Three like-minded people teamed up for “Chingcame”.

– We heard that you and the editors of “smart” usually consult with each other to decide which models will appear in “Chingcame,” but this project was proposed by you.

Naito: Yes, but the idea for the project itself was not mine.

Tanaka: Ibuki-chan and I wanted to do it, so we consulted with Chin-san (Naito’s nickname).

– I see that you two were the catalysts. How did that come about?

Tanaka: When I met Ibuki, we talked about working together on a piece. Since Chin-san was our mutual friend, we immediately contacted him on the spot to ask if he would let us work on “Chingcame.” He immediately agreed with us, and about three months later, the shoot took place.

Sakai: Is this the first time you decided on a model in this way?

Naito: It might be. Kae and I had been friends and collaborators for a long time, and Ibuki had her first solo exhibition at my agency’s (KiKi inc.) gallery, AL. Since I knew both of them well, I immediately responded. So I talked to the editor-in-chief of “smart” and he agreed to let me do it.

– Sakai-san, were you familiar with “Chin Kame”?

Sakai: Of course I knew of it, but I wasn’t really interested in pin-up photos, so I didn’t really look at it. After the project was decided, I took another look at the past “Chingcame” and gradually became more and more interested in it, and since it was my first and last chance, I decided to have fun with it.

– What was your impression of “Chingcame” before you got to know Naito-san, Tanaka-san?

Tanaka: I and my friends around me had known about “Chingcame” for a long time, and the owner of a neighborhood curry shop told me that Chin-san often came to his restaurant. At that time, I thought, “Chin-san is really real” (laughs).

– Did you think he was a phantom? (laughs)

Tanaka: Yes, yes (laughs). I knew his name, but I had never seen his face. But he is so well known that when people think of “smart,” they think of “Chingcame.” When I actually met him, he was a pleasant old man (laughs).

Naito: We used to drink together at that curry shop. We are curry buddies.

Sakai: How long ago was that?

Tanaka: Three or four years ago.

– That means it was before “Let’s get naked” (a comprehensive exhibition curated by Naito-san held at “Cultureart” in July 2020), which was a collaboration between Naito-san and Tanaka-san mentioned a little earlier.

Naito: Yes, that’s right. We were good friends before “Let’s Get Naked,” but that was the first time we collaborated.

Tanaka: He invited me to collaborate with him, saying, “I collaborate with various artists, so let’s do it together. ” Just six months prior to that, my solo exhibition “Kae Tanaka wa Shinjuku de ippai ippai” was being held at “CULTUART,” so it was a year of being indebted to BEAMS.

Naito: The illustration you drew in katakana, “Let’s Get Naked,” was really good.

Tanaka: The characters I draw rarely reveal much skin, but when I made them into illustrations for the pin-ups, they were well received.

Believing in each other’s creatorship.

– This is your first attempt at pin-up photos, isn’t it? How was the photo shoot?

Sakai: I thought I would be nervous because it was different from the usual fashion shoots, but when I finally tried it, I really enjoyed it. I was entrusted with not only modeling but also art direction. I thought the shoot would be done with the usual “Chingcame” staff, but I did the casting of the staff myself.

Naito: Almost every “Chingcame” is done with the usual staff members, but this time it was the Ibuki team.

– This time, Sakai-san made a collage of photos taken by you. But did Naiso-san make any requests for the finished product?

Naito: I just told her to go all out in the Ibuki world, within the budget.

Sakai: That’s what you had been telling me from the beginning, so that’s really what I did.

– So you were expecting a different image from the usual “Chingcame”?

Naito: That’s right. I told her that I would not only do portraits, but also take product shots if necessary, so she could bring anything she wanted.

Sakai: Before the shoot, Chin-san told me, “I’ll prepare the materials and you can use them as you like,” which made it very easy for me to do.

Naito: I thought it would be better if I didn’t do anything unnecessary, and as long as I prepared the materials well, she could do whatever she wanted.

Sakai: I also asked stylists and hair/make-up artists that I trust, and I think that led to a good result. They also prepared a swimsuit with a skull design, which you don’t generally see in pin-up photos.

Naito: I think this is the first time that “Chingcame” features a skull swimsuit.

Tanaka: It has become more fashionable, hasn’t it?

Sakai: I had collaborated with “HYSTERIC GLAMOUR” before, so when I showed this photo to my good friends, they said, “I thought it was a photo of the new “HYSTERIC GLAMOUR” swimsuit” (laughs).

