Short magazine and book presentation of selected Japan titles in stock. 
Kitan Club issue 7, 1954. Japanese bdsm magazine Kitan Club is one of the earliest and most influential SM magazines in the world, and recognized by connoisseurs as one of the foundations in modern Kinbaku and SM publishing. Kitan Club was published between 1947 to 1975 (briefly revived between March 1982 - January 1983), and focused exclusively on abnormality and bondage. The content was consciously catered to enthusiasts and developed as a calm and passionate aesthetic supported by unmistakable tangible craft in all levels of the production - from paper and print quality - to typography, layout and pornographic content.
The works included ranged from amateur home photography to raw guerrilla photography and extremely delicate high-quality productions. In other words, a treasure trove of: Bondage, fetishistic hara-kiri, seme-e (sadism and image of sexual assault), humiliation, abuse and rich illustrations by for instance artist Takashi Shima depicting: Lecherous kings, hoodlum masters and ugly thugs torturing suspended hemp-bound naked princesses or brutalizing cowed house maids - to 1950′s page lifts from John Willie's Bizarre magazine!
Uramado issue 10, 1963. SOLD OUT The Japanese meaning for Kinbaku is 'tight binding', and Shibari is 'to bind'. Uramado is one of the hallmark Japanese kinbaku magazines alongside Kitan Club and Yomikiri Romance that have influenced the special interests culture in Japan and worldwide. Published by Kubo Shoten between 1956 to 1965 Uramado presented itself as "Japan's Most Remarkable S-M Magazine". Uramado featured a rich mixture of articles, stories, illustrations and photo sessions - all executed with a high degree of professionally. Post war Japan had strict censorship laws. In an effort to circumvent this, Uramado as many other magazines would disguise agenda and content with veiled magazine titles and front covers - and from time to time feature Western artists illustration series in English - see for instance John Willie's «Sweet Gwendoline» to Betty Page spreads. Master artist Itoh Seiu experienced having one book being banned in Japan after release, after being deemed abnormal by the government. It wasn't until 1960 that Uramado openly championed the description 'abnormal magazine'.
Uramado was initiated and edited by Toshiyuki Suma (1920-1992) from 1956-1962 under the alias Kou Minomura. Suma was a well-known and respected painter, illustrator, writer and kinbakushi and played a vital and lasting role in the formation of post-war SM culture in Japan alongside for instance Oniroku Dan and Itoh Seiu. He was educated at Kyoto School of Fine Arts with a following apprenticeship at painter Baisen Kobayashi studio. After serving in the navy during WWII he worked as an editor for the Central Kyoto News, while drawing illustrations for Kitan Club 1947 - 1953 - a position that would evolve to a full-time job. Not all illustrations were signed by Suma, but from around 1950 his works were being presented as Reiko Kita or under his own birth name. After leaving Kitan Club in 1954 he would meet up with master artist Itoh Seiu for the first time. This was a particular important personal and artistic milestone in Suma's life as Itoh indirectly was the one who sparked his interest as a child. As a kid, during the early '30s, Suma found a copy of the master artist's book «Documentation on Abnormal Customs» in his grandfather's collection. One of Suma's earliest publications «Beautifully Bound» from 1953 with photographs by Tetsuzo Tsukamoto is still regarded as one of the finest kinbaku books ever published.
Hiroshi Urado and Muku Youji served as part-time editors in Uramado from around 1960, and in 1962 Suma passed on the editorial baton to Chimuo Nureki (1930-2013). After leaving Uramado Suma would venture on to be involved in the initiation of legendary magazines SM Select and S&M Collector. Nureki harbored many of the same life steps as Suma. He met Itoh at a young age of 15, worked at Kitan Club between 1953-1955 (would return in 1960), was associated with Oniroku Dan and even practiced "bondage play" alongside Suma. His reputation as a rope artist, teacher and writer for magazines, books and television spanning a career stretching over five decades has earned him a worldwide following.
Yomikiri Romance issue 9, 1952. Yomikiri Romance and Kitan Club were two of the first magazines completely dedicated to shibari / kinbaku photography. This was back in the early 1950's. The magazine ran 1950's - 1960's and was edited by Uchida Akiraro.
Yomikiri Romance published two special edition magazines dedicated to kinbaku. The remaining catalogue was of a similar layout as Kitan Club and showcased a high-quality richness in portrayed Kinbaku-bi, illustrations and texts. The knibaku photos themselves qualify as works of art. The magazine faced critique in the beginning of its circulation, but gradually built up a loyal following. The first year's edition was estimated to a limited circulation of 1000 copies by the publisher - an amount that would proved not to be sufficient enough to cover the bookstore market. By the end of the first year the edition had to be increased to meet the general demand and cover pre-orders.
