‘Muga‘ (無我) is a concept steeped in the Buddhist tradition. It refers to the ‘non-self’, emptiness, or being devoid of desire. As such, it is not the first thing that springs to mind when considering shibari/kinbaku (縛り/緊縛). After all, isn’t the essence of any rope session also an exercise in desire and passion?

Before taking a closer look at muga and how it could be applied to shibari/kinbaku, let’s cast a glance backwards in time. The Chinese character 縄 can be read both as ‘nawa‘ and as ‘jo‘; essentially, the kanji expresses the meaning: ‘rope’. However, depending on context, it could also mean a bondage style or pattern. As an example of all not being quite as simple as perhaps initially thought, take the characters for ‘hojojutsu‘ (捕縄術) - the ancient art of capturing with rope. The same three kanji can also be read as ‘torinawajutsu‘. This ‘art’, in its hoshu hojojutsu (捕手捕縄術) form, has been inextricably linked with the 18 warrior skills of the Samurai (‘bugei juhappan‘, 武芸十八般). As such, it provides for several hundred years of highly advanced rope-tying techniques and represents a solid foundation for modern-day shibari/kinbaku.

Consider also the following examples, where the reading of 縄 is ‘nawa‘: 責め縄 (‘semenawa‘) - bondage geared towards torture; 首斬縄 (‘kubikirinawa‘) - bondage appropriate to beheadings; 火焙縄 (‘hiaburinawa‘) - bondage suitable for burnings at the stake; 早縄 (‘hayanawa‘) - the actual (relatively short) rope employed for initial arrests and swift take-downs; 本縄 (‘honnawa‘) - the actual (relatively long) rope used for more complicated bondage once a person has been arrested.

Returning to the fact that today’s contemporary Japanese tying methods are based around ancient Samurai martial arts (‘kobudo‘, 古武道), by extension it follows that shibari/kinbaku are similarly guided by the same principles governing all other Japanese martial arts. Further, a profound understanding of these would often have meant the difference between life and death. In this way, it is not too far-fetched to imagine that both a solid foundation in tying skills and the observance of a few time-worn principles would be the difference between a so-so bondage session and an out-of-this-world kinbaku session.

Now quickly fast-forward to muga (無我), and what it can bring to your tying experiences. Firstly, let’s contemplate what the legendary grandmaster Akechi Denki (明智伝鬼) explained to me two weeks before his death: “I empty my mind. The ideas then just come to me: from within or from the partner I’m tying. Sometimes the ropes move of their own accord and my hands simply follow, and that is always such an amazing experience. I just disappear. The shibari is always so beautiful whenever that happens.”

That elusive ‘empty mind’ also plays a fundamental role at the higher levels of Samurai swordsmanship, a principle expounded upon by Miyamoto Musashi in his Book Of Five Rings, wherein he elaborates in quite some depth upon the concept of muga - with ‘ring’ number five denoting the void, the nothingness, the emptiness of the mind.

Which brings us neatly on to muganawa (無我縄). As the active protagonist in the rope session, imagine shedding all of your thoughts, all of your desires. You do so because favorable feelings of love and empathy for your partner opposite you come to the fore now. You wish to give, not to receive. Your goal is not to satisfy your own cravings, your lust, but rather to reach a state of heightened awareness which allows you to discern and compute the subtle messages and signals emanating from that passive being now submitting before you.

If all goes to plan, you will be able to read your rope partner like an open book, developing a higher understanding of his/her needs, indeed doing so more truly than - and perhaps even before - he himself/she herself does at each particular moment, the now.

Remember, though, that, in order to correctly read your partner, you yourself must be in an objective, neutral state of mind, a state unbefuddled by false beliefs or assumptions.

In essence, a muganawa session is set apart by its emphasis upon the passive partner being allowed to reach his/her true potential rather than the assertive protagonist simply imposing his/her will.

Reaching muga is not achieved, though, by the mere reading of a book or pressing a switch. Rather, muga is reached by attaining peace of mind through an approach to your rope session that is entirely non-egotistical. Muganawa isn’t everything, admittedly, and it is not the only way to enjoy bondage. Yet, I do encourage you to occasionally give muga a shot.

