Nureki Chimuo Archive

Whether it was during the filming of “The Sunset Room,” “The Horsetail Garden,” or this latest project, “The Feel of Water,” photographer Sachi Yamanouchi did not use any artificial lighting at all.

It was all natural light.

Without a word, she calmly and objectively captured the movements of Hiromi Saotome, the heroine of this drama. Unlike other cinematographers who would frantically shift positions, she remained still, quietly yet sharply pressing the shutter.

Photographer Yamanouchi rarely uttered the kind of noisy, meaningless, and wasteful (not just wasteful, but sometimes even counterproductive) calls to the model that are often heard from insecure photographers.

I sometimes forget that I am a character in the drama myself, and I watch the moment when photographer Yamanouchi presses the shutter.

At first glance, she appears to be standing there casually, in a daze, but that is not the case.

She possesses a vivid artistry that captures the subject’s fleeting movements, much like a bird in flight snatching a fish from the water.

At the core of this artistry lies sensitivity. Without a special kind of sensitivity and reflexes, this artistry would not shine.

That special sensitivity is, needless to say, the talent to perceive the subtleties of bondage.

“I’m a veteran who’s been shooting SM photos for decades. That’s why there’s no mistake in the photos I take!”

No matter how much one boasts like this, after decades of shooting bondage photos, that photographer’s sense has been mercilessly worn down and has become useless.

The sense of bondage that was fresh decades ago has been worn out and eroded, reduced to nothing more than a mere “hollow shell.”

(I’m not talking about anyone else. I’m speaking to myself.)

Both Hiromi Saotome’s movements and expressions as the subject are completely natural. There is not a trace of the exaggerated, forced poses or artificial expressions often seen these days, where models seem to be pandering solely to the photographer and crew.

(Though to say that is actually disrespectful and unfair of today’s models. They are simply following the orders of the photographers and the men on set, posing obediently and faithfully.)

Saotome was not merely a model. During the shoot for “The Feel of Water,” she became a true artist.

She didn’t undress, nor did she spread her legs.

An unfortunate, married woman who, while concealing fear, anger, resignation, sorrow, and endurance within herself, continues to resist fiercely in her heart despite being subjected to unreasonable constraints.

She remained, from start to finish, an actress who avoided exaggerated acting as much as possible and focused on expressing her inner world.

(Come to think of it, Hiromi Saotome had long been a model with a strong sense of self and a distinct personality.)

She had read, understood, and thoroughly absorbed the script for “The Feel of Water,” which I had written in broad strokes and Director Nakahara Rutsu had meticulously refined down to the details of each scene, well in advance, ten or twenty days before filming.

We at Tomoshibi avoided as much as possible photographs in which the bound and tormented model contorts her face excessively, twists her body unnaturally, and cries or screams, laying her emotions bare.

This is because we know all too well that such overly exaggerated, “sell-at-all-costs” photos elicit nothing but derision from true connoisseurs.

No, setting aside the preferences of other enthusiasts for the moment, if I may say so, what we wanted to create this time was a photo book that would satisfy us and make our hearts race.

Some of the photos from this “The Feel of Water” series will be featured in a magazine associated with photographer Yamanouchi.

Since it’s presented in a photo story format, the editorial department left a request in my office asking me to write an accompanying caption, and I agreed.

(Actually, that phone call came in while I was in the middle of writing the manuscript for “Talking Theater: Chapter 185.”)

The space allotted for explaining the story is extremely limited, but there are twelve photos spread across eight pages.

Since I originally shot “The Feel of Water” with the intention of compiling it into a single photo book, these twelve photos out of a large collection represent only a tiny fraction of the whole.

However, I believe that the atmosphere of this photo book, and our intentions, are conveyed sufficiently even through these twelve images alone.

(That said, I would like to reiterate that for those who perceive eroticism only in the exposed crotches of women, this series of photographs is completely irrelevant.)

I had already decided on the title “The Feel of Water” for the third photo book produced by Tomoshibi, and I was quite pleased with myself, thinking, “Hmm, I must say, that’s a pretty good title,” but I’m not sure it makes much sense to use “The Feel of Water” for the twelve-page spread in the magazine, which is being released ahead of the photo book.

