Nureki Chimuo Archive

I received a reply via fax from photographer Sachi Yamanouchi, who had read my previous “Talking Theater” piece.

I’m delighted by how quickly she responded.

It goes without saying that Sachi Yamanouchi is one of the key members of our Tomoshibi group.

She has also kindly offered her own home as a location for the photo books “The Sunset Room” and “The Horsetail Garden.”

We are truly grateful to her.

Furthermore, we have made arrangements to borrow the Yamanouchi residence again for our upcoming shoot, “The Feel of Water.”

In other words, all three photo books commemorating the launch of Tomoshibi will have been shot at the Yamanouchi residence.

And, of course, Yamanouchi-san herself will be the photographer.

I would like to share here the portion of the reply I received from photographer Yamanouchi regarding the upcoming “The Feel of Water” shoot.

“(Omitted)

As for the water torture scene in the bathroom, I think that as long as Nureki Sensei and Hiromi Saotome fully immerse themselves in their roles, the finer details don’t necessarily need to be in the script.

I believe we can leave it entirely up to Nureki Sensei and Saotome-san to portray the pitiful yet beautiful sight of Hiromi, the married woman, getting soaked to the skin.

However, what is the reason why the loan shark Tamaru pushes Hiromi into the bathroom and subjects her to water torture?

The drama leading up to that point between the two of them feels like it’s there, yet not quite clear…

(I find it hard to visualize exactly where in the house this would be filmed, and how it would be shot, don’t you agree?)

Hiromi absolutely does not want to be taken advantage of this time.

That’s why I think she’ll resist Tamaru even more stubbornly than last time.

On the other hand, Tamaru gets so frustrated that he does terrible things to Hiromi, but in a different way than last time. This time, I feel that unless we really focus on the intense struggle between Tamaru and Hiromi, it might not even lead up to the water torture in the bathroom.

Last time, he dragged Hiromi out into the garden. This time, he shoves Hiromi into the bathroom.

The water torture will be the main focus of this shoot, but before that, I want to clarify one more key element. I’ll talk it over with Nakahara-san.

She might have something else in mind, though…”

That concludes the message from photographer Yamanouchi.

Each member of the Tomoshibi group pours their passion and dedication into the creation of this photo collection.

For a helpless person like myself, they are an invaluable and deeply appreciated presence. I must express my gratitude.

Both Director Nakahara and photographer Yamanouchi seem somewhat puzzled by my fixation on water torture in the bathroom during our next shoot, so I’ll write a bit about that.

To put it simply, I like water torture.

Or rather, I don’t dislike it.

What I do dislike is striking or beating a woman’s body to inflict pain.

In short, I dislike anything that actually leaves marks on a woman’s skin.

I simply cannot bring myself to like a woman unless her skin is always smooth, silky, and clean, free of any scars.

Water torture, as long as she endures the cold, has a visually intense, almost ruthless impact.

No matter how much water is poured on her, it does not actually harm her skin.

The sight of her body drenched from head to toe, with water droplets dripping from the tips of her hair, has a particularly gruesome and brutal realism when the woman’s body is bound.

Yet, the delicate, fluid reflections of the water evoke a sense of dramatic poetry.

It is cruel yet glamorous, and when captured skillfully by a photographer, it becomes an image that stirs the viewer’s heart.

The movement of the flowing water and the female body reacting to it possess a dramatic quality that makes me feel elated just watching it. That’s why I love it.

However, when it comes to water torture, the method of binding requires a bit of skill.

As long as you keep that in mind, the female body will not be injured.

To explain in detail, the ropes absorb water and harden, tightening as they do so and digging deeply into the woman’s body, making them difficult to untie.

Depending on the type of rope, it can harden like metal and become impossible to untie.

You must measure in advance the degree to which it shrinks when it absorbs water and tie it with great care.

Therefore, it is safer for those without experience not to attempt this.

Visually, it has a realistic intensity and appears cruel, but when untying, you must use a method where the rope slips easily off the woman’s body, even if it has become hard and shrunk from being wet.

I have written about this method in numerous magazines and demonstrated it in videos, so I will omit the details here.

The scene of a woman bound with her hands behind her back having water poured over her head is both tragic and beautiful.

There is no trickery in that moment. It is real. It is nothing but real.

The woman’s expression at that moment, glowing with a masochistic beauty, is truly exquisite.

In “The Feel of Water,” Hiromi, a married woman, is subjected to water torture while fully clothed.

She isn’t even in her underwear. She remains just as she is in everyday life.

Given the flow of the drama, where an angry Tamaru drags Hiromi into the bathroom and subjects her to water torture, it would be odd to have her change into her underwear or get naked. There’s no time.

Or rather, this is just my preference, but water torture while she’s wearing her everyday clothes is actually more erotic than when she’s naked or in her underwear.

(Come to think of it, getting naked in the bathroom is only natural. The appeal of SM lies in the rejection of the ordinary.)

I actually spent quite a bit of time thinking about the title “The Feel of Water.”

I tried inserting all sorts of different words into the blank in “The (blank) of Water“ and lined them up in front of me.

In the end, I settled on “feel.”

It’s a combination that seems familiar, yet isn’t quite there.

The word “feel” here implies the way wet clothes cling to a woman’s body, thereby clearly revealing her eroticism.

When she saw this title, Director Nakahara Rutsu said, “That’s good, this is good!” But I don’t know how the word “feel” appeared in her mind.

Before I knew it, the conversation had veered off track and turned into an insider discussion among the creators. Let’s get back on track.

The reason why Tamaru, the loan shark, drags Hiromi into the bathroom is that he knows she could call for help if she really tried, even with a gag in her mouth, so he’s afraid the neighbors will hear.

Of course, Tamaru also feels that it would be bad if anyone else saw this scene.

Hiromi, too, doesn’t want the neighbors to find out the shameful truth that her husband has borrowed money from a shady loan shark and is now in hiding, on the run.

Therefore, even in the face of Tamaru’s unreasonable behavior, she endures it silently, remaining passive no matter what he does to her, and trying not to make a sound.

Hiromi’s husband is a hopeless gambling addict, but he is genuinely in love with Hiromi, and whenever he has made money, he has actually sent her money several times in the past.

Although Tamaru has discovered that money twice, there are other funds her husband has sent, which Hiromi is secretly hiding.

She plans to keep that money safely tucked away and, when the chance arises, take it and quietly flee far away from this house.

Behind Hiromi’s stubbornness and resilience, such a resolve may well be lurking. It means she has already given up on her husband.

However, there is no need to explain that much right now, and it would be impossible to convey it through photographs.

With this storyline in the back of their minds, both the cast and crew are currently getting ready to shoot “The Feel of Water.”