Osada Steve (長田スティーブ)

The following is an interview with Akechi Denki (明智伝鬼). It was conducted by Osada Steve (長田スティーブ) back in July, 2005, two weeks before the grandmaster passed away.

The interview was published in SM Sniper magazine (now defunct), in FetishJapan magazine (Osada Steve’s own publication), as well as in a number of foreign media.

Today’s repost is of triple significance. Firstly, it marks the sixth anniversary of Akechi Denki sensei’s death. Secondly, the interview is the last time where the grandmaster shares his thoughts for the record. Thirdly, sensei’s very last words touch on the muga (無我) aspects of shibari/kinbaku (see last paragraph of this interview highlighted in red), and it couldn’t have been said more beautifully.

Osada Steve: Japanese rope bondage is getting very popular in the United States and Europe and people want to know more about it. In the West there is something I call “bedroom bondage” — you tie the wrists and the ankles with very simple bonds and when your partner is restricted you begin with sex or SM play. But that’s different from Japanese rope bondage. How would you define shibari (縛り)? What is shibari to you?

Akechi Denki: In SM, shibari is communication between two people using the medium of rope. It’s a connection made with rope between the hearts of two people. So the rope should embrace with love, like the arms of a mother embracing her child. The submissive has placed her entire trust in you.

The most important thing is never to cause physical injury to your partner. There are delicate tendons and nerves in the body and you have to be very careful never to damage them. If you tie someone up too tightly you might damage nerves. And if you don’t make your ties tight enough a rope can slip and catch on your partner’s shoulder or neck. It’s hard to believe that a single piece of rope could cause permanent damage but there have been many such accidents. You need to check your partner constantly and make sure she’s all right. Not with words but by checking her expression.

Yet almost all nawashi (縄師) wear sunglasses, particularly when they are doing shows. If your model can’t see your eyes, is she really able to communicate with you?

Communication is about much more than eye contact. You put your arms around her to see how she is doing, or you do something to her and judge her reaction. It’s really full-body communication. It can be very frightening to be tied up, to lose your freedom. You have to have good communication in order to make the person you’re tying feel safe. You want her to feel good.

What about the term nawashi? I think people in the West tend to mistakenly believe that there is some kind of qualification process before you can become a nawashi. When did that term come into use?

Maybe thirty years ago. Before that, no one used the term nawashi. When I started doing SM shows, everyone said sado (from the word “sadist,” to indicate the dominant) and mazo (from the word “masochist,” to indicate the submissive). In those days, the SM world was much smaller and people within it took their relationships very seriously. The sado was the master; the mazo was a willing slave to him. He might call her over and put his cigarette out on the palm of her hand, and that was accepted within the context of their very deep relationship. It was accepted that he could hurt her; that she was willing to give her very life to him. It wasn’t until later that people began to use the term nawashi for someone who did rope bondage as part of SM shows.

So how does someone become a nawashi? How did you become a nawashi?

You have to understand that people like me, the old generation, started doing this in our teens. We got hold of SM magazines like Kitan Club (no longer published), and then we would try to imitate what we saw in the magazine, which was much simpler rope work than what you see today. And we practiced a lot. Not just rope but all the skills we used in SM shows. I had a five or six meter whip from America — a real cowboy whip. I used to practice for hours, throwing it again and again until I learned how to cast within a confined space and be able to hit with accuracy. We gained experience through repeated practice.

But the most important thing is having a partner with whom you share a deep, trusting relationship. That was the hardest part for me — finding partners. Forty years ago, you couldn’t just come out and say you were interested in SM. There were no SM clubs where you could go and find a woman who wanted to be tied up. So I would meet a regular girl and begin a regular courtship, taking her to coffee shops and the movies for six months or even a year, forming a very deep relationship before I even dared to bring up the subject of bondage. And even so, most girls would be shocked and horrified when I brought out a rope. They’d leave me immediately. Finally, one said, “Ok, but just a little.” I was so grateful I was crying as I started tying her. I would have done anything for her. It was like finding a precious jewel.

How old were you then?

Sixteen or 17. I remember because in those days, you weren’t allowed to go into kissaten (coffee shop) until you were 18. That first girl worked as a waitress in a kissaten. And that first time, we went to a place like a dormitory. I had a weak digestive system so I always wore a sarashi and that’s what I used to tie her up. (A sarashi is a long thin cotton cloth that is wrapped around the belly because Oriental medicine teaches it is important to keep the internal organs warm.) Since I always wore a sarashi, I was always prepared if I got an opportunity for bondage.