Tanaka: When you say so, it does look that way (laughs).

– One of the artwork is an illustration by Tanaka-san modeled after Sakai-san.

Sakai: I was looking forward to seeing which photo Kaede would illustrate, and I was happy that she chose this one.

– Did you select the photos for the illustrations?

Tanaka: Yes, I did. I took a quick look and decided on this photo, which is very Ibuki-chan.

Sakai: I really like this photo too.

Tanaka: It’s the kind of photo that girls like.

Sakai: When I look at the finished work, I see a colorful synchronization between Kaede’s illustration and my collage surrounding it.

– That’s true. As if by prior arrangement, the light blue accents are also connected. This time you used Sakai-san as a model. Do the characters you usually draw have models?

Tanaka: In the past, I used to draw fan art, and my friends and other people were happy when I drew portraits of them, so I often used someone in particular as a model. But recently, I take a lot of selfies posing alone at night and draw based on them.

Naito: You do poses by yourself. Can I see the original pictures?

Tanaka: Absolutely not (laughs). If my work comes under fire for allegedly being traced, I’ll put out that picture (laughs).

– This illustration is also cute because Sakai-san is deformed with your touch.

Tanaka: My illustrations have a certain style, but not each one has the same head size. If I had drawn Ibuki’s illustration on a different day, her head would have been smaller and more deformed.

Naito: You asked Ibuki if she wanted horns or not.

Sakai: She asked me, but just as Chin-san left it up to me, I didn’t give my opinion to Kae-chan. I know Kae-chan, so I left it to her based on trust, not in the sense of putting the responsibility on her.

– Each of you respected each other’s sense of style, and left it to each other. As a result, the horns were attached.

Tanaka: Whether or not to add horns is a matter of my own sense, but I decide based on the overall balance. In this case, it was more balanced to add horns. I am often asked about the horns, but there is no deep meaning behind them.

– Is this the first time you have modeled for Tanaka-san’s illustration?

Sakai: Yes. I am honored and very happy to have it drawn.

Tanaka: It was refreshing to see how my illustrations would turn out when seasoned with Ibuki’s collage! It was fresh and I was happy too.

A pop-up event where you can directly see the texture of the original drawings.

– Naito-san, how do you feel about the finished product from your perspective, since you have been working on “Chingcame” for about 25 years?

Sakai: 25 years!　We are the same age.

Naito: That’s scary (laughs). I don’t think anyone can imitate “Chingcame” this time. In fact, there is nothing that can be imitated.

Sakai: I think it’s because I don’t know much about pin-up photos. I want as many people as possible to think it’s nice.

Tanaka: You think it’s super nice!

Sakai: When I posted one of them on Instagram, I got a lot of likes and many girls uploaded it to their Stories. I even got a DM saying, “I bought two copies, so I’m going to cut one out and put it on display. I was really happy that the girls enjoyed looking at it.

– To commemorate this collaboration on “Chingcame,” a pop-up event is currently being held on the 4th floor of “BEAMS JAPAN” to exhibit original drawings and previously unseen photos.

Sakai: At the event, we are also selling original goods ranging from T-shirts and sweatshirts to small items such as pins, stickers, and cushions.

Tanaka: The cushion was a request from Ibuki.

Sakai: I even made the data for one side of the cushion with the idea of making it my butt, but I thought some people might not like it in their living room. In the end, I ended up using a different collage and made it into the pattern I wanted to use (laughs).

– Tanaka-san’s illustration, which became the pins, is also cute.

Sakai: The background used for the collage was used for the base of the pins, so it looks as if the page is directly transformed into the product. I also wanted to make “Tepla”-style pins, so I had them commercialized.

Tanaka: Wouldn’t it be cute if your butt was a pin?　Maybe even stickers.

Sakai: I want to do that!　In my actual work, I like stickers, so when I collage, I make the corners round like stickers.

– When you look at the work directly, you can clearly see the brushstrokes and the three-dimensionality that only collage can give. I think this pop-up event is very fulfilling, as it features photos that are not published in “smart,” as well as other works that were not part of this exhibition, which are now available as merchandise.

Naito: I want people to see the developed photos in person because they are more vivid than those seen in the magazine.

Tanaka: “Raw” (laughs).

Sakai: They certainly are graphic (laughs).

– The texture of the paper is different between a magazine and a photograph, so it gives a different impression.

Sakai: Some parts are cut off in the magazine, so be sure to check those out too!