Difference between revisions of "Seiu Ito"

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[[image: Seiu.jpg|150px|thumbnail|Seiu Ito]]
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'''Ito''' (伊藤) family name, '''Seiu''' (晴雨) first name, ([[Chronology of Bakushi|1882-1961]])
'''Ito''' (伊藤) family name, '''Seiu''' (晴雨) first name, (male, [[Chronology of Bakushi|1882-1961]])
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<div style="text-align: justify;”>
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[[Seiu Ito]] was a pioneer on the subject of torment, and his pre-war illustrations and photographs had a major influence on the nascent SM world in Japan during mid 20th century. His influence continues to the present day.</div>
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|[[image: ItoSeiu.jpg|200px|thumb|Seiu Ito]]
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|<div align="center";>__TOC__</div>
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==Activities==
 
==Activities==
[[Kinbakushi]], painter, writer.
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Painter, Writer, Kinbakushi
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==Alternate Names==
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[https://smpedia.com/index.php?title=伊藤晴雨  伊藤晴雨](Japanese), Hajime Ito (伊藤一, real name)
  
 
== Summary ==
 
== Summary ==
 +
Born in 1882, '''Ito''' was strongly attracted to scenes of torture in stories and theater plays from an early age, and he produced a large body of paintings, drawings and photographs depicting scenes of torture and kinbaku, often using his wife or mistress as his model.
  
[[Seiu Ito]] was a major figure in the SM world in Japan during the Showa era (1925-1989) and his influence continues to the present day. Born in 1882, he was strongly attracted to scenes of torture in stories and theater plays from an early age, and he produced a large body of art (paintings and drawings) and photographs depicting scenes of torture and kinbaku, often using his wife or mistress as his model.
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By the 1910s, '''Ito''' was a newspaper illustrator and then a theater critic. He later became the head of the Performing Arts section as well as the main illustrator for the <i>Yomiuri News</i>. At the beginning of the Taisho period (1912-1926), he met [[Kaneyo Sasaki]] (Oyou) and [[Kise Sahara]], two women who would eventually become his models. He deepened his study of torture art and photography, and in the closing years of Taisho, he rode the wave of the <i>eroguro</i> movement and attracted attention as a “painter of perversion”. In 1928, he published his first kinbaku-related book (<i>Seme no Kenkyu – Torment Research</i>), which was soon after banned by the authorities.
 
 
He began as a newspaper illustrator at the end of the Meiji era and later became a theater critic. He then became the head of the Performing Arts section as well as the main illustrator for <i>Yomiuri</i> News. At the beginning of the Taisho period (1912-1926), he met [[Kaneyo Sasaki]] (Oyou) and [[Kise Sahara]], two women who had an appreciation of kinbaku. He deepened his study of torture art and photography, and in the closing years of the Taisho (around 1926), he rode the wave of the <i>eroguro</i> movement and attracted attention as a “painter of perversion”. In 1928, he published the first photo book of kinbaku (<i>Seme no Kenkyu – Research on Torture</i>), which was soon after banned by the authorities.
 
 
   
 
   
Before World War II, he published a large number of collections of graphic works through editor Suikodo Shoten. But this period, with Ito at the height of his career, was interrupted by the war. After the war, he became active as a writer in magazines such as [[Ningen Tankyu]], [[Kitan Club]] and [[Fuzoku Soushi]]. In addition, he organized frequent photo sessions and the resulting photos can be seen as “photos in the Seiyu way” in magazines such as [[Fuzoku Soushi]], [[Fuzoku Kitan]] and [[Uramado]]. During the Taisho period he established theater groups whose plays centered on torture scenes and, in 1953, he started the Seme no Gekidan (Torture Theater Group) which performed at Ichikawa Suzumoto theater in Tokyo and others.
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During the Taisho period, he established theater groups whose plays centered on torture scenes. Before World War II, he published a large number of collections of graphic works through editor Suikodo Shoten. Ito was at the height of his career, but this was interrupted by the war. After the war, he worked as a writer in magazines such as [[Ningen Tankyu]], [[Kitan Club]] and [[Fuzoku Soshi]]. In addition, he organized frequent photo sessions, and the resulting photos can be seen as “photos in the Seiyu way” in magazines such as [[Fuzoku Soshi]], [[Fuzoku Kitan]] and [[Uramado]]. In 1953, he started the Seme no Gekidan (Torture Theater Group) which performed at Ichikawa Suzumoto theater in Tokyo and others.
 
   
 
   
 
He was also an historian and his lifelong research culminated in the book <i>Iroha Biki -- Edo to Tokyo Fuzoku Yashi</i> which details the tools and crafts of old Tokyo.
 
He was also an historian and his lifelong research culminated in the book <i>Iroha Biki -- Edo to Tokyo Fuzoku Yashi</i> which details the tools and crafts of old Tokyo.
 
==Alternate Name(s)==
 
[http://smpedia.com/index.php?title=伊藤晴雨  伊藤晴雨](Japanese), Hajime Ito (伊藤一, real name)
 
  
 
==Biography==
 
==Biography==
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1890: Accepted as an apprentice by Teiu Nozawa, a member of the Edo-based ''Korin'' school of drawing; at about nine years of age, discovers his obsession with the perfume of women’s hair as well as punishment scenes in theater plays.
 
1890: Accepted as an apprentice by Teiu Nozawa, a member of the Edo-based ''Korin'' school of drawing; at about nine years of age, discovers his obsession with the perfume of women’s hair as well as punishment scenes in theater plays.
  
1891: Receives a copy of the story of <i>Chujou Hime</i> (''Princess Chujou'') from his mother; the scene of torture in the snow leaves a strong impression.
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1891: Receives a copy of the story of ''Princess Chujo'' from his mother. the snow torture scene in the story leaves a strong impression.
  
 
1892: Goes with his parents to the theater Honjo Kotobukiza and watches a performance of Otono Yoshida’s <i>Maneku Furisode</i> (''An Inviting Kimono Sleeve''); the scene of torture leaves a profound mark.
 
1892: Goes with his parents to the theater Honjo Kotobukiza and watches a performance of Otono Yoshida’s <i>Maneku Furisode</i> (''An Inviting Kimono Sleeve''); the scene of torture leaves a profound mark.
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1896: Starts to draw advertisements for theater plays.
 
