Translator’s Note: When we explore the history of Kinbaku and Japanese SM (the two are inseparable, in reality), we have a tendency to focus on the legends of bondage themselves. Names like Minomura Ko, Nureki Chimuo, Akechi Denki and many others.
But equally important are the models, both amateur and professional, that help shaped the content and the shape of the culture of Japanese SM. From Kitan Club to Roman videos, and to the modern era of Japanese AVs, each model provides a unique canvas in expression and feeling, and without them, Japanese SM may have never evolved out of primarily reader submission magazines.
Hiromi Saotome is a legendary model in the Japanese SM world. First staring in adult films in 1983, she participated in one of her first magazine shoots in the same year, for a magazine called SM Mania. The production involved herself, Nureki Chimuo, and Sugiura Norio.
These are the translations of her blog, located here (https://note.com/saotome6) talking about her history with Nureki. It is my honor to have them published on Kinbaku Today.
By Hiromi Saotome
August 10, 2020
The only person who could perform bondage that perfectly understood my preferences was the late Mr. Nureki Chimuo. Some may find it strange for someone with a masochistic tendency to say such a thing. However, since Mr. Nureki was the only person who bound me for a total of over 30 years, this is my innermost feeling.
Bondage: As I’ve written before, I first met Mr. Nureki Chimuo in 1983 during a photo shoot for the photo spread in Sanwa Publishing’s “SM Mania.” Mr. Nureki’s skilled and considerate bondage techniques solidified my resolve. “I’ll keep doing this work longer. I’ll keep at it so I can leave my mark as a masochistic woman,” I thought.
Mr. Nureki talks a lot while tying. He’s articulate and has a loud voice. Unlike photographer Sugiura’s stern commands, he speaks in a gentle tone, “Well, how should I tie her up today? What should I do? Eh? You there. How would you like it?” he asks with a smile. He seems to be enjoying watching the model squirm in response to his words. And as he wraps the rope around her, he exclaims, “Ah, amazing! That’s great. It’s beautiful! How’s this?” “She’s so beautiful!” “How’s she feeling? Oh, I guess she can’t answer. She’s gagged, after all,” he continues, his words sometimes making him look like he’s about to burst out laughing. While this is likely meant to build his own excitement, it also helps the model relax.
Nowadays, professionals in bondage are often called “bondage masters” or “trainers,” and people probably think of them as amazing guys who do incredible things to girls and “train” them, but Mr. Nureki hated those two terms the most.
Nureki: “I’ve never referred to myself as a ‘rope master’ or a ‘bondage master,’ and I can’t ‘train’ anyone either. If masochistic tendencies aren’t innate in a person’s heart or personality, I don’t think they’d ever desire masochistic acts.”
Furthermore, in an entry from his diary titled “Talking Theater,” Mr. Nureki wrote the following, “That character ‘-shi’ [師], which I detest, appears here as well. At the risk of sounding repetitive, I’ll write it again. What kind of ‘master’ is someone who holds the rope, becomes aroused, ties up a woman while excited, and secretly lets his own genitals become erect? Toward women who share my preference, who love rope, I have always approached them with a spirit of service. I have never once tied up a woman with the arrogant mindset of ‘training’ her. When I tie up a woman for work, I always feel a sense of shame alongside my desire to ‘serve her for her pleasure.’”
In the 1980s, the only SM magazines Mr. Nureki was involved with were Tokyo Sanshisha’s “SM Select” and Sanwa Publishing’s “SM Mania.” This was despite the fact that prior to that, he had been in high demand by various SM magazines. At the time, editors from other companies, unaware of the circumstances, would hedge their words, saying to me, “Mr. Nureki is stubborn and eccentric.” While I sensed he was someone who spoke his mind clearly, he didn’t strike me as eccentric.
Nureki: “I think it was around 1983. A photographer once told me, ‘I can’t bring myself to torment girls, it’s too pitiful. I’ll just focus on making the poses you tie them into and the editor instructs as cute and beautiful as possible. I hate doing cruel things on my own.’ Hearing that completely deflated my spirit. It took the drive right out of tying the ropes. Just imagine being told something like that right when you’re holding the rope, thinking, ‘Okay, today…’”
Nureki: “On top of that, around this time, people started borrowing the term ‘SM’ to justify increasingly vulgar sexual provocation focused solely on the genitals. SM is supposed to be something abnormal. Making models strike poses that emphasize their genitals or arousing lust by suggesting penetration, that’s just extremely normal sexual desire. More and more editors don’t seem to understand this distinction. That’s why I hate it. I don’t want to work with people who don’t get it.”
Even though he’s fully aware that this is a commercial magazine, his sentiment is likely that he doesn’t want to spend even a moment with someone he can’t communicate with. Mr. Nureki often used the phrase “a waste of time.” When he was with people he didn’t get along with, he’d say, “This is such a waste of time. Let’s go home.” Mr. Nureki was active in many different fields, including his creative pursuits and work (he was a writer with numerous pen names and was also highly regarded in the world of variety entertainment), so he cherished every spare moment.