Very convenient!

Yes, and not just for bondage. Having a sarashi wrapped around your middle could protect you in a knife fight by deflecting or stopping the blade. And if you did get cut, the cloth helped stop the flow of blood. In those days, I worked at construction sites, which were pretty tough places. I was in charge of about 100 people but I knew I wasn’t a good fighter so I kept loyal people close around me. And I wore the sarashi.

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.

How about the famous artist Ito Seiyu (1882-1961)? Did his photographs and paintings of women in bondage influence you?

Not really. I have collected books of his art but he explored many subjects besides shibari such as traditional ghosts. I appreciate his work as art rather than inspiration for my own work.

I understand you have done a lot of research on hojojutsu, which is an ancient form of martial arts using rope.

Yes. Because I was so interested in shibari, I went to various libraries and museums looking for information on the use of rope as a weapon. In a very specialized book on martial arts — I forget the name — I found diagrams for three examples and I studied those carefully. I learned some good techniques in this way, but rearranged them when I used them in my own work. The remaining hojojutsu schools closely guard the ancient techniques and I didn’t think they’d tolerate their techniques appearing in SM magazines.

In the Sengoku era (about 1478-1605), warriors carried rope as a weapon. If you lost your sword, you could grab your rope and use it to deflect your enemy’s sword. You could toss your rope like a lasso to catch your enemy’s sword or put weights on both ends of a rope and throw it so it wrapped itself around your enemy’s body to immobilize him. Or around his neck to strangle him. I’m afraid much of that knowledge isn’t being passed on.

But some modern police and military forces use similar techniques. The Italian and US special forces use rope for securing prisoners, tying it around the waist and then securing both thumbs. It’s simple but very effective and cheaper than handcuffs. I’ve heard that they learned this technique from traditional Japanese martial arts, and that the rope they use is very good.

I also researched the techniques of the Edo period police force. The constables had different ties depending on the status of the person they were holding, and they developed different ways of tying prisoners depending on how they were to be transported. For example, if prisoners were being sent by boat to the penal islands, they wanted to leave the legs free so prisoners could get to the side of the boat if they became seasick.

What I really appreciate is that you are always so supportive and positive. I’ve come to you to learn certain ties and even when my efforts came out terrible you praised me. You’re like that with everyone. You never say, “Oh, that guy can’t tie at all.” You obviously just love rope and love to see people doing shibari. I think that’s why you’re so well-liked and respected in the SM world.

I remember what it was like when I was just starting out.

One last question: there are very few professional nawashi, and each has a distinctive style. Your style is very intricate and beautiful. How did this develop?

For me, the most important thing is that the rope work look good. My style developed in the course of stage shows, at a time when there weren’t yet videos. I felt it was important that I give the customers something unique, something they hadn’t seen before. So I had to develop my own style; the ideas had to come from within me. And my goal, my driving principle, is never to do the same tie twice. Of course, sometimes I do end up repeating myself but in my mind, I’m always trying to do something completely new. So even now, my style is still changing and developing.

When I get on stage at the beginning of a show, I don’t have any ideas about what I’m going to do. I empty my mind. Then the ideas just come to me, from within or from the partner I’m working with. Sometimes the ropes move on their own and my hands just follow, and that is always an amazing experience. I just disappear. The shibari is always very beautiful when that happens.

Osada Steve is embarking on his twelfth year of featuring Kinbaku Live Nights at his Studio SIX. That’s roughly 600 jaw-dropping nights of pure rope.
Click below to watch previously unreleased footage of these events where visitors can take photos or shoot video. In Japanese this is called “satsueikai” (撮影会).

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First there was Tokyo Decadance, then there was White Decadance, then came Black Decadance. At this rate, it’s just a matter of time before all colors of the rainbow will be put to work.

As previously announced, last week’s combi Deca (Black & White Decadance held together) was moved to this Saturday (March 19), due to the earthquake.

For old time’s sake we are reloading a show trailer from a previous Decadance event held three years ago.

Now what does Black Decadance have in store for you? Among other attractions, Osada Steve will hold his customary riggmaton aka tie up all comers all night.