1896: Starts to draw advertisements for theater plays.
  
1896 (June): Goes to the Haruki Theater in the district of Hongo, Tokyo to watch <i>Nisshin Senso Youchi no Ada Tan</i> (''Raid Nocturne During the Nishiin War''), a play in the Soushi Shibai (Outlaw Theater) where a scene of a nurse being tortured leaves a deep impression.
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1896: In June, '''Ito''' goes to the Haruki Theater in the district of Hongo, Tokyo to watch <i>Nisshin Senso Youchi no Ada Tan</i> (''Raid Nocturne During the Nishiin War''), a play in the Soshi Shibai (Outlaw Theater) where a scene of a nurse being tortured leaves a deep impression.
  
 
1898: While still an apprentice ivory carver, uses his free time to draw ropes of illustrations of women published in the <i>Tokyo Asahi</i> newspaper.
 
1898: While still an apprentice ivory carver, uses his free time to draw ropes of illustrations of women published in the <i>Tokyo Asahi</i> newspaper.
  
1899: In the Tokiwa Theater in Asakusa, is strongly impressed by the torture chamber in the play <i>Akumabarai</i> (''Sweep Away the Demons'') of Yoshimi Mizuno.
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1899: '''Ito''' is strongly impressed by the torture chamber in Yoshimi Mizuno's play "Akumabarai" (''Sweep Away the Demons'') performed at the Tokiwa Theater in Asakusa.
  
 
1905: With the intention of becoming a painter, terminates his apprenticeship with the ivory carver and moves to Kyoto; tries different occupations in succession but eventually returns to Tokyo.
 
1905: With the intention of becoming a painter, terminates his apprenticeship with the ivory carver and moves to Kyoto; tries different occupations in succession but eventually returns to Tokyo.
  
1907: Joins the <i>Mai-Chou Shinbun</i> published in the Nihonbashi, Tokyo district as an artist/journalist. He is put in charge of illustrating <i>Yomashima</i> (''Ghost Island'') by writer Syuhei Arigawa.
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1907: Joins the Mai-Chou Shinbun as an artist/journalist for the newspaper published in the Nihonbashi, Tokyo district. He is put in charge of illustrating ''Ghost Island''<ref>"Yomashima."</ref> by writer Syuhei Arigawa.
 +
 
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1909: Joins the Yamato Shinbun Sha<ref>A newspaper located in Kyobashi, Tokyo.</ref> and is put in charge of illustrations. Meanwhile, he continues to be the theater critic for the Maiseki Shinbun.
  
1909: Joins the <i>Yamato Shinbun Sha</i> located in Kyobashi, Tokyo in charge of illustrations, while continuing as theater critic at the <i>Maiseki Shinbun</i>; he then joined the <i>Yomiuri Shinbun</i> where he was promoted to head illustrator.
 
  
1909: Through an arranged introduction, he marries Takeo, the younger sister of the wife of Terunobu Tamaki (1879-1953), a scenery painter of the ''Shinpa'' (new school) movement. Around that time, having gained a steady income and numerous commissions for illustrations, most of his money was spent on entertainment.
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 +
Through an arranged introduction, he marries Takeo, the younger sister of the wife of Terunobu Tamaki<ref>Terunobu Tamaki (1879-1953), a scenery painter of the ''Shinpa'' (new school) movement</ref>. Around this time, he gains a steady income from numerous commissions for illustrations and spends most of his money on entertainment.
  
 
1916: Starts a relationship with his model [[Kaneyo Sasaki]] (Oyou) and starts drawing his first torture illustrations.
 
1916: Starts a relationship with his model [[Kaneyo Sasaki]] (Oyou) and starts drawing his first torture illustrations.
  
1918: [[Kaneyo Sasaki]] starts living with Yumeji Takehisa (1884-1934), painter and poet.
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1918: [[Kaneyo Sasaki]] (Oyou) starts living with the painter and poet, Yumeji Takehisa (1884-1934).
  
1919: Starts the Kaidan Kai (Ghost Stories Society) in Hyakkaen park in Mukojima, Tokyo along with Rokko Hirayama (1881-1953) writer, Kogen Miyake (1886-1951) writer, (Kyoka Izumi (1873-1939) writer, Mantaro Kubota (1889-1963) writer, Saitenzan III Kinjo (1863-1935), Yoho Ii (1871-1932), Shotaro Hanayagi (1894-1965) actor.
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1919: Starts the Ghost Stories Society<ref>"Kaidan Kai"</ref> in Hyakkaen park in Mukojima, Tokyo along with the writers Rokko Hirayama (1881-1953), Kogen Miyake (1886-1951), Kyoka Izumi (1873-1939), Mantaro Kubota (1889-1963), and actors Saitenzan III Kinjo (1863-1935), Yoho Ii (1871-1932), and Shotaro Hanayagi (1894-1965).
  
 
1919: Divorces Takeo and marries [[Kise Sahara]].
 
1919: Divorces Takeo and marries [[Kise Sahara]].
  
1919: With [[Kise Sahara]], takes photos of snow torture in his garden; the photographer is YuuKa.
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1919: Takes snow torture photos of [[Kise Sahara]] in his garden. The photographer is YuuKa.
[[image:ringetsu.jpg|150px|thumbnail|[[Seiu Ito]]'s 1919 suspension photo published in ''Hentai Shiriou'' on 1926.12.25]]
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[[image:ringetsu.jpg|200px|thumbnail|1919 upside-down suspension photo of a pregnant Kise Sahara.]]
  
1920 (autumn): Makes his fist attempt at suspension with his wife [[Kise Sahara]]; also suspends his wife’s younger daughter in his workshop and takes photos.
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1920: Makes his fist attempt at suspending [[Kise Sahara]]. He also suspends his wife’s younger daughter in his workshop and takes photos of them.
 
   
 
   
1921 (June): With [[Kise Sahara]] now pregnant, makes the ''Rinketsu Bijin Sakasa Tsuri no Shashin'' (''Photo in Inverted Suspension of a Beautiful Woman in Her Last Month of Pregnancy'').
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1921: With [[Kise Sahara]] now pregnant, he creates ''Photo in Inverted Suspension of a Beautiful Woman in Her Last Month of Pregnancy''.
  
