbaku which was widely appreciated by a large number of people taking notes to buy their own copies from Sun Shop in Akihabara which, by the way, also carries the original Osada Steve Shibari & Kinbaku Rope. As one meet member commented, “kuwashii Read more »

Alert reader NuitdeTokyo has sent in the following interview with the late grandmaster Akechi Denki. What makes this contribution so special is that the interview first appeared more than 30 years ago in a little-known magazine called Venus (now defunct).

NuitdeTokyo reports: Inspired by the extensive bibliography in Master K’s recently released book “The Beauty Of Kinbaku” I found myself bargain hunting for rare books and facsimile in downtown Tokyo, when I came across this little magazine. It featured a very sexy vanilla cover, but the inside was exclusively SM content. This issue of Venus is probably from around 1976, and to my delight it carried an interview with Akechi Denki at a time when the full talent of the maestro was yet to be discovered; at a time before he had started doing public performances – yet was already active for 20 years in the Shibari scene.

***

In Shibari Untie Speed Is King

Why private play and public performances aren’t the same

In this article, we are introducing Akechi Denki a master with more than 20 years of SM history. Now in his late thirties, while managing his own business, he is working as a nawashi, acting as adviser for shows.

“My very first interest in SM was sparked when I was in the Read more »

The following report was sent in by NuitdeTokyo.
If you too wish to attend any one of these attractions, be sure to check out performance schedules here:

TB
***

I just happened to pop into Studio SIX the other Saturday night (to attend the weekly Kinbaku Live, to be exact), and was treated to a nice performance by Osada Steve (長田スティーブ) working his magic on tiger-tattooed aiko-chan (愛子).
Towards the end of the four-hour marathon session, Osada Steve placed the model on a sake barrel and tied her in a restrictive teppo shibari (鉄砲縛り) Read more »