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Due to the recent earthquake we are interrupting our regular program to report on a number of new developments.

For starters, the previously announced Sugiura Shoot has been canceled and will be rescheduled for March 27.

Likewise, the Tokyo Decadance Bash will be postponed to March 19.

As we are all bracing ourselves for aftershocks the question arises whether to evacuate from Tokyo to avoid inhaling radioactive air from those exploded nuclear power plants up north.

One attraction that is still up and running (though atm completely deserted) is the SM Festival at Kabukicho DX. This is a twice-a-year event held at a strip theater in the Kabukicho district of Shinjuku, Tokyo. It is scheduled to run until March 20, this time.

Our own Osada Steve used to perform at these events, as reported here.

Those in search of art and good taste will not be disappointed by the highly trained and highly skilled performers at these venues. Of course, “anything” could happen at these events.

If we say “anything”, read the following eyewitness report by the same “alert reader” who contributed here on a Yokohama SM Bash before. Pictures with this “report” can be viewed here. 

Day 1

M-women Battle

The four performers: Dorei, Mifa, Sola, and - not Sido, but - our very own Little Miss Pretty.

During the course of the day our four heroines will progress through three separate stages in an attempt to battle for the honor of ‘best submissive’.

Each round’s victor is decided by audience vote. However, as we are about to discover, it’s not so much the winners who are rewarded but the losers as they are the beneficiaries of extra punishment. In this way, therefore, it is not far-fetched to assume that the deck is stacked in ‘favor’ of the hottest girls, enabling them to lose on purpose so that spectators can watch their favorite ‘artiste’ suffer some more.

Round One

Each of the four contestants gives a solo performance.

1. Dorei, a voluptuous woman with baby fat in all the right places, performs a lewd, decidedly naughty strip-dance where all of her assets are firmly on show.
2. Mifa, being exceptionally young - not to mention an absolute cutey! - plays to her strengths and performs a cutesy strip, one revealing her fair-skinned body, all executed, as you’d imagine, in the most cutesy of ways.
3. Sola, the veteran of the quartet, binds herself with rope and engages in a self-suspension act which comprehensively exposes her loins in mid-air.
4. Little Miss Pretty, attired in a summer kimono, uses a shodo (Japanese calligraphy) brush clasped in her pussy to draw some naughty kanji characters onto white paper sheets laid out on the floor.

The MC then takes to the stage and asks the audience for their votes by calling out the names of each contestant. With about 70+ visitors, the tallying of votes is a simple method of counting raised hands and, as such, is not certified by any electoral monitoring commission.

The results (in descending order of votes received): Dorei, Mifa, Sola, and - not Sido, but - our very own Little Miss Pretty.

Round Two

This time the four contestants offer themselves up to customers hoping to administer some SM and/or provide some ‘rejuvenating injections’, either care of love toys or, indeed, their own appendage.

Should there be more than one applicant keen to violate a particular girl on stage, the successful ‘slave trainer’ is then decided by a game of Janken (effectively, ‘Paper, Scissors, Stone’).

When it’s Little Miss Pretty’s turn to be ravished, hurt, and humiliated, a dozen or more spectators express a wish to dole out punishment her way. It takes a few minutes before the winner is decided: a man in his forties, who happily clambers onto stage.

Without much ado, he quickly strips down to his underpants and then, slowly and purposefully, takes great pleasure in undressing Little Miss Pretty. Next, he forces her onto her back, tying her left ankle with rope to the suspension point so that he can more easily focus his attention on her shaved pussy.

Being the considerate type, for one full revolution of the rotating stage he spreads Little Miss Pretty’s labia with his fingers so that all spectators can get a good look. He then does the finger check routine, firstly inserting his middle finger, soon followed by index and ring fingers. Having then verified the diameter of Little Miss Pretty’s pussy, he selects a like-sized vibrator from Little Miss Pretty’s toy box and wastes little time in getting on with some good, old-fashioned pumping.

All the while, too, the stage continues to rotate, which is no bad thing. What this means is that the rope attached to Little Miss Pretty’s ankle has also been turning, getting more and more twisted in the process, the result being a shortening of the distance between ankle and suspension point. Slowly but steadily, Little Miss Pretty’s left leg has thus been raised until now it’s only her shoulders which are resting on the floor. This hasn’t gone unnoticed by the lighting technician, who is also in charge of the button which controls stage rotation.