1921: Senzaburo Suzuki (1893-1924), a theater writer, publishes <i>Hi Aburi</i> (''Burnt by Fire''), a play based on the life of Seiu Ito.
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1921: Senzaburo Suzuki (1893-1924), a theater writer, publishes ''Burning Her Alive'', a play inspired by '''Seiu Ito''' and his studio at that time.
  
1923: Borrowing a farmer's house in Shimotakaido from his student Gajou Sakamoto, takes, with photographer Raisui Suzuki, photos of snow torture. The location was noted for the plum tree in the garden, a feature important to Ito.
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1923: Borrowing a farmer's house in Shimotakaido from his student Gajou Sakamoto, he takes photos of snow torture with the photographer Raisui Suzuki. The location was noted for the plum tree in the garden.
  
1923: Great Kanto Earthquake occurs; Ito's residence escapes fire damage; at this time he had lent the <i>Rinketsu Bijin Sakasa Tsuri no Shashin</i> to his friend, Tomitsuka Kenzo, which is eventually published in the December 1936 issue of <i>Hentai Shiryou</i>; the same year he publishes <i>Iroha Hiki – Edo to Tokyo Fuzoku Noshi</i> (''Private History of Edo and Tokyo Customs, Taken From the Iroha'').
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1923: Great Kanto Earthquake occurs. Ito's residence escapes fire damage. At this time he had lent the ''Photo in Inverted Suspension of a Beautiful Woman in Her Last Month of Pregnancy'' to his friend, Tomitsuka Kenzo, which is eventually published in the December 1936 issue of "Hentai Shiryou" magazine ("Pervert Documents" magazine).
  
1924: Publishes in the <i>Sunday Mainichi</i> photos of torture of [[Kise Sahara]]; acquires a reputation for perversion.
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1923: Publishes ''An Alphabetized Unofficial History of Edo and Tokyo Customs''.
  
1925 (summer): Starts a theater group which concentrates on torture scenes.
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1924: Publishes torture photos of [[Kise Sahara]] in Sunday Mainichi. He acquires a reputation for perversion.
  
1926 (December): Publication of <i>Rinketsu Bijin Sakasa Tsuri no Shashin</i> in the magazine <i>Hentai Shiriou</i> (''Pervert Documents'') without his authorization. Accompanied by <i>Rinketsu no Josei no Tsukasazuri</i> (''Inverse Suspension of a Woman in Her Last Month of Pregnancy'') by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839-1892), ukiyoe artitst.
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1925: Starts a theater group which concentrates on torture scenes.
  
1927: Publication of the first volume of <i>Iroha Hiki, Edo to Tokyo Fuzoku Noshi</i> by publisher Hirobunkan.
+
1926: The December issue of Hentai Shiriou magazine publishes ''Photo in Inverted Suspension of a Beautiful Woman in Her Last Month of Pregnancy'' without Ito's permission.
  
1928: Publishes the first known photo book of kinbaku, <i>Seme no Kenkyuu</i> (''Research on Torture'') which is quickly banned by the authorities.
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1927: The first volume of "An Aphabetized Unofficial History of the Customs of Edo and Tokyo" is published by Hirobunkan.
  
1930: Works as contributor and editor for the <i>Kodanzasshi</i>.
+
1928: Publishes "[[Torment Research]]," which is quickly banned by the authorities.
  
1931: Now married for a third time, Ito's wife suffers from mental illness and he goes into debt.
+
1930: Works as contributor and editor for the Kodanzasshi magazine.
  
1932: Publishes <i>Bijin Ranpu</i> (''Ecstatic Dance of Beautiful Women'').
+
1931: Marries for a third time. Ito's wife suffers from mental illness and he goes into debt.
  
1932: Publishes the sixth volume of his <i>Iroha Hiki – Edo to Tokyo Fuzoku Noshi</i>.
+
1932: Publishes ''Ecstatic Dance of Beautiful Women''.
 +
 
 +
1932: Publishes volume six of "An Aphabetized Unofficial History of the Customs of Edo and Tokyo".
  
 
1933: Starts his second theater group.
 
1933: Starts his second theater group.
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1945: His home is destroyed during the Great Tokyo Air Raid.
 
1945: His home is destroyed during the Great Tokyo Air Raid.
  
1947: In the fourth issue of the magazine <i>Rioki</i>, publishes ''Shitagerataru Nijon Fujin'' (''The Japanese Married Woman Who Wanted to Be Oppressed'').
+
1947: "The Japanese Wife Who Wanted to Be Oppressed" is published in the fourth issue of the Rioki magazine.
  
1950: In Asakusa, Tokyo, Hyakumandoru Gekijo (Million Dollar Theater) presents torture theater.
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1950: Torture theater is presented at the Hyakumandoru Gekijo (Million Dollar Theater) in Asakusa, Tokyo.
  
1951 (April): Until at least January 1954, exchanges letters with [[Toshiyuki Suma]] (aka [[Reiko Kita]])
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1951: Apr. Exchanges letters with [[Toshiyuki Suma]] until at least January 1954.
  
1951: Publishes a series of essays in the magazine <i>Ningen Tankyuu</i>.
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1951: Publishes a series of essays in Ningen Tankyuu magazine.
  
1951: To celebrate the launch of the magazine <i>Amatoria</i>, takes part in a group travel (80 persons) to the resort of Rendaiji Onsen in Izu. Among the participants were: Nakada Masahisa (1922-), editor of noir literature; Miyake Ichirou, expert on Japanese politics; Kawakami Santaro (1891-1968), writer of comic haikus; Okada Hiroshi; Ikeda Bunchian (1902-1972), one of the first specialists in popular culture in Japan; Hayashiya Shouraku VI (1896-1966), rakugoka; Kitasato Toshio (1913-1980); Nanbu Kyoichiro (1904-1975), movie critic; Takeno Tosuke (1889-1966), writer; Ono Joutoku.
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1951: To celebrate the launch of [[Amatoria]] magazine, '''Ito''' takes part in a group trip (80 persons) to the Rendaiji Onsen resort in Izu. Among the participants were: Nakada Masahisa (1922-), editor of noir literature; Miyake Ichirou, expert on Japanese politics; Kawakami Santaro (1891-1968), writer of comic haikus; Okada Hiroshi; Ikeda Bunchian (1902-1972), one of the first specialists in popular culture in Japan; Hayashiya Shouraku VI (1896-1966), rakugoka; Kitasato Toshio (1913-1980); Nanbu Kyoichiro (1904-1975), movie critic; Takeno Tosuke (1889-1966), writer; Ono Joutoku.
  
