By Takashi Tsujimura
March 1955 Kitan Club
I have introduced the bondage models familiar to you all, whether through articles in this magazine or through the photo books sold alongside the album “Beautiful Bondage,” in short essays and miscellaneous writings on various occasions, yet even now, there is no end to the number of people seeking to date them, inquire about them, or engage in private correspondence with them.
I would love nothing more than to fully explore their private lives and describe them in a way that would satisfy you, but with the exception of one or two models who do this professionally, almost all of them are ordinary young women, and many have family or social obligations that prevent them from revealing too much. For this reason, I have hardly touched upon their private lives until now.
In response to repeated request from various quarters, and having secured the editor-in-chief’s tentative approval, I would like to delve candidly into the sexual preferences, interests, and personal profiles of the models I have bound thus far, within the limits of what is permissible.
Tanako Kawabata
When it comes to bondage models, Kawabata is undoubtedly the first name that comes to mind.
In fact, I have tied her up more times than anyone else. (Of course, Tanako Kawabata is not her real name, but after the first two or three sessions, both I and the editorial staff began calling her Kawabata-san. Once her name appeared in the magazine and in readers’ letters, it actually seemed to fit her perfectly.)
I first met Kawabata-san around the middle of June in 1952. I recall it was just around the time when Kitan Club had reached a dead end with its large B5 format as was transitioning to A5 sized books. What remains vivid in my memory even now, as a nostalgic recollection of that time, is that Kawabata-san was the first person to create a fully structured bondage piece. Although I had tied up Ikuko Tachibana-san before that (see the October 1954 issue, “The Masochism of a Female Model”), in Tachibana-san’s case, it was still merely an experimental attempt, and I had not yet reached the stage of planning a structured composition.
At a certain station on the suburban train line, around 11 am that day, I waited for her together with editor-in-chief Minoda-san, whom I had met along the way.
“I did tell her, including the implications, that I would have a companion with me,” said Minoda-san, who had used her for nude modeling once or twice before. Glancing at his wristwatch, which showed we were already about twenty minutes past the agreed time, he looked slightly anxious.
— Maybe she’s too embarrassed to come out because I’m here. —
My heart was racing with anticipation for my first planned bondage session with her, yet I was also gripped by a sense of impatience and apprehension.
“There she is! There she is! She really did come!” Stretching his neck, Minoda-san spotted her early on among the crowd spilling out of the express train that had just arrived and let out a small cry.
A polka-dot dress, white sandals, and a shy smile hidden beneath a wide-brimmed hat adorned with a purple ribbon, that was my first impression of Kawabata-san.
The moment we were introduced, Kawabata-san’s face visibly flushed bright red. I, too, must have been flustered and blushed, I suppose.
Looking back now, it was such an innocent first meeting. She was quiet and reserved, and at the time, I never in my wildest dreams imagined that she would become such a classic masochist.
Kawabata-san herself seemed to lack confidence in her appearance, and in fact, she couldn’t really be called a beauty. I was particularly put off when she grinned, as her whole face would wrinkle, her eyes would narrow, and her gapped, yellow teeth would be exposed. Her voice, which was uncharacteristically warm for her age, also struck me as odd. (Since Kawabata-san was just starting out, the fact that she wore almost no makeup was certainly our oversight. I realized later that even a nude model needs the right attire. At the time, we had a hasty notion that as a long as she was tied up, that was all that mattered, which caused us to forget such details.)
Nevertheless, her body, taut as a doe’s, possessed all the qualities most suitable for bondage. Her weight was just over 13 kan (approximately 107lbs), which was just right, and compared to Tachibana-san, whose skin had some sagging, I thought she was absolutely wonderful.
When Minoda-san explained the bondage, she simply nodded silently.
At the prearranged location, XX Villa, until we finished shooting five bondage films spanning four or five hours, I was completely absorbed in the moment, making full use of everything I had long envisioned.
Not only her firm, full breasts, her slender waist, and her firm buttocks, but also her astonishing endurance in bondage, her flexible frame, and her silent acceptance of any pose. Everything fit the role of a bondage model perfectly. Unaware that this was a milestone in turning Kawabata-san into a masochist, Minoda-san and I exchanged glances and rejoiced in our success.
From then on, over the course of six sessions, five indoors and one outdoors, I bound Kawabata-san in every conceivable way, utilizing all the ideas I had accumulated up to that point. As the sessions progressed, as if climbing a staircase step by step, sometimes specializing in inverted suspension, on one day using the “ebi (shrimp)” position, and on another tying her in a “goose-leg” position with acrobatic flair, I climbed to the pinnacle of bondage.