By the time the technician stops the stage from rotating, Little Miss Pretty’s hips are so high and at such a strange angle with her free leg dangling for balance, that our lucky ‘slave trainer’, earlier plucked from the audience, would have a hard time lodging his member inside her without causing himself some major grief. Unsurprisingly, he elects to pull her left leg down instead… although this is easier said than done!

After quite some struggle to unwind the rope and unhook the karabiner, time’s already up and the customer has been denied his chance of perpetuating his lineage.

Little Miss Pretty, too, seems disappointed, as she has failed to satisfy the basic primal needs of the customer . . . and, as a result, is unlikely to win this particular round and - even worse - likely not to score better than fourth place.

Round Three

In the third and final round of the M-women battle, the four contestants once again offer themselves up to customers.

In Little Miss Pretty’s case, one lucky audience member, having fended off half-a-dozen other competitors for the privilege of exclusive rights to her body, firstly collars and chains Little Miss Pretty like a dog, then takes her from behind with a vibrator. Not allowing her to climax, the customer commands her to stay on all fours while whipping her long and hard, administering the pain she deserves and leaving her marked and bruised.

Poor Little Miss Pretty. She has certainly had enough for the day.

But her 28-minute stage time isn’t yet up.

Before long the customer has forced her onto her back, has spread her legs, and is treating her loins to some good old hot candle wax torture.

After this encounter, all four contestants return to the stage and the female MC again asks the audience for a show of hands to determine the winner.

To little surprise, Little Miss Pretty is declared the loser. As punishment, she must once more offer herself up for violation at the hands of a randomly selected customer.

Bonus Round

Little Miss Pretty, mightily embarrassed at having lost the game, is suddenly very compliant when a middle-aged stranger, dressed down to his underpants, takes his turn at joining her on the rotating stage and proceeds to spread her legs with the explicit intention of filling her with a large-sized vibrator. This being one of the latest Japanese high-tech models, it offers varying speeds and rotating modes; and the customer explores each and every one of them. Each new setting leads to different hip gyrations and, what’s more, to increasingly high-pitched yelps. Little Miss Pretty’s heart-piercing shrills can even be heard in the standing-room-only peanut gallery.

A steady stream of banter ensues from the audience. Some visitors implore a harder and faster thrusting action from the vibrator. While others beg for a repeat of certain rotating modes.

“Let her cum until she passes out!”, someone shouts.

“Don’t let her cum at all!”, suggests another.

“Great job! You’re turning the slut into a real bitch!”, blurts out one man in a coarse voice.

This last contribution quickly being picked up by the crowd, who to a man start repeating it as some kind of mantra, over and over again: “Turn the slut into a bitch!”

Each time Little Miss Pretty would then come, her hips would shake violently.

“Are you ready for me now?”, her tormentor-cum-slave-trainer finally exclaims. But Little Miss Pretty was too far gone to reply. Or perhaps she just wanted him to figure out the answer by himself.

Without much further ado, the customer pulls out his manhood, takes a condom from Little Miss Pretty’s toy box only to then penetrate and hump her like a wild lion, with Little Miss Pretty making like a seal cub with all her subsequent yelping. The man flips her into various positions and finally takes her from behind while spanking her rosy cheeks until they burn red. As he is about to cum, he pulls out, removes the condom, then shoots his load into Little Miss Pretty’s face. “Now suck me clean,” he commands. “Because my wife doesn’t like the smell of bitches and condoms when I walk through the front door after a night out,” he explains to the audience.

After Little Miss Pretty has obediently licked him clean, the customer suddenly realizes that he hasn’t performed any SM on her yet. He quickly goes to select a whip from Little Miss Pretty’s toy box, but there is an announcement over the PA system that time is up. And what a pity! Little Miss Pretty was definitely up for some more torture and abuse.

Today’s report was sent in by an alert reader and deals with the comings and goings one June in Yokohama.
What is significant is the fact that our own Osada Steve had been taking part on three out of the ten days of that “art” festival as previously reported here. We are not exactly sure whether what follows could qualify as an official translation of the Japanese-language report posted by the theater at the time. In any case, today’s report is dealing with just one of approximately 150 to 200 performances during those ten days.