[[Image:Ito Seiu Mesoku Uramono Jo Amatoria Dec 1951.jpg|150px|thumbnail|Mesoku Uramono Jo 1951]]
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[[Image:Ito Seiu Mesoku Uramono Jo Amatoria Dec 1951.jpg|200px|thumbnail|"Mesoku Uramono Jo." Amatoria magazine, 1951]]
  
1951: ''Mezoku Uramono Jo'' (''Book on Secret Things in a Women's Jail''), edited by Seiu Ito and intended as a supplement to be published inside <i>Amatoria</i> becomes a problem and is detached from the magazine.
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1951: "Book on Secret Things in a Women's Jail" is edited by Seiu Ito and is intended as a supplement to be published inside [[Amatoria]]. However, it becomes a problem and is detached from the magazine.
  
1953: Edits a photo supplement to the January issue of the magazine <i>Yomikiri Romance</i> titled ''Etsugyaku Koukotsu To'' (''Graphic Depiction of Ecstasy in Pleasure and Pain'') with mainly kinbaku photos; it is the second such supplement by the magazine, the first one being published in August 1952, titled ''Nudo Fuzoku Arubamu'' (''Various Nude Album'') and edited by Ueda Seijiro who is generally considered to have been strongly influenced by Ito. These two supplements represent the first two publications entirely devoted to kinbaku in the period following the Second World War. The photos included in ''Nudo Fuzoku Arubamu'' are seen as pre-dating the first SM works published in <i>Kitan Club</i>.
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1953: Edits a photo supplement of mainly kinbaku photos to the January issue of [[Yomikiri Romance]] magazine titled "Graphic Depiction of Ecstasy in Pleasure and Pain." It is the second such supplement by the magazine<ref>The first one being published in August 1952, titled "Nude Customs Album." These two supplements represent the first two publications entirely devoted to kinbaku in the period following the Second World War.[Citation needed]</ref>. Ueda Seijiro, the editor of [[Yomikiri Romance]], is generally considered to have been strongly influenced by Ito. The photos in "Nude Customs Album" are seen as pre-dating the first SM works published in [[Kitan Club]].
  
1953: In the January issue of [[Kitan Club]], publishes a short piece describing his thoughts on [[Reiko Kita]].
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1953: '''Ito''' publishes a short piece describing his thoughts on [[Reiko Kita]] in the January issue of [[Kitan Club]].
  
1953: Starts his fourth Seme No Gekidan (Torture Theater Group) with its activity centered around the Nakamura Za (Theatre Nakamura).
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1953: Starts his fourth Torture Theater Group with its activity centered around the Nakamura-Za Theatre.
 
   
 
   
1953 (June 4): The group gives its first presentation in the theater Ishikawa Suzumoto.
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1953: Torture Theater Group gives its first presentation at the Ishikawa Suzumoto theater on June 4th.
  
1953 (July): Second group of representations at the theater Nakamura Za.
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1953: Second group of representations at the theater Nakamura-Za in July.
  
1954: Meets for the first time in person with [[Toshiyuki Suma]].
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1954: Meets [[Toshiyuki Suma]] for the first time in person.
  
1954 (January 29): NHK (Japan public broadcaster) has an interview about ''Seme no Kenkyuu'' (''Research on Torture'') which is broadcast on radio on NHK channel one.
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1954: On January 29th, NHK Channel One broadcasts a radio interview about [[Torment Research]].
  
1955: Photographer Kawaguchi Hiroshi pays a visit to Seiu Ito which begins their friendship.
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1955: Photographer Hiroshi Kawaguchi pays a visit to '''Ito''', which begins their friendship.
  
1956: Enters into a relationship with [[Takashi Tsujimura]].
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1956: Forms a friendship with kinbakushi [[Takashi Tsujimura]].
  
 
1960: Receives a prize from the Federation of Fine Art Publishers.
 
1960: Receives a prize from the Federation of Fine Art Publishers.
  
1961: Death of Seiu Ito; Takahashi Tetsuo, [[Toshiyuki Suma]], Ueda Seijiro and Tanaka Masahisa attend the funeral.
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1961: '''Seiu Ito''' passes away. Tetsuo Takahashi, [[Toshiyuki Suma]], Ueda Seijiro and Masahisa Tanaka attend the funeral.
  
1966: [[Oniroku Dan]]'s novel <i>Ryoki no Hate</i> (<i>At the Extreme of Hunting for the Bizarre</i>) uses Seiu Ito as its model.
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1966: [[Oniroku Dan]]'s novel "Ryoki no Hate" ("At the Extreme of Hunting for the Bizarre<") is based on '''Ito'''.
  
1968: In the December issue of [[Kitan Club]], [[Oniroku Dan]] publishes <i>Shihon Itou Seiu Monogatri</i> (<i>Personal Writing on the Story of Seiu Ito</i>).
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1968: [[Oniroku Dan]] publishes "Personal Writing on the Story of Seiu Ito" in the December issue of [[Kitan Club]].
  
1969: Some discussions are held with the Toei film company by [[Oniroku Dan]] to make a movie on the life of Seiu Ito; an agreement is not reached.
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1969: The Toei film company holds a few discussions with [[Oniroku Dan]] to make a movie on the life of Seiu Ito. An agreement is not reached.
  
1977: Movie company Nikkatsu produces the movie ''Hakkinhon Bijinranpu Yori Semeru'' (''From the Forbidden Book -- Ecstatic Dance of the Beautiful Women -- Torture!'').
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1977: [[Nikkatsu]] Film company produces the movie "From the Forbidden Book -- Ecstatic Dance of the Beautiful Women -- Torture!".
  
