While many readers may be familiar with the SM better known SM magazines in Japan, such as Kitan Club and Uramado, one smaller magazine, Sun & Moon, provides some fascinating insights into the emergent Japanese culture of kinbaku in the late 1970s. Several magazines took on obscure titles (Suspense Magazine being a notable example) that included the letter S and M, singling the magazine’s risque content.
I was lucky to find copies of the first six issues during my last trip to Tokyo.
The early editions of Sun & Moon featured the work of Roppongi Kaoru (issues 1 & 2) and Shikou Shima (beginning with issue 4) and were edited by Kaiichi Seda, a former contributor at Kitan Club and SM Select who started Sun & Moon after Kitan Club ceased publication in 1975.
The first incarnation of the magazine ran from March to December of 1977 and was limited to 6 issues. In 1978, the magazine was purchased by Tsukasa Shobo and the name was changed from Sun & Moon to Sun and Moon, at which time Urado Hiroshi took over as editor.
Below are some images from an article published in June 1977, focused on the use of bamboo and rope for erotic torture.
Bamboo Torture Images (竹責めのイマージユ), Sun & Moon, June 1977
(Click images to view larger versions)