During that time, I learned that she was born in Matsuyama, Shikoku, had come to Osaka at a friend’s invitation, had changed jobs once or twice, and was now a clerk at a certain trading company. Kawabata-san was shy, gentle, and docile.
Because of that compliance, she readily accepted every pose without resistance, enduring considerable physical pain as she obeyed blindly. Perhaps the masochistic elements that had long been buried deep within her were extracted and brought to the surface through bondage, ultimately transforming her into a classic masochist.
When someone is asked to be tied up for the first time, it is normal for anyone to hesitate or refuse at least initially. However, in Kawabata-san’s case, I sensed a strong impression that her silent acquiescence actually welcomed the act. Perhaps, deep down and in secret, it was something she had long desired.
Especially during intense bondage sessions, such as those involving suspension upside down or unnatural poses, which lasted for long periods, she frequently fell into a masochistic state. Her eyes would narrow, her lips part slightly, and her face would take on a faint, almost smiling expression. Despite her desperate efforts to restrain herself, knowing full well the time and place, the sighs she unconsciously let out were intense, and the animalistic, low-voiced cries that escaped her lips sometimes reached our ears with such raw intensity that even we were startled.
Due to the demands of his jobs, Kawabata-san had usually set Sundays as her day off, but eventually she began voluntarily accommodating the editorial department’s requests on any day. This led to frequent absences, forcing her to quit her job, and she ultimately left the company without a second thought.
However, readers began to crave even more change. Realizing that they were finally growing tired of seeing only Kawabata-san, the editorial staff set out to find a brand-new model to replace her. In fact, Kawabata-san’s presence, her constant demands for bondage and her finding her sole purpose in life in it, was becoming a burden for the editorial staff as well.
From around the September issue of Showa 27 issue (which featured Hamura-san’s “Madly Blooming Canna”) through the June of Showa 28 issue, the bondage photographs were almost exclusively of Kawabata-san, and the special feature published in the September issue, a veritable parade of bondage beauty, serves as a culmination that illustrates just how consistently Kawabata-san had been bound during that period. It is no exaggeration to say that Kawabata’s bondage work determined the nature and direction of the magazine Kitan Club thereafter. That is how much of a response Kawabata’s bondage poses elicited from readers.
Of course, even before that, Tachibana and a few others, including those who appeared only once, had taken bondage photos, but compared to Kawabata’s work, they were merely superficial formalities that didn’t even come close to her level.
Naturally, as the days went by without Kawabata-san being used, and with the arrival of a new model, she could clearly see that the editorial office was putting its energy into her. She was clearly anxious and disheartened, failing to realize that everyone was hesitating out of fear of her escalating masochism, she even showed signs of resentment.
While sorting through the frequent letters from readers, she was drawn to a message from a certain reader in Iwao, Awaji Island, praising Kawabata and asking her to become a model. Seeing this as an irresistible outlet for her pent-up frustration, and perhaps also as a fleeting act of resistance, she apparently sent the letter to the editorial office in secret.
At the end of July this year, Kawabata-san suddenly returned to her hometown in Shikoku, citing marriage as the reason.
About three months later, three close-up photographs, apparently amateur shots of Kawabata’s own naked body, tightly bound on what looked like a bed at an inn, taken under poor lighting, were sent to the editorial office. The handwriting on the address was unmistakably Kawabata’s own. She sent only these three photos of her bound body, without writing a single line of text. What, I wonder, was going through her mind?
I hear she has settled down and married in her hometown of Shikoku. Tanako Kawabata-san, who is simple, honest, and perhaps even a bit naive, is likely reading these words somewhere under this vast blue sky right now. I shall put down my pen here, praying for her happiness.
Fumi Sugi
Among all the models, Sugi has the frailest physique, weighs the least, has the smallest breasts, and lacks any sense of “volume” whatsoever.
And yet, her makeup is the most skillfully applied, she possesses a unique charm that creates a camera-ready look that captivates anyone who sees her.
Compared to someone like Ibuki-san, who looks prettier without makeup than with it, Sugi-san, due to the nature of her profession has coarse skin and a prominent nose, yet her makeup brings these features out in vivid, lifelike way, lending her an alluring charm. It’s truly remarkable.
When I first met Sugi-san, she didn’t seem to recognize me at all and simply gave me a casual nod.
Once we settled at the shooting location and were getting the camera ready, she took a few nude photographs out of her shoulder bag and showed them to me. She must have had enough confidence to show them to others. Of course, they were just simple nudes, but…
Bondage with iron rings and nylon rope. It was also Sugi-san’s first attempt at photographing a series depicting a woman being attacked, capturing each step in sequence right up until she was bound.