Useful hint: If you find the individual photos here too small, take screen shots, drop them into a viewer program, and zoom up.

Enjoy.

Day 6

June 9, 2008
Genre: Lesbian SM Show
Name of show: Dance Lesson
Duration: 35 minutes
Participants: 2 performers plus plenty of customers

The scenario is rather simple and straight to the point: In her quest to become a ballerina, Little Miss Pretty is being tormented by a very strict female instructor.
As a special stretching exercise she is tied into a strict ballerina pose: the toes of one foot hardly touching the floor, the rest of her body fixed to an overhead suspension point.
She bravely endures this torturous position, her left heel fixed to the back of her head, legs widely spread apart, as the stage slowly rotates to offer a good view of her private parts from all angles.
After a few minutes, Little Miss Pretty is released, only to get her arms bound behind her back and her head dunked into a bucket of water, providing her with plenty of time to reflect on herself.
To help improve the student’s hip flexibility, the teacher then forces Little Miss Pretty on her back, spreads her legs, inserts a vibrator between her loins, whips her good, and drips hot candle wax on the student’s young and unprotected skin.
This highly effective training method is likely to be adopted by many dance instructors worldwide who specialize in dealing with young, single women in need of discipline.
But innovation doesn’t stop here. The sadistic instructress is now handing out rings made of rope, so that spectators can try throwing these over the shaft of the vibrator that is still sticking out between Little Miss Pretty’s legs. Spectators with a history of playing quoits will clearly be at a scoring advantage. Those whose rope rings lodge over the wobbling “ringer” are promised a reward that involves individual coaching of Little Miss Pretty in a love room behind the stage; in industry parlance this is called complimentary ‘pink service’. Whether this service involves lodging the customers’ live ones into Little Miss Pretty’s loins will mainly depend on the eagerness and vigor of both parties (the receiver as well as the giver).
Naturally, many customers are eager to assist the student’s progress as an aspiring ballerina. While Little Miss Pretty is bravely shaking her hips, the wobbling vibrator inside her becomes a hard target. When all the rings had been thrown, only two spectators successfully lodged.
The instructress isn’t satisfied that Little Miss Pretty has learned her lesson, yet. So, after strapping on a dildo, she is showing Little Miss Pretty a few more thrusts of her own - lesbian style. She then makes Little Miss Pretty crawl to the love booth behind the stage, beckoning the two winning spectators to follow and collect their rewards.
The “Dance Lesson” show will be repeated two more times that day. Many customers are probably wondering whether “Hip Flex Training” show would be a better name. But regardless of how this act is billed, spectators will be able to witness the progress of the student over the course of the day. Will Little Miss Pretty develop enough flexibility and shaking skills to avoid the flying rope rings? Or will she be exhausted by nightfall, rendering her useless for love-making until sunrise at least?

Osada Steve will be conducting a series of Shibari workshops at the xplore Sydney — April 22 to 24.

Prior to and after this event several intensives, clinics, as well as private tuition will be offered. Details to be announced.

The international line-up for the 2-day Toubaku event now includes two more acts that didn’t make it into the flyer on time:

Mark (and his lovely lady star) of DV8House (Australia)

Max & Tina of the Copenhagen Shibari Dojo (Denmark)

Get your advance tickets at Lawson convenience stores, Studio SIX, or the Osada Kinbaku Dojo.

Here we go. Five hours of Kinbaku Live performances @ Studio SIX featuring none other than Aiko (愛子). The filming for these took place over the same period the Aiko book was produced.

Proud owners of the Aiko book and/or the first two Aiko DVDs (released in 2009) are entitled to receive Aiko-3, Aiko-4, and Aiko-5 at a nominal charge of JPY 2,000 each (plus JPY 1,000 each for s&h).

Yet-to-be-proud owners of the Aiko book may order this book and the 5-DVD set as a bundle for JPY 19,800 (add add JPY 7,000 for international express shipping – EMS). Offer expires January 10, 2011.

*Each DVD can also be purchased individually for JPY 4,500 plus JPY 1,000 s&h (international express). Just visit this page, click on any “Buy Now” button and send a mail stating your requirements.

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.

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