1978: At Jiyu Gekijo (Free Theater), [[Keiyu Tamai]] puts on the play ''Kiden Itou Seiu'' (''Bizarre Stories of Seiu Ito'').
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1978: [[Keiyu Tamai]] puts on the play "Bizarre Stories of Seiu Ito" at the Jiyu Gekijo (Free Theater).
 +
 
 +
1996: [[Oniroku Dan]] publishes a chronicle of Seiu Ito titled "The Heretical Crowd".
 +
 
 +
2002: "The Heretical Crowd" is made into a movie under the title "Oyou".
  
1996: [[Oniroku Dan]] publishes a chronicle of Seiu Ito, ''Gedou no Mure'' (''The Heretical Crowd'').
 
  
2002: ''Gedou no Mure'' is made into a movie under the title ''Oyou''.
 
  
 
==Selected Works==
 
==Selected Works==
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<div style="font-size:125%";>'''Books'''</div>
 +
* ''An Aphabetized Unofficial History of the Customs of Edo and Tokyo'' (1922-1932)
 +
 +
* ''Unofficial History of the Customs of Edo and Tokyo'' (Arimitsu Shobo, 1997)
  
- Irohahiki Edo to Tokyo Fuzoku Noshi, six volumes, 1922-1932
+
* ''[[Torment Research]]'' (1928)
 
   
 
   
- Seme No Kenkyu (Research on Torture), 1928
+
* ''Accounts of Torture'' (1929)
 
   
 
   
- Seme no Hanashi (Histories of Torture), 1929-9
+
* ''Explanation of Text'' (1930)
 
   
 
   
- Rongo Tsukai (Explanation of Text)), 1930
+
* ''Perverse Images of Punishment in Japan'' (1930)
 
   
 
   
- Onna Sanjuroku Kioku  (36 Remembrances of Women), 1930
+
* ''Human Flesh Market'' (1947)
 
   
 
   
- Bijin Ranmai (Ecstatic Dance of Beautiful Women), 1932
+
* ''Illustrated History of Punishment in Japan, (two volumes)''. in collaboration with Fujisawa Ehiko, 1948
 
   
 
   
- Nihon Hentai Keibatsu Gabu (Perverse Images of Punishment in Japan), 1930
+
* ''Illustrated History of Punishment Customs in Japan'' 3 vols (1948)
 +
 
 +
* ''Illustrated History of Punishment Customs in Japan'' 3 vols (2010)
 +
 
 +
* ''[[Torment Research]]'' (1950). Reprint of the 1928 book.
 
   
 
   
- Hitoniku Shijo (Human Flesh Market), 1947
+
* ''A Pictorial Record of Strange Punishments for Events of the Twelve Months'' (1950)
 +
 
 +
* ''Seme No Korekushon''
 
   
 
   
- Nihon Taibatsu Fuzoku Toshi (上、下) (Graphic History of Punishment in Japan, (two volumes), in collaboration with Fujisawa Ehiko), 1948
+
* ''Seiu Ito Photo Book - Seme-e Women'' (1996)
+
 
- Seme no Kenkyu (a reprint of the 1928 book), 1950
+
* ''Seiu Ito - Seiu's Secret Notebooks'' (2002)
+
 
- Seizetsu Jotai Komon Shikei Higashu (Image Collection of Extreme Torture and Private Punishment of Women's Bodies)
+
 
+
<div style="font-size:125%";>'''Image Collections'''</div>
- Seme No Korekushon
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* ''Ecstatic Dance of Beautiful Women'' (1932). Book of Illustrations
+
 
- Bijin Juniji Sene Emaki (Scroll of 12 Beauties in Torture)  
+
* ''36 Remembrances of Women'' (1930)
 +
 
 +
* ''Torment Picture Scroll of Twelve Beautiful Women in Torment'' (1952)
 +
 
 +
* ''Seiu Ito Picture Collection'' (1997)
 +
 
 +
* ''Image Collection of Extreme Torture and Private Punishment of Women's Bodies''
 +
 
 +
* ''The Yasuda Collection Vol. 5 - A Reproduction of “Woman From Hell” and “Rongo Tsukai”''. Private printing. 2010.<ref>This is the 5th volume of a series of nine books dedicated to the erotic book collection amassed by Yoshida Ashiaki (1918-2008), one of the foremost experts on Japanese erotica in the 20th century (only the 5th volume contains works by Seiu Ito).</ref>
 +
 
 +
 
 +
<div style="font-size:125%";>'''Magazines'''</div>
 +
* ''Drawing Women in Torment'' (Kitan Club, Jan 1953)
 +
 
 +
* ''Fifteen Ways to Tie a Woman'' (Fuzoku Soshi, Sep 1953)
 +
 
 +
* ''Posed Defilements'' (Fuzoku Soshi, Dec 1953)
 +
 
  
 +
==Image Gallery==
 +
<gallery>
 +
image:ItoSeiu03.jpg||Fuzoku Soshi 1953.
 +
image:ItoSeiu02.jpg||"Taking a Raw Liver".
 +
image:ItoSeiu04.jpg||"Burned Alive".
 +
image:ItoSeiu05.jpg||From "Ecstatic Dance of Beautiful Women" 1932.
 +
</gallery>
  
==Bibliography==
 
 
There is a full bibliography in Japanese in the related article on Seiu Ito at [http://smpedia.com/  SMpedia]. We have listed here books on Seiu Ito which are likely to be of value to those who cannot read Japanese.
 
  
伊藤晴雨集 (Ito Seiu Collected Images), March 1997 ISBN: 978-4107200433
 
 
伊藤晴雨・晴雨秘帖 The Secret Noteboks of Seiu ed: 二見書房 May 2002 ISBN: 978-4576020891
 
 
江戸と東京風俗野史 (Private History of Manners in Edo and Tokyo), a re-edition of Ito's work on Tokyo craftsmen and daily life, not SM related  ed: 有光書房 1997 ASIN: B000JA9AFW
 
 
日本刑罰風俗図史 (上、中、下) Graphic History of Customs Relative to Punishment in Japan in three volumes ed: 粋古堂1948 ASIN: B000JB9BSC
 
The same book in modern re-edition in one volume ed: 国書刊行会 April 2010 ISBN: 978-4336052179
 
 
安田コレクション5 地獄の女 論語通解 The Yasuda Collection Vol. 5, a reproduction of “Woman From Hell” and “Rongo Tsukai” the 5th tome of a series of nine books dedicated to the collection of erotic books amassed by Yoshida Ashiaki (1918-2008) one of the foremost experts on Japanese erotica in the 20th century (only the 5th volume contains works by Seiu Ito). Private printing, no ISBN.
 