SM Select Issue 4, 1974. First published in November 1970 (Showa 45) by Tokyo Sansei Company under the direction by Nobuyuki Miyasaka, Hiroshi Senda, Toshiyuki Suma (Uramado, Kitan Club), etc. The magazine came at the right moment in regards to economic boom in SM printed matter production which mirrored a peaking interest in the general public. In this regards it was a highly successful effort. The high in-flux of capital during the '70's also spurred on a time of civil war within SM publishing. Many of its initiators would disperse to novel ventures. Nobunaga Miyasaka and Toshiyuki Suma founded Sun Publishing in 1972 and launched the perfected S&M Collector, while three others initiated SM Fans. SM Select's run ended in 1990 after twenty years in circulation.
SM Select's forumella was very much the same as Kitan Club and Uramado, but with a harder, non-conformist and fanatic approach. In its own sense a highly articulated effort with well-developed and professional content and execution. It is no wonder the magazine resonated within a larger part of the populous. In addition to the featured writings and brightly colored photo spreads to gritty black & white, one could find illustrations and paintings by artists: Haruo Shinozaki (cover of first issue), Jun Yoshida (gravure photography),
Toshio Saeki, Kazuyuki Minori, Minoru Nagao, Ruyo Yo, Yasuharu Maeda, Mino Mura Akira, Hiro Kato, Nishimura Haruhi, Kozumi Yuko, Kito Akatsuki, Oshima Yukio, Kirigaoka Hiroyuki, Lin Moonlight, Maeda Yasunari, Yuya Nohira, Nakao Kaoru, etc. Major contributors were Dani 6 and Aotaro Aki. The principal rope master was: winkie broken dream man. The main photographer was:
Norio Sugiura.
S&M Sniper Issue 6 June, 1991. S&M Sniper is a legendary Japanese bdsm magazine which ran from 1979 to 2008 by Million Publishing and later in 1998 by Wailea publication. The publication was a vital voice in the Japanese subculture for thirty years, and aside from the obvious abnormal pleasure photographs it also showcased high-quality professional content and innovative works of art and literature from Araki Nobuyoshi, Murata Kenichi and Masami Akita (Merzbow) - plus amazing front-page illustrations by artist Yosuke Onishi. S&M Sniper was primarily a full-color operation with a special eye for intricate rope work with candles and playtime toys - all elegantly disposed with a twist of the bizarre. Revived in January 2016 as a quarterly magazine.
S&M Sniper was founded by the legendary publishing house 'Million publishing' (1976 - 1998). During it's run it launched several high quality related books - one of them being SM Spirits which by many is considered to be S&M Sniper's dirty little sister. Both issues frequented many of the same models, practitioners (Shima Shiko - 'Shima Shiko torture' films & 'Pain Gate'), photographers, sessions, etc; however the aforementioned was executed with a more refined taste and catered to a more aesthetic oriented clientele.
Suehiro Maruo «Das Ungetum Der Rosenstck». Suehiro Maruo's (b. 1956) nightmarish manga fall into the Japanese category of "erotic grotesque" (エログロ; "ero-guro"). His unique take on the genre inflicts sadism, psychological horror and zeitgeist angst into the realm of fables and fairy-tales. The result is something like an amplified 'broken moral tale' - teeming with deformation, ultra violence, psychedelics bizarre and deviant erotica - all executed with pop culture sensibility and drenched in cultural references from folklore to classical and contemporary art; literature and film. This fascination runs as a red river throughout his practice. Beyond the realm of manga, study for instance the bdsm-charged 90s-design for John Zorn's Naked City releases. At first glance the graphic and omnipresent violence may over-shadow deeper streams in Suehiro's storytelling. But given time, one can explore various junctions in Japanese history to the sociopolitical climate during the early Showa Era (1926–1989) - where most of his stories takes place. Suehiro's works are recognized as being meticulous and detailed with a highly effective and carefully arranged visual language that harness its historical roots from Ukiyo-e era artist Yoshitoshi Tsukioka (1839 – 1892) - to Kurotei Kazuhisa aka Suku Gurote / SUK - who's work prominent throughout mid-1950s and '60s Kitan Clubs. Studying masters Yoshitoshi and SUK, one can vision where both Maruo and the ero-guro traditon takes its pitch in terms of visual aesthetics and thematic content. A selection of Suehiro's works has also been reprinted in Japanese appreciation publication SM Spirits.
Originally published in 1982. Offered here is the 2nd edition from 1992. «Das Ungetum Der Rosenstck» collects 13 depraved story arches.
Nobuyoshi Araki with Yoko Araki «Tokyo, in Autumn». «I left my job with Dentsu Inc. in 1972; I have forgotten which season. I had decided that I was not going to take any more commercial photographs so naturally, I did not have any work. [...]
However, I had nothing to do, or rather, I had decided to restart my career as a photographer, so I put a Pentax 6x7 with a 50mm lens and a tripod over my shoulder and headed out into the streets. It was the autumn of 1972."
— Araki.
Araki's famous first intimate 'intercourse' with Tokyo. All photos are discussed lively in written conversations with his wife Yoko.
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