At first, when I silently produced several lengths of rope, Sugi-san wore an expression slightly different from her usual one, staring intently back and forth between me and the rope in my clenched hand.
“What on earth are you going to do? It’s kind of creepy…” Sugi-san looked at Minoda-san with an anxious expression, as if asking if everything was all right.
“People are already tired of the usual kind of nude photography. The rope is just an accessory, so don’t worry. If it hurts, just tell me and I’ll untie it right away. Come on…” Urged on by Minoda-san’s decisive words, she struck a pose without the slightest hesitation.
She didn’t seem to have much of the masochistic tendency that Kawabata-san possessed. Perhaps she simply viewed bondage nudes as the “accessory” Minoda-san had described. Consequently, even when tied up a bit tightly or forced into unnatural poses, she didn’t resist and willingly complied with his wishes.
Sugi-san was the first to have moxibustion applied. “I wonder if it’s hot… This is the first time in my life I’ve had moxibustion applied…”
“It’s okay, I’ll put it out right away with a snap. This is just an accessory, too.”
With everything brushed off as mere “accessories,” we ended up shooting “The Woman Under Moxibustion” under these conditions.
In fact, I had never applied moxibustion before either, but relying on hearsay and trial and error, I painstakingly attached a large moxa cone, hardened with glue, to Sugi-san’s butt so it wouldn’t fall off, and lit it with an incense stick.
The acrid smell of burning moxa stung my nose. Even as I set the camera position and directed her poses, the moxa burned rapidly. “Ah, ah, it’s hot, take it off, take it off…”
Before two minutes had even passed, the flames were already closing in on her skin. In a panic, I grabbed the burning moxa and tossed it into the ashtray, but it was no wonder Sugi-san was squirming. That part of her skin had already turned a reddish-pink.
“I’ve learned my lesson. This kind of thing…”
With her hands tied behind her back, Sugi-san bent over resentfully, staring at the spot, and muttered with a look of utter exasperation.
I eventually calmed her down, but it was a shame that the few shots I took of the moxibustion torture didn’t turn out well due to the poor background.
That same Sugi was the most proactive and acted as the leader during the three-person bondage session.
Originally, I had planned to photograph a duo bondage session, but jist in case one of them couldn’t make it, I had also contacted Murata-san and Sakaguchi-san in addition to Sugi-san. However, perhaps because everyone happened to be free that day, all three of them showed up one after another. Since I couldn’t very well tell just one of them to go home at that point, I hastily changed the plan to a trio bondage session. As expected, the composition was a bit of a struggle, and despite the money spent, the results weren’t very good.
Since it was their first time meeting each other, perhaps they were keeping an eye on one another, or maybe they were just shy, no one was undressing. At that moment, Sugi-san seemed to make up her mind and said, “We’re all going to be tied up together, aren’t we? If we dawdle, we’ll just waste time. Let’s get started,” as if urging the two hesitant women on. Turning her back to the director and the photographer, she was the first to quickly roll up her chemise.
It was a grueling process. We finally finished tying all three of them up, snapped a few shots, then untied them, only to tie them up again and strike new poses. I was truly exhausted and worn out by the end of it.
You might think I’d be the envy of everyone for being able to tie up three young naked women so effortlessly, but as I acted while trying to anticipate the feelings of these women I’d just met, I was painfully reminded of just how difficult it is to perform bondage on multiple people.
I photographed the contrast between sadists and masochists using combinations like Sugi and Murata, Murata and Sakaguchi, and Sugi and Sakaguchi. In every case, the person being tied up seemed more at ease, while the person who was not tied up but was tormenting the bound woman seemed awkward and seemed to be having a harder time.
Perhaps, after all, women are innately in a passive position… (Though there are special cases like Kasuga…)
Sugi-san, in particular, looked troubled, and her poses didn’t quite come together. Sakaguchi-san seemed to be the best of the bunch.
At that time, one of the people who was free stood nearby, intently watching my direction and the two women’s demeanor, and it was incredibly irritating. That feeling suppressed my movements, and there were countless things that didn’t go as I intended.
I tied Sugi-san up about three times in total, but whenever the conversation touched on private matters, she skillfully steered the topic elsewhere, so I never learned any details about her, nor did I try to find out.
She liked Chinese food and greasy dishes, and it was our custom to go eat Chinese food after filming, but Sugi-san, who was usually so talkative, would tuck her neck in like a turtle and laugh with her tongue sticking out whenever private matters came up, trying to brush it off.
After the three-person bondage session ended, we tied Sugi-san up on her own, starting with the lightest restraints, and had the other two girls life her up or hang her upside down. Perhaps this took a toll on her, because even after we untied her, she remained motionless for a while and didn’t get up.
(To be Continued)