  
 
==Related Persons==
 
==Related Persons==
 
 
Joujirou Sawada (1892-1929): Actor and theater administrator, founder of the Shinkokugeki theater group.
 
Joujirou Sawada (1892-1929): Actor and theater administrator, founder of the Shinkokugeki theater group.
 
    
 
    
 
Goro Zoganoya (1877-1948): Actor and dramaturge.
 
Goro Zoganoya (1877-1948): Actor and dramaturge.
 
    
 
    
Uzaemon XV Ichimura (1874-1945): One of the representative kabuki actors of the Taisho and early Showa period.
+
Uzaemon XV Ichimura (1874-1945): A kabuki actors in the Taisho and early Showa periods.
 
    
 
    
 
Keigo VI Onoe (1870-1934): Famous kabuki onnagata actor.
 
Keigo VI Onoe (1870-1934): Famous kabuki onnagata actor.
 
    
 
    
Ryutarou Natsumi (1905-1989): Actor, belonged to the Shinkokugeki movement.
+
Ryutarou Natsumi (1905-1989): Actor who belonged to the Shinkokugeki movement.
 
    
 
    
 
Rokurou Kitamura (1871-1961): Kabuki onnagata actor and member of the Shinpageki, a theater genre established in 1888.
 
Rokurou Kitamura (1871-1961): Kabuki onnagata actor and member of the Shinpageki, a theater genre established in 1888.
 
    
 
    
Yaeko Mizutani (1905-1979): Actress, representative of the Shinpageki which she headed after the death in 1965 of Hanayagi Shoutarou.
+
Yaeko Mizutani (1905-1979): Actress and representative of the Shinpageki, which she headed after the death Hanayagi Shotaro in 1965.
 
    
 
    
 
Shin Hasegawa (1884-1963): Novelist and theater writer.
 
Shin Hasegawa (1884-1963): Novelist and theater writer.
 
    
 
    
Ranpo Edogawa (1894-1965): Novelist, first and foremost Japanese crime novel writer.
+
Ranpo Edogawa (1894-1965): First and foremost Japanese crime novelist.
 
    
 
    
Sentaro Iwata(1901-1974): Painter, illustrator, adviser for period movies.
+
Sentaro Iwata(1901-1974): Painter, illustrator, and adviser for period movies.
 
    
 
    
Ryusaburo Shikiba(1898-1965): Psychiatrist, art critic and close friend of Yukio Mishima's.
+
Ryusaburo Shikiba(1898-1965): Psychiatrist, art critic and close friend of Yukio Mishima.
 
   
 
   
 
Shigeo Miyao (1902-1982): Illustrator and specialist in Edo culture.
 
Shigeo Miyao (1902-1982): Illustrator and specialist in Edo culture.
 
   
 
   
[[Toshiyuki Suma]], aka Reiko Kita, (1920-1992): SM illustrator.
+
[[Toshiyuki Suma]] (1920-1992): SM illustrator.
 
    
 
    
 
Imasuke V Konkontei (1998-1976): Rakugoka.
 
Imasuke V Konkontei (1998-1976): Rakugoka.
  
==References==
+
 
 +
 
 +
 
 +
==Notes==
 
<references/>
 
<references/>
==Notes==
+
 
<references group="note"/>
+
 
 +
==References (※)==
 +
<references group=""/>
 
==External Links==
 
==External Links==
 +
* [http://traffic.libsyn.com/kinbakunomicon/kinbakunomicon17.mp4 "A Pictorial Record of Strange Punishments for Events of the Twelve Months" (full English reading with pictures).]
 +
 +
* [https://kokoro-kinbaku.com/2016/10/20/itoh-seiu-fifteen-ways-to-tie-a-womans-body-1953/ "Fifteen Ways to Tie a Woman's Body'' (English translation on Kinbaku Books blog).]
 +
  
  
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[[Category:Kinbakushi]]
 
[[Category:Kinbakushi]]
 
[[Category:Artist]]
 
[[Category:Artist]]
[[Category:Photographer]]
+
[[Category:Writer]]
 
[[Category:index]]
 
[[Category:index]]

Latest revision as of 18:09, 22 November 2023

Ito (伊藤) family name, Seiu (晴雨) first name, (1882-1961)

Seiu Ito was a pioneer on the subject of torment, and his pre-war illustrations and photographs had a major influence on the nascent SM world in Japan during mid 20th century. His influence continues to the present day.
Seiu Ito

Activities

Painter, Writer, Kinbakushi

Alternate Names

伊藤晴雨(Japanese), Hajime Ito (伊藤一, real name)

Summary

Born in 1882, Ito was strongly attracted to scenes of torture in stories and theater plays from an early age, and he produced a large body of paintings, drawings and photographs depicting scenes of torture and kinbaku, often using his wife or mistress as his model.

By the 1910s, Ito was a newspaper illustrator and then a theater critic. He later became the head of the Performing Arts section as well as the main illustrator for the Yomiuri News. At the beginning of the Taisho period (1912-1926), he met Kaneyo Sasaki (Oyou) and Kise Sahara, two women who would eventually become his models. He deepened his study of torture art and photography, and in the closing years of Taisho, he rode the wave of the eroguro movement and attracted attention as a “painter of perversion”. In 1928, he published his first kinbaku-related book (Seme no Kenkyu – Torment Research), which was soon after banned by the authorities.

During the Taisho period, he established theater groups whose plays centered on torture scenes. Before World War II, he published a large number of collections of graphic works through editor Suikodo Shoten. Ito was at the height of his career, but this was interrupted by the war. After the war, he worked as a writer in magazines such as Ningen Tankyu, Kitan Club and Fuzoku Soshi. In addition, he organized frequent photo sessions, and the resulting photos can be seen as “photos in the Seiyu way” in magazines such as Fuzoku Soshi, Fuzoku Kitan and Uramado. In 1953, he started the Seme no Gekidan (Torture Theater Group) which performed at Ichikawa Suzumoto theater in Tokyo and others.

