Nureki Chimuo Archive

After tying up Hiromi, the married woman, with her hands bound behind her back and forcing a hand towel gag firmly into her mouth, I dragged her all over the tatami-mat room, then pulled her out to the entrance, opened the door, and led her out into the garden.

Hiromi looked pitiful, standing there barefoot.

This is where the scene from the title “The Horsetail Garden” begins, but there wasn’t much worth noting here.

In other words, using the clumps of horsetail as an effective backdrop, the shoot proceeded very smoothly, exactly as the entire Tomoshibi team had envisioned.

A snail was crawling through the grass. I picked it up with my finger and, feeling mischievous, placed it on Hiromi’s thigh.

Hiromi, the married woman, instantly reverted to being Hiromi Saotome and screamed, “Eek! No, no, I can’t stand that sort of thing!”

Photographer Yamanouchi was seriously filming even that moment, but well, that’s just part of the charm.

That’s right, there was one small episode that confirmed Saotome’s fear of insects.

Knowing that the climax of this shoot would take place in the garden, Saotome had bought her own bug repellent spray in advance.

It’s rare to see a film set where the heroine herself goes out to buy insect repellent. This is one of the great things about Tomoshibi.

Since we knew from the start that there was no assistant director, everyone would casually take on the AD’s duties as needed.

This is another part of what makes it fun. No matter how skilled someone is at an AD’s work, if they don’t know SM, they can’t be our assistant.

And so, even though on the surface it was a succession of cold-blooded, brutal, and gruesome scenes, the set was full of fun and a friendly, harmonious atmosphere, and filming wrapped up right on schedule just before 4 PM.

After all, the script had been completed over ten days ago, and everyone had already read it thoroughly, so they fully understood both the theme and the story.

The shoot proceeded extremely smoothly, without a moment’s hesitation or confusion.

We left the Yamanouchi residence, where we had been staying, and returned to the area in front of the station. At the same izakaya where we had our wrap party last time, the four of us raised a toast in high spirits to celebrate our success.

(I haven’t seen all the photos yet, but judging by photographer Yamanouchi’s precise timing and choice of angles, I already know this project is a success.)

“I was thinking of taking a few shots of the bathroom today if I had the time and energy, but I’ll give that some careful thought and save it for next time. The bathroom is great. My head is swirling with images of Hiromi in alluring poses as she’s teased in the bathtub and shower area,” I declared, my face flushed from a glass of draft beer as I spoke.

The bathroom at the Yamanouchi residence is wonderful no matter how many times I see it. Every time I look at it, I get a thrill.

It’s rare to find a bathroom scene that draws out my imagination, stimulates me, and excites me like this.

It’s something you’d never find in a neatly organized rental studio bathroom. The presence of a living human being drifts through the air, dense, mysterious, and with a slightly eerie emotional quality.

The way it glistens with a rough, unforgiving texture, soaked in human sweat and grease, pleasure and anguish, is irresistibly good.

Come to think of it, the original plan was to rent the Yamanouchi residence for just one day to shoot material for a small photo book.

But before I knew it, in my mind it had turned into a trilogy. A story starring Hiromi Saotome that makes full use of the Yamanouchi residence.

Following “The Sunset Room” comes “The Horsetail Garden,” and as for the title of the third photobook, though the shooting date hasn’t even been set yet, I’ve arbitrarily decided on “The Feel of Water.”

This is surely due to the unfathomable charm of the Yamanouchi residence, as well as Hiromi Saotome’s vivid presence as a woman bound by her circumstances.

Just as I finished writing that, I received a letter by fax from Hiromi Saotome.

Like mine, Saotome’s letter is also handwritten.

It is a review of the 174th chapter of “Talking Theater,” titled “The Terror of Being Dragged Around.”

Her sincere feelings are clearly expressed, and I believe this will be an interesting read for anyone with even the slightest interest in such topics. Therefore, I have omitted any potentially sensitive passages and present it below.

“Nureki Sensei, this is another masterpiece… no, it’s a passionate, intense piece!

It really brings back memories of how tough it was to be drug around.

I think this is exactly what you meant when you said I enjoy being tied up during the Tomoshibi project.

Back in the heyday of SM magazines, when there were so many photo shoots, I certainly did my best to meet the photographers’ demands, and I always felt a sense of accomplishment afterward.

There was a sense of satisfaction in letting my body do as it was told and enduring those strict bondage sessions.

However, as the years went by, it became harder on my stamina and strength, and I started to wonder if I actually preferred just being walked on a rope, maybe I wasn’t really into bondage after all.

What I attempted in Tomoshibi was the inevitable bondage that arises from being in a situation where one is forced to be bound.

It was while shooting the first installment, ‘The Sunset Room,’ that I remembered.

Yes, my preference had always been for scenarios that emphasized the question, ‘Why am I being bound?’

Even during glamour shoots, I was always thinking up fictional scenarios in my head.

Without a scenario, neither my mind nor my body would move.

It is precisely because there is a sense of inevitability that my body reacts to the restraints and I can cry.

I am truly glad that I was able to create a work to commemorate the launch of Tomoshibi.

Nakahara Rutso and Sachi Yamanouchi, both of them have completely transcended the confines of being women and are true comrades. I have confirmed that.

I hear you are currently writing your third work, titled, ‘The Feel of Water.’

I’m looking forward to it.

I wonder what will become of Tamaru, the loan shark, and Hiromi, the married woman.

As she continues to be tormented by Tamaru, how will Hiromi’s heart change?”

That is all.

The members of Tomoshibi (myself included) are currently busy preparing to film our third work, “The Feel of Water,” and I find it so funny that I can’t help but laugh.

Putting aside the task of compiling the completed works, such as “The Sunset Room” and “The Horsetail Garden,” into a photo book to share with a wider audience, my mind is already focused on the next shoot.

But this is a good thing.

The fact that my passion is focused on shooting new work means that the flame of desire is burning within me to create something new and unknown.

It is precisely this kind of passion that I find most appealing.

But since we’re at it, let’s make some progress on editing and publishing the photo book too, Nakahara-san and Yamanouchi-san.