Nureki Chimuo Archive

If I write that I’m “so busy, so busy,” people might think, “Hmph, pretending to be busy in this recession? What a snarky guy.”

But everyone at Tomoshibi really was incredibly busy.

Even though we were busy, it’s not like we were making any money from it.

We hardly ever do any work that actually pays.

Essentially, it’s exactly what the old saying means, “the poor have no time to spare.”

It means that if we’re asked to do a job and we like it, we immediately get absorbed in it, putting money aside.

That’s my explanation for why the filming of “The Feel of Water” got delayed.

Even so, amidst all this busyness, Director Nakahara and photographer Yamanouchi have managed to carve out time to work late into the night, editing the previously photographed “The Sunset Room” and “The Horsetail Garden” for inclusion in the photo book. Overall, things are progressing, but the photography for “The Feel of Water” is the only part that has fallen behind.

Although the photography had been delayed, the members of the Tomoshibi group maintained their enthusiasm and sense of urgency regarding “The Feel of Water” without interruption. This is only natural.

All four of us work in different places on a daily basis and do not see each other every day, but we are constantly in touch and connected by a passionate shared purpose, the creation of this photo book.

Well, even though we work in different places, our jobs are essentially the same, so it’s easy to stay in touch.

From a geographical standpoint, and given the convenience of always being in a fixed location, Director Nakahara Rutsu inevitably became the central point of contact.

And (though I’d rather not state this too explicitly), all four of us share a hobby of performing on stage (though for Hiromi Saotome, it’s not a hobby but her profession), so we often get together for that reason as well.

Naturally, I am the leader of that hobby, and it wouldn’t be wrong to say that I’m the one dragging the other three around.

(To be fair, though, my “hobby” is essentially the same kind of spiritually uplifting activity as “bondage photography.”)

I inadvertently wrote that Director Nakahara’s location is convenient and easy to reach, but of course, that is not the only reason her presence is so important.

It’s easy to assume that since the filming of “The Feel of Water” has been postponed, we should have more time to spare, but in reality, far from having more time, everyone has become even busier.

In other words, they’re all highly capable individuals.

When a new project appears before them, their attention inevitably shifts toward it, and their hearts are moved.

This is only natural. It can’t be helped.

At times like that, Director Nakahara is the one who immediately shouts a rallying cry, “The filming date for ‘The Feel of Water’ is approaching! Pay attention to this!”

Then, the other three nod to one another, their eyes sparkling, saying, “That’s right, that’s right, there’s ‘The Feel of Water!’”

And on the day of the shoot, Director Nakahara handed each of us a copy of the final draft of the script for “The Feel of Water,” which I had written a month earlier, that she had personally revised to include more detailed descriptions of the characters’ movements and inner thoughts, and which she had neatly bound.

The three of us received the final draft from Director Nakahara at the cafe in front of the station, where we had agreed to meet. It was such a stylish, perfectly put together volume that we couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration, “Wow, really? It’s beautiful! Amazing!”

(The fact that it was a script for a photo book, rather than a video drama or other visual media, is pretty amazing in itself.)

From the very moment I first conceived the idea, I had asked Director Nakahara to serve as the production producer for this photo book, so seeing that come to fruition left me thoroughly satisfied at this stage.

I would like to suggest to Director Nakahara that the scripts for “The Sunset Room,” “The Horsetail Garden,” and “The Feel of Water” be compiled into a single, sturdily bound volume and placed in the Sex Industry Museum.

I have come to truly appreciate the unwavering passion of the Tomoshibi members toward the creation of this photo collection, and I am confident that the most important, fundamental stance (one might even call it a philosophy) of “SM Drama” is encapsulated within these scripts.

By placing this script in the Sex Industry Museum, we will be leaving a record of the fact that, in 2011, there was a group that produced a bondage photo book with this mindset and enthusiasm.

In an era flooded with photos that gratuitously expose the crotch or depict cruel torture and endurance games, I hope this script will convey to future like-minded individuals that there was once a small group striving to create works like this.

Or perhaps the fruits of Nureki Chimuo’s fifty-year career in bondage are nothing more than these three scripts, compiled with content supplemented by Director Nakahara Rutsu.

(No, I’m not joking. It’s really true, it’s just these three scripts.)

The shoot went well.

It went very well.

It might never go any better than this, even for our Tomoshibi group.

The preparation period leading up to the shoot was long, and because of that, the story has had plenty of time to mature in each of our hearts.

What’s more, “The Sunset Room” is followed by “The Horsetail Garden,” and that is followed by “The Feel of Water.”

The stories are connected, and the cast consists only of Hiromi Saotome and myself. Just Hiromi, a married woman, and Tamaru, a moneylender.

Every member of the production team knows this drama inside and out, down to the very last detail, and has made it their own.

In a way, it’s a truly luxurious way to shoot.

We are fundamentally different from those who shoot solely with the intention of making money.

And for all three shoots, we were allowed to use the Yamanouchi residence, a place where we all feel completely at home.

We were familiar with the atmosphere of each room in the house, as well as the layout and design of the space leading to the bathroom.

In short, we were accustomed to it as a filming location.

Becoming too accustomed to a place can dilute the sense of tension and often works against you, but that is not the kind of familiarity I am referring to here.

Although we had used the location twice before, the four of us, without saying a word, instinctively shared the mindset of using it more effectively and dramatically, creating a work with a fresh atmosphere, without ever letting that fact show.

These are the sharp-witted members of Tomoshibi possessing such keen reflexes and sensitivity.

Come to think of it, I was the kind of person who was insensitive to that sort of intuition, so I instinctively chose not to join them.

Even in silence, we move in the same direction, our hearts as one.

There is mutual trust.

Even without me saying a word, our focus converges perfectly on a single point.

With everything going smoothly, the shoot wrapped up without a hitch, and everyone left the Yamanouchi residence in high spirits.

We held our wrap party at an izakaya located in the same building as the coffee shop where we had gathered before the shoot.

We toasted with bottled beer.

“Great job, everyone!”

“Great job!”

A tempura platter.

Stir-fried eggs and wood ear mushrooms.

Potato salad.

Yaki udon.

Salted squid.

Garlic fried chicken.

Crab miso.

Squid tentacles with wasabi.

(Director Nakahara kept muttering to herself while looking at the menu on the wall, “What is geso-wasa6? What on earth is geso-wasa? What kind of dish is geso-wasa?” We all tried to explain it to her, but she still looked puzzled, so we ordered it.)

I feel like we ordered two or three other dishes as well, but I’ve forgotten what they were. Everyone had one serving each.

Finally, when we ordered fried horse mackerel, to our surprise, there was only one fish on the plate.

So photographer Yamanouchi tried to elegantly cut it into four pieces using disposable chopsticks, but she couldn’t cut it properly.

In the end, she grabbed it with her fingers and tore it into four pieces, which the four of us shared.

It was crispy and delicious.

Maybe it tasted even better because we ate it one bite at a time.

We had four or five bottles of Kirin Lager.

6

Squid tentacles with wasabi.

Hiromi Saotome and photographer Yamanouchi drank most of it, and we all parted ways in high spirits, feeling great.