Translator’s Note: When we explore the history of Kinbaku and Japanese SM (the two are inseparable, in reality), we have a tendency to focus on the legends of bondage themselves. Names like Minomura Ko, Nureki Chimuo, Akechi Denki and many others.
But equally important are the models, both amateur and professional, that help shaped the content and the shape of the culture of Japanese SM. From Kitan Club to Roman videos, and to the modern era of Japanese AVs, each model provides a unique canvas in expression and feeling, and without them, Japanese SM may have never evolved out of primarily reader submission magazines.
Hiromi Saotome is a legendary model in the Japanese SM world. First staring in adult films in 1983, she participated in one of her first magazine shoots in the same year, for a magazine called SM Mania. The production involved herself, Nureki Chimuo, and Sugiura Norio.
These are the translations of her blog, located here (https://note.com/saotome6) talking about her history with Nureki. It is my honor to have them published on Kinbaku Today.
By Hiromi Saotome
July 12, 2020
I first met photographer Sugiura Norio in 1983. Though he was small in stature, he was brimming with energy. He moved around on his own to find the right angles, shouted instructions to his staff, and gave detailed directions to the models on their poses. I had been working as a nude model for some time and had worked with several photographers, but I had never encountered another photographer with the “Sugiura style” since then.
It’s standard practice for a photographer to call out to the model during a shoot. To keep the model’s spirits up, he’d say things like, “Okay, here we go! That’s great! Keep it up, yes, that’s it. You look cute!” and so on. Determined not to miss even a single good moment from the model, they’d amp up the energy in the room and keep snapping away. These days, even professionals use digital cameras and can shoot as many continuous shots as they want, but in the 1980s, of course, it was all film. The main format was 120 film, a medium format (6×4.5), with 35mm film used as a backup. It was like snapping away furiously with 35mm to cover all the bases, then nailing the perfect shot with 120 film.
In the 1980s, the opening photo spreads were the main feature of SM magazines. Photographers were loosely divided among different publishers, but Sugiura-san worked for Tokyo Sanshisha and Sanwa Publishing. For both companies, he shot not only for SM magazines but also for the photo spreads in erotic magazines. A characteristic of Sugiura-san’s photography was that he would darken the background completely to make the skin of the bound women and the hemp ropes stand out.
As an aside, this lighting technique was also put to good use in solo photo spreads. In the erotic magazine “Orange Tsushin” published by Tokyo Sanseisha, a modeling job I received through Sugiura-san, I, with my Kewpie doll-like figure, was portrayed as having a bewitching physique. That photo is one of my favorites, and I remember going to Sanseisha back then and telling the editor, “That photo was really good, wasn’t it?”
Sugiura’s lighting style was also popular with readers, and magazines featuring his photo spreads sold well. As a result, editors from other companies went so far as to instruct their photographers, “Please shoot in the Sugiura style.”
Right after the shoot began, Photographer Sugiura would set a relaxed pace. “Okay, let’s start by sitting down. Your face, like that… look down… Light! From this side, like this.” He’d reach out himself, adjusting the angle of the model’s face, arranging props and checking the lighting, but once he got into the groove, he’d shout instructions before there was a chance to intervene.
“Okay! Here we go. Tilt your head back more. More, more! No! Not that way… Yes, yes, here we go! Hey! Light! More… No, you idiot! Not that way!!”
Even though his thoughts weren’t fully articulated, the sheer force of his voice was overwhelming. The tension rose instantly, and the staff scrambled to respond. Carried away by that sense of urgency and tension, the model’s spirits soared as well.
Sugiura: “Since we’re doing dangerous things like tying people up and suspending them, we have to work with a sense of tension. That’s why I make sure to call out instructions myself to set the mood, to help the crew feel that tension too. Also, since we’re creating a space that’s different from everyday life, I think both the model and the photographer have to really immerse themselves in it. And for that to happen, I have to be the first one to get into it.”
This is where it differs from nude photo spreads. It’s completely different from simply photographing the model to make her look beautiful, cute, or erotic. Unless the bound pose, the model’s expression, and the sense of transgression and otherworldliness emanating from her body come through, the beauty of bondage simply won’t emerge. And there were many bondage photography enthusiasts who preferred this kind of image. It must have been a completely different sensibility from what we have today.
How did Sugiura-san cultivate such techniques? Next time, we’ll delve into that.
