A Visit to Ubu

I came out of my self-imposed exile the other night and went over to Ubu, an SM bar located in the Kabukicho district of Shinjuku. I went with my good friend (and model par excellence), Rida, who was able to squeeze a little playtime into her hectic schedule.

Ubu is a small watering hole that manages to extract an impressive mass of form and function from its relatively constricted space.

Another Okura Film, Spies and Chastity

This film, Spies and Chastity (Supai to Teisho), was produced by Okura Mitsugu and distributed by Shintoho in 1960. It was directed by Yamada Tatsuo. The principal actresses appear to have been Masayo Mari and Shuntaro Emi.

Onna-ro Hizu More Show than Go

Here's one you don't hear much about -- and for good reason. In the West it goes by the name Decapitation Island or Island of Horrors. In Japan it's called Onna-ro Hizu. The titles and cover pic are certainly alluring, but once you get past those, you're left with a feeling of buyer's remorse.

This film, you can't help but lament, could have rivaled Bamboo House of Dolls. Sadly, someone completely dropped the ball.

And Now for the Poster

This is the first time I've seen a theatrical poster for the 1966 film New Torture Punishment History and, once again, this site has the goods (just scroll down a bit).

I'm not a poster expert so don't quote me on this, but it seems to me that there are basically two types of posters: originals and reprints. As far as I know, I've only bought reprints at the various poster shops around town. The prices generally range from 3,000 yen to 5,000 yen but can go higher. I have seen them for cheaper online but actually pawing through these things at a shop is more fun.

Then there are the ones that are in the hundreds of dollars US which I'm assuming are originals.

Seeing this poster of New Torture Punishment History inspires me, despite the oppressive heat in Tokyo, to get out there and go on another SM safari. Man, I'd love to find this one. But I'll settle for a reprint (assuming there are any).

Trawling the internetz, I came across this Japanese blog that has some nasty drawings of purported torture methods of the Tang dynasty in China. Here's a taste:

These remind me of my trip to the Museum of Criminology at Meiji University.

The site mentions that the Japanese kimono was inspired by Tang dynasty fashion. I wonder if some folks in Japan were inspired in a different way by Tang dynasty culture?

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