[Ibaraki Kasen Cosplay] Touhou Ibarakasen's Bamboo Forest Restraint

Sharing this freshly debuted photo set directly. A very important element in the previously planned theme was a sense of restraint combined with a gorgeous Eastern fantasy style. During the outdoor shoot, the sunlight in the bamboo forest was absolutely wonderful, casting light spots onto the white tights and red high heels, yielding a very satisfying texture. However, a small mishap occurred during today's shoot: according to the original setting, my arm was supposed to be wrapped in hemostatic bandages, but on-site we found the bandages lacked adhesion. Combined with the rushed time, they kept slipping off even after repeated wrapping. In order not to waste the photographer Yakumo's time and to ensure the completeness of the frames, we ultimately decided to ditch the bandages and shoot directly in this current state. Although lacking that detail, publishing it still feels a bit OOC, so I want to apologize in advance.

Getting back to this look, the top is a modified red mandarin collar shirt with frog buttons and white jacquard patterns on the chest, accented with pink flower hair accessories. The bottom is a voluminous tiered skirt in alternating white and green with dense layering, which provides an excellent drape when moving. Special attention was paid in the design to the lace splicing on the skirt hem and the red bow ribbon at the waist. Honestly, balancing on the complex bamboo forest ground in white tights and buckled red high heels was quite difficult.

As for the prop showcase, this metal chain and shackle were originally custom-made to restore the heavy weight from the setting. It was indeed very weighty during the actual shoot. Since the chain dragged on the ground, it fell perfectly straight when shooting a crouching pose, forming a great sense of linearity on the green brick floor when combined with the light and shadow. In the first shot, where I sat on the wooden steps and tucked my legs to the side, my center of gravity balanced right on the edge of the step with the shackles on my wrists resting on my thighs. The entire vertical composition neatly captured the leg lines and all the costume colors. Though many movements look effortless, adjusting the angles to prevent the metal chain from getting tangled in the ruffled skirt hem due to motion was extremely exhausting.

Yakumo's shooting style focuses heavily on capturing natural light via bamboo forest photography. The weather today was perfect; despite the dappled tree shadows in the bamboo forest, once the light stabilized, it yielded a highly transparent feel. The red, green, and white trio in a purely green forest offered both a strong visual contrast and avoided looking too jarring. Especially in the second image, I attempted a curled-up crouching motion, holding the hair buns on my head with both hands while the chain dropped from my wrists to the ground, creating a visual tension of self-restraint or being bound. Although my body was completely balled up in this pose, I personally really like this fragile moment. However, if I had to choose between the two for a cover photo, I definitely lean toward the first one because the overall body silhouette is more extended, the red high heels and white tights are fully expressed on the steps, and there isn't any interference from massive multi-megabyte watermarks.

I coordinated exceptionally well with Yakumo; he instantly understood the juxtaposition of gorgeousness and restraint that I wanted to express in this Touhou Project shoot. I sweated a bit while changing outfits, but the temperature in the bamboo forest was actually just right, and since the skirt was so voluminous, it ventilated quite well when walking around. Although the bandages didn't work out today, the final products turned out looking okay, so at least my hard work didn't go to waste. During the shoot, we even encountered a few passersby who were quite curious if the chain in my hands was a real torture device. After explaining it was a custom-made shooting prop, they all found it very interesting.

In fact, this costume features numerous accessories and details; besides the large flower decorations, the ear cuffs and wrist guards all have specific designs. Putting it on and taking it off takes a lot of time, especially when walking along mountain paths where the skirt hem easily catches on bamboo roots. However, for the sake of aesthetics, these troubles are entirely unavoidable. Yakumo's management of light and shadow was highly efficient; we barely wasted any time waiting, snapping a ton of shots in one go when the light was prime. Thinking about it now, while the bandage issue was a minor regret, it might have left the photos with a unique sense of "incompleteness" or a certain contrast in atmosphere. If I get another chance to shoot this setting next time, I will definitely prepare the props more thoroughly.

This sharing post is honestly just to talk about my feelings regarding today's shoot, and by the way, to see what everyone thinks seeing this look under pure natural light for the first time. I'm highly satisfied that many design details were successfully preserved after the actual shoot.