After all, there isn’t a single drop of water in these twelve photos.

Due to editorial constraints, only one photo of the married woman Hiromi being water-tortured in the bathroom will be published in the magazine.

And that’s just a single photo from the final scene.

(The photo book will, however, include many more shots of this water torture scene.)

While that aspect leaves a bit to be desired, this single photo published in the magazine captures the deep, dark, grim, and chilling sense of masochism emanating from Hiromi, who has been drenched and confined.

I will have to write this repeatedly, but apart from the bondage photographs of Tomoshibi, which do not sell nudity, it is rare to see a married woman’s entire body drenched in water while fully clothed, with the hem of her skirt slightly turned up (not intentionally, but naturally) and her right knee barely exposed. It is a piercing photograph.

How eerily erotic is the whiteness of her knee and thigh, rising just slightly from this scene submerged in gloomy hues.

(I would like to take this opportunity to once again praise photographer Sachi Yamanouchi for the sharpness and depth of her SM sensibility.)

Generally speaking, Hiromi Saotome is a woman who usually lacks any particular allure.

Yet, once placed in a unique situation, this seemingly unsexy woman instantly transforms into a being imbued with a mysterious allure, as if she were a completely different person.

She exudes a ghostly, alluring eroticism throughout her entire body, something no other woman possesses.

From a certain moment onward, Hiromi Saotome metamorphizes into a woman with a dangerous body heat that inspires all manner of lewd fantasies in men.

The dark, eerily damp air inside the bathroom, the gag made from a hand towel, thick and heavy from having absorbed the water used in the water torture.

The rope digging tightly and firmly into her chest. Her wet clothes, her skirt.

Leaning against the wall, enduring her unjust misfortune and cursing the man, a delicate yet intense masochistic eroticism emanates and wells up from the body of this married woman.

Just looking intently at this single image alone, I find myself becoming entranced. Writing such things, however, would be far too cliched self praise, and truly unbecoming.

But to tell the truth, Director Nakahara Rutsu is, deep down, even more entranced by the outcome of this shoot than I am.

“It’s wonderful, it’s wonderful, I really took some great photos. Don’t you think, Sensei? Isn’t it amazing? Hey, hey, Sensei, photography is so much fun, isn’t it? It really is so much fun!”

“That’s right, photography is fun. It’s fun, which is why I’ve been doing it for fifty years without getting bored.”

“I understand how you feel, Sensei. It’s so interesting, being able to take photos exactly the way you want them to be. It’s really interesting, incredibly interesting!”

Come to think of it, Director Nakahara was largely responsible for the on-site direction for this “The Feel of Water” project.

She was constantly raising her voice and running around, managing and coordinating the proceedings on set.

I was just playing the role of a somewhat sleazy loan shark named Tamaru.

Director Nakahara was more than just a director. This time, she took on the role of general director from the very beginning. She paid attention to every single detail, stood tall and confident, and gave us strong, loud instructions and orders.

For example, like this: “Sensei, that won’t do. Tamaru isn’t radiating energy from head to toe. You’re slacking off somewhere. When you grab the married woman Hiromi’s arm, grab her more roughly and violently, grip her tight. Harder, harder. Why are you holding back? You have to take this more seriously!”

I just obediently replied, “Yes, ma’am,” and meekly followed the director’s orders.

Since this director’s creative vision matches mine down to the finest details, I have nothing to worry about. I can simply move as she instructs with complete peace of mind.

Even so, being the timid person I am, I couldn’t quite pull off the role of a rough loan shark. As I fumbled around, she flew over to me, looking impatient, and said, “Take this more seriously and put some power into it, Sensei! We won’t get any good photos like this!”

Her big eyes darted about, and she said it just as if she were scolding a child.

However, thanks to that, this shoot went incredibly smoothly, without a moment’s hesitation or delay, progressing rhythmically in an intense atmosphere, and the results turned out to be far more substantial than I had anticipated.

Well, now that we’ve finished shooting enough material for three albums, it’s time to start editing.

Let’s edit these three cute, beautiful photo books with even more passion than we put into the shoot itself.

I’m counting on you, Director Nakahara and photographer Yamanouchi.