Nureki Chimuo Archive

Producer Nakahara Rutsu, who had read through the script for the previous “Talking Theater,” called me right away.

We discussed a few things regarding the direction for the upcoming shoot.

As usual, she made some sharp observations.

“...It would be great if we could incorporate the psychological aspects of SM, something Nureki Sensei excels at and that only he can capture. Let’s create a photo book that’s even more stimulating than video footage, one that evokes the subtle excitement of an enthusiast’s psyche.” There’s a man who loves to tie people up, and a woman who loves to be tied up, so he takes out his rope and ties her up, and she feels good being tied up and becomes intoxicated. The psychology of SM pleasure isn’t quite that simple and straightforward, is it?

I don’t think today’s enthusiasts would feel anything looking at such bland, shallow bondage photos…

And then producer Rutsu says something harsh.

No matter how intense the acrobatic bondage may be, it’s ultimately just a superficial spectacle, utterly disconnected from the subtleties of the SM psyche or the pleasure it entails…

I understand what she’s getting at. It’s something we’ve discussed several times before, whenever the occasion arose.

“...Precisely because still photographs don’t include dialogue, they should be able to create stimulating bondage images through imagination and fantasy. Anything that doesn’t evoke fantasy and imagination isn’t true bondage photography. It is precisely because these photographs are silent that they demonstrate such eloquent expressiveness.”

Whispering to Hiromi (Hiromi Saotome), who is bound with her hands behind her back and chained to a pillar, the loan shark Tamaru (Nureki Chimuo) says:

“...Ma’am, your husband’s taking his time coming home, isn’t he? You must be hungry. I’ll grab a bento from the convenience store down the street, and we’ll eat it together. I know, I know, I’ll untie you when it’s time to eat. Well then, I’ll be right back, so just wait here quietly. Oops, it’d be a hassle if you started shouting, so I’d better put a gag on you…”

Tamaru puts a gag in Hiromi’s mouth.

“...While I’m at it, I might as well tie up your legs too. I wouldn’t want you to run away.”

Tamaru ties up Hiromi’s legs as well.

(If I were to write out every little detail of this scene, there’d be no end to it, so I’ll leave it to my inspiration on the day of the shoot.)

A scene where Hiromi is untied and eats her lunch. (Hiromi has no appetite. She places her lunch on her lap and looks down pitifully.)

Tamaru takes the rope again and tries to tie Hiromi up.

Hiromi resigns herself to her fate, slumps her shoulders, and puts her hands behind her back of her own accord.

Tamaru licks his lips as he ties the rope around the unresisting Hiromi.

(This is where the pleasure lies for those watching a bondage scene. You could say it’s the crucial point that gets the viewer aroused. That point lies in the movements of my fingers as I manipulate the rope and in Saotome’s physical reactions. The camera angles are also important. Cameraman Sachi Yamanouchi, please keep this in mind. If you come up with any ideas on set, don’t hesitate to speak up. Whether those ideas work out or not, Saotome and I will do exactly as you say right away. Saotome is a veteran with great expressiveness, so I

have a feeling she’ll be able to portray the pitifulness of an obedient woman being bound without resistance, just as intended.)

Seeing Hiromi resign herself to her fate and submit to being bound, Tamaru feels a twinge of sympathy for her.

But since he can’t let her escape, he ties the ropes carefully and securely.

Hiromi’s expression is resigned. Yet she also harbors a secret desire to flee at the first opportunity. She’s also determined to find a way to trick this man and make her escape.

To reiterate, press the shutter while being conscious that the viewer’s peak of SM pleasure lies in the expression and body movements of a woman who has given up and resigned herself to her fate.

I’ll say this over and over again. No matter how wide a bound woman’s legs are spread or what foreign objects are inserted into her, bondage enthusiasts do not feel as much pleasure as the creator imagines.

To photographer Sachi.

Even when Hiromi is tied up, I think it’s best to keep Tamaru’s body out of the frame as much as possible.

If you include a man’s body in the photo, it becomes distracting, and the focus of the bondage pleasure inevitably gets lost.

It’s okay to include just her arms or hands, though.

I just suddenly thought of a title for this photo book.

“Woman and the Pillar.” No, maybe “Pillar and the Woman” would be better. Or maybe I should just go with “Pillar.” I really don’t want to use one of those overly eerie, hollow-sounding titles.

That’s the epitome of formulaic boredom.

I feel like titles like that only end up being a negative.