He was also an historian and his lifelong research culminated in the book Iroha Biki -- Edo to Tokyo Fuzoku Yashi which details the tools and crafts of old Tokyo.

Biography

1882: Born March 3rd in Tokyo, Asakusa district, Kinryusan Kudarikawara 5, the eldest son of Kintaro Ito, a metal engraver.

1890: Accepted as an apprentice by Teiu Nozawa, a member of the Edo-based Korin school of drawing; at about nine years of age, discovers his obsession with the perfume of women’s hair as well as punishment scenes in theater plays.

1891: Receives a copy of the story of Princess Chujo from his mother. the snow torture scene in the story leaves a strong impression.

1892: Goes with his parents to the theater Honjo Kotobukiza and watches a performance of Otono Yoshida’s Maneku Furisode (An Inviting Kimono Sleeve); the scene of torture leaves a profound mark.

1894: Becomes the apprentice of ivory carver Seisyu Naito in the district of Honjo Aioi-cho, Tokyo.

1895: Starts to collect pictures related to torture.

1896: Starts to draw advertisements for theater plays.

1896: In June, Ito goes to the Haruki Theater in the district of Hongo, Tokyo to watch Nisshin Senso Youchi no Ada Tan (Raid Nocturne During the Nishiin War), a play in the Soshi Shibai (Outlaw Theater) where a scene of a nurse being tortured leaves a deep impression.

1898: While still an apprentice ivory carver, uses his free time to draw ropes of illustrations of women published in the Tokyo Asahi newspaper.

1899: Ito is strongly impressed by the torture chamber in Yoshimi Mizuno's play "Akumabarai" (Sweep Away the Demons) performed at the Tokiwa Theater in Asakusa.

1905: With the intention of becoming a painter, terminates his apprenticeship with the ivory carver and moves to Kyoto; tries different occupations in succession but eventually returns to Tokyo.

1907: Joins the Mai-Chou Shinbun as an artist/journalist for the newspaper published in the Nihonbashi, Tokyo district. He is put in charge of illustrating Ghost Island[1] by writer Syuhei Arigawa.

1909: Joins the Yamato Shinbun Sha[2] and is put in charge of illustrations. Meanwhile, he continues to be the theater critic for the Maiseki Shinbun.


Through an arranged introduction, he marries Takeo, the younger sister of the wife of Terunobu Tamaki[3]. Around this time, he gains a steady income from numerous commissions for illustrations and spends most of his money on entertainment.

1916: Starts a relationship with his model Kaneyo Sasaki (Oyou) and starts drawing his first torture illustrations.

1918: Kaneyo Sasaki (Oyou) starts living with the painter and poet, Yumeji Takehisa (1884-1934).

1919: Starts the Ghost Stories Society[4] in Hyakkaen park in Mukojima, Tokyo along with the writers Rokko Hirayama (1881-1953), Kogen Miyake (1886-1951), Kyoka Izumi (1873-1939), Mantaro Kubota (1889-1963), and actors Saitenzan III Kinjo (1863-1935), Yoho Ii (1871-1932), and Shotaro Hanayagi (1894-1965).

1919: Divorces Takeo and marries Kise Sahara.

1919: Takes snow torture photos of Kise Sahara in his garden. The photographer is YuuKa.

1919 upside-down suspension photo of a pregnant Kise Sahara.

1920: Makes his fist attempt at suspending Kise Sahara. He also suspends his wife’s younger daughter in his workshop and takes photos of them.

1921: With Kise Sahara now pregnant, he creates Photo in Inverted Suspension of a Beautiful Woman in Her Last Month of Pregnancy.

1921: Senzaburo Suzuki (1893-1924), a theater writer, publishes Burning Her Alive, a play inspired by Seiu Ito and his studio at that time.

1923: Borrowing a farmer's house in Shimotakaido from his student Gajou Sakamoto, he takes photos of snow torture with the photographer Raisui Suzuki. The location was noted for the plum tree in the garden.

1923: Great Kanto Earthquake occurs. Ito's residence escapes fire damage. At this time he had lent the Photo in Inverted Suspension of a Beautiful Woman in Her Last Month of Pregnancy to his friend, Tomitsuka Kenzo, which is eventually published in the December 1936 issue of "Hentai Shiryou" magazine ("Pervert Documents" magazine).

1923: Publishes An Alphabetized Unofficial History of Edo and Tokyo Customs.

1924: Publishes torture photos of Kise Sahara in Sunday Mainichi. He acquires a reputation for perversion.

1925: Starts a theater group which concentrates on torture scenes.

1926: The December issue of Hentai Shiriou magazine publishes Photo in Inverted Suspension of a Beautiful Woman in Her Last Month of Pregnancy without Ito's permission.

1927: The first volume of "An Aphabetized Unofficial History of the Customs of Edo and Tokyo" is published by Hirobunkan.

1928: Publishes "Torment Research," which is quickly banned by the authorities.

1930: Works as contributor and editor for the Kodanzasshi magazine.

1931: Marries for a third time. Ito's wife suffers from mental illness and he goes into debt.

1932: Publishes Ecstatic Dance of Beautiful Women.

1932: Publishes volume six of "An Aphabetized Unofficial History of the Customs of Edo and Tokyo".

1933: Starts his second theater group.

1945: His home is destroyed during the Great Tokyo Air Raid.

1947: "The Japanese Wife Who Wanted to Be Oppressed" is published in the fourth issue of the Rioki magazine.

1950: Torture theater is presented at the Hyakumandoru Gekijo (Million Dollar Theater) in Asakusa, Tokyo.

1951: Apr. Exchanges letters with Toshiyuki Suma until at least January 1954.

1951: Publishes a series of essays in Ningen Tankyuu magazine.

1951: To celebrate the launch of Amatoria magazine, Ito takes part in a group trip (80 persons) to the Rendaiji Onsen resort in Izu. Among the participants were: Nakada Masahisa (1922-), editor of noir literature; Miyake Ichirou, expert on Japanese politics; Kawakami Santaro (1891-1968), writer of comic haikus; Okada Hiroshi; Ikeda Bunchian (1902-1972), one of the first specialists in popular culture in Japan; Hayashiya Shouraku VI (1896-1966), rakugoka; Kitasato Toshio (1913-1980); Nanbu Kyoichiro (1904-1975), movie critic; Takeno Tosuke (1889-1966), writer; Ono Joutoku.

