I have an old friend, a male prostitute from Osaka. He was also a brilliant botanist, but he had left the Jehovah's Witnesses and turned prostitution into his day job to pay his tuition. He was well versed in the world of BDSM, which is one of the deepest parts of the gay community in Osaka, and I liked to follow him around like a social tour. One day, he took me to a bar. I was told that bar was one of the most prestigious bar for BDSM enthusiasts in Kansai area. The owner, Mr. Miro Daikokudo, at first glance appeared to be playing the role of a dandy bar master, but at the same time he possessed a tremendously keen sensitivity and aesthetic sense, and as if in response to his sensitivity, the people who gathered there were all people who were not easy to get along with. Behind me and my friend sitting at the counter, cheap cocktail in hand, talking about Deguchi Onisaburo and the magic mushroom experience, an unknown man was being tied up and violently whipped.
One day, when Mr. Miro found out I am a photographer, he approached a businessman-like man who was drinking quietly next to me. He told him to take off his clothes, more like coercion. The man looked a little happy as he began to undress, and I noticed that his entire body was covered in magnificent tattoos. The precision of the tattoos was astounding: the characters from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms that were carved on his skin had even smaller tattoos carved on his body, which was tremendous. Apparently, it took a top-notch tatoo artist in Asakusa 24 hours to create it. He was also in a good mood and showed me his genitals, which were so heavily pierced that it was not in its original form.
Mr. Miro had the man put on a cheap see-through pink negligee and a mask that covered only his eyes, then handed me a Polaroid camera.
“Take a picture of this guy."
I was to take pictures of a genuine masochist as my subject.When I showed Mr. Miro the pictures I had taken, he looked pleased with them.
A short time later, I was allowed to take pictures at a number of underground parties organized by Mr. Miro.