"Mesoku Uramono Jo." Amatoria magazine, 1951

1951: "Book on Secret Things in a Women's Jail" is edited by Seiu Ito and is intended as a supplement to be published inside Amatoria. However, it becomes a problem and is detached from the magazine.

1953: Edits a photo supplement of mainly kinbaku photos to the January issue of Yomikiri Romance magazine titled "Graphic Depiction of Ecstasy in Pleasure and Pain." It is the second such supplement by the magazine[5]. Ueda Seijiro, the editor of Yomikiri Romance, is generally considered to have been strongly influenced by Ito. The photos in "Nude Customs Album" are seen as pre-dating the first SM works published in Kitan Club.

1953: Ito publishes a short piece describing his thoughts on Reiko Kita in the January issue of Kitan Club.

1953: Starts his fourth Torture Theater Group with its activity centered around the Nakamura-Za Theatre.

1953: Torture Theater Group gives its first presentation at the Ishikawa Suzumoto theater on June 4th.

1953: Second group of representations at the theater Nakamura-Za in July.

1954: Meets Toshiyuki Suma for the first time in person.

1954: On January 29th, NHK Channel One broadcasts a radio interview about Torment Research.

1955: Photographer Hiroshi Kawaguchi pays a visit to Ito, which begins their friendship.

1956: Forms a friendship with kinbakushi Takashi Tsujimura.

1960: Receives a prize from the Federation of Fine Art Publishers.

1961: Seiu Ito passes away. Tetsuo Takahashi, Toshiyuki Suma, Ueda Seijiro and Masahisa Tanaka attend the funeral.

1966: Oniroku Dan's novel "Ryoki no Hate" ("At the Extreme of Hunting for the Bizarre<") is based on Ito.

1968: Oniroku Dan publishes "Personal Writing on the Story of Seiu Ito" in the December issue of Kitan Club.

1969: The Toei film company holds a few discussions with Oniroku Dan to make a movie on the life of Seiu Ito. An agreement is not reached.

1977: Nikkatsu Film company produces the movie "From the Forbidden Book -- Ecstatic Dance of the Beautiful Women -- Torture!".

1978: Keiyu Tamai puts on the play "Bizarre Stories of Seiu Ito" at the Jiyu Gekijo (Free Theater).

1996: Oniroku Dan publishes a chronicle of Seiu Ito titled "The Heretical Crowd".

2002: "The Heretical Crowd" is made into a movie under the title "Oyou".


Selected Works

Books
  • An Aphabetized Unofficial History of the Customs of Edo and Tokyo (1922-1932)
  • Unofficial History of the Customs of Edo and Tokyo (Arimitsu Shobo, 1997)
  • Accounts of Torture (1929)
  • Explanation of Text (1930)
  • Perverse Images of Punishment in Japan (1930)
  • Human Flesh Market (1947)
  • Illustrated History of Punishment in Japan, (two volumes). in collaboration with Fujisawa Ehiko, 1948
  • Illustrated History of Punishment Customs in Japan 3 vols (1948)
  • Illustrated History of Punishment Customs in Japan 3 vols (2010)
  • A Pictorial Record of Strange Punishments for Events of the Twelve Months (1950)
  • Seme No Korekushon
  • Seiu Ito Photo Book - Seme-e Women (1996)
  • Seiu Ito - Seiu's Secret Notebooks (2002)


Image Collections
  • Ecstatic Dance of Beautiful Women (1932). Book of Illustrations
  • 36 Remembrances of Women (1930)
  • Torment Picture Scroll of Twelve Beautiful Women in Torment (1952)
  • Seiu Ito Picture Collection (1997)
  • Image Collection of Extreme Torture and Private Punishment of Women's Bodies
  • The Yasuda Collection Vol. 5 - A Reproduction of “Woman From Hell” and “Rongo Tsukai”. Private printing. 2010.[6]


Magazines
  • Drawing Women in Torment (Kitan Club, Jan 1953)
  • Fifteen Ways to Tie a Woman (Fuzoku Soshi, Sep 1953)
  • Posed Defilements (Fuzoku Soshi, Dec 1953)


Image Gallery


Related Persons

Joujirou Sawada (1892-1929): Actor and theater administrator, founder of the Shinkokugeki theater group.

Goro Zoganoya (1877-1948): Actor and dramaturge.

Uzaemon XV Ichimura (1874-1945): A kabuki actors in the Taisho and early Showa periods.

Keigo VI Onoe (1870-1934): Famous kabuki onnagata actor.

Ryutarou Natsumi (1905-1989): Actor who belonged to the Shinkokugeki movement.

Rokurou Kitamura (1871-1961): Kabuki onnagata actor and member of the Shinpageki, a theater genre established in 1888.

Yaeko Mizutani (1905-1979): Actress and representative of the Shinpageki, which she headed after the death Hanayagi Shotaro in 1965.

Shin Hasegawa (1884-1963): Novelist and theater writer.

Ranpo Edogawa (1894-1965): First and foremost Japanese crime novelist.

Sentaro Iwata(1901-1974): Painter, illustrator, and adviser for period movies.

Ryusaburo Shikiba(1898-1965): Psychiatrist, art critic and close friend of Yukio Mishima.

Shigeo Miyao (1902-1982): Illustrator and specialist in Edo culture.

Toshiyuki Suma (1920-1992): SM illustrator.

Imasuke V Konkontei (1998-1976): Rakugoka.



Notes

  1. "Yomashima."
  2. A newspaper located in Kyobashi, Tokyo.
  3. Terunobu Tamaki (1879-1953), a scenery painter of the Shinpa (new school) movement
  4. "Kaidan Kai"
  5. The first one being published in August 1952, titled "Nude Customs Album." These two supplements represent the first two publications entirely devoted to kinbaku in the period following the Second World War.[Citation needed]
  6. This is the 5th volume of a series of nine books dedicated to the erotic book collection amassed by Yoshida Ashiaki (1918-2008), one of the foremost experts on Japanese erotica in the 20th century (only the 5th volume contains works by Seiu Ito).


References (※)

External Links