Kinbakudayo
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Joined: 2/21/2008
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We get asked from time to time in collar me about japanese bondage. We hope posting this will help clear some things up
There are a few common questions people interested in rope bondage often ask about Shibari or Kinbaku. "What is Shibari/Kinbaku?" How do I do it?" "Is what I'm doing Shibari?" and "What's the difference?"
To begin to answer these questions, we need to have a common frame of reference to build our understanding, and what we're about to write will hopefully help that understanding.
But first we think it's important to say that having fun and doing rope bondage safely is far more important that what name one gives it or what style it happens to be.
So what is Shibari and what is Kinbaku?
Kinbaku is a common name for the home-grown flavor of erotic sadomasochistic bondage that developed in Japan. In it's narrowest interpretation, it uses equal lengths of 7 meter asanawa (hemp/jute) rope 4mm-6mm in diameter. These ropes are applied to a partner using commonly shared and standardized forms and methods intended to produce certain physical, emotional, and psychological effects. These ropes are also applied to enhance the beauty of the partner.
Kinbaku is, of course, a living type of SM play, so each scene and every scene will be unique and will depend upon the desires of those involved, and the practice has spread out to include a wide range of materials and kinks, but this basic description is a good place to start.
Shibari, however, is slightly more difficult to describe, if only because the language barrier has led to many conflicting understandings. It seems like over 90% of SM material created in Japan is exclusively produced in the Japanese language, while probably 90% of North American and European rope enthusiasts don't speak or read Japanese. That causes a complication for an enthusiast who can only search for material using english words or romanized japanese words, which redirects them mostly into photo collections or websites that either cater to english-speaking customers or to japanese enthusiasts who are themselves into North American or European BDSM.
"Shibari" in Japanese roughly refers to either "tying" or "binding" or it can mean "bondage" in an erotic context. the word itself does not refer to a specific style of rope bondage (unless one is talking about SM play or Kinbaku).
Due to how often this word is used, and to the Japanese fondness for writing words in the roman alphabet, the word "Shibari" has been adopted outside of Japan to refer to Japanese style rope bondage. And the meaning has expanded to include any kind of elaborate erotic rope work. This leaves most rope bondage enthusiasts limited to learning Kinbaku primarily from visual media like pictures or videos. And since nature hates a vacuum, many of the "hows" and "whys" and have been filled in with our own attitudes and desires to create our own beautiful and pleasurable style of rope bondage that visually resembles the Japanese source. Recently, though, more people have begun to translate Japanese material and to travel to Japan to learn from Japanese artists, thereby adding to our understanding of Japanese erotic SM rope bondage.
So, "is what I'm doing 'Shibari?'" There is no right or wrong answer. Doing "Shibari" depends on exactly what one has learned what the term "Shibari" means.
"How do I do Kinbaku/Shibari?"
We'll take the narrow approach again. We think the best way to learn is hands on from someone you respect, and to learn it under that person's guidance until one fully learns the basics. The second option is the learn from how-to videos, and the third option is to learn from books. Books and videos can't answer every question, and they don't show every alternative step from every angle, but they're great supplemental resources.
The materials used in Kinbaku range from the modern to the nostalgic. Japanese asanawa (hemp/jute) is the most popular because it doesn't stretch, it holds to itself, and because of the smell and feel of the rope itself. The basic forms commonly used in Kinbaku make use of asanawa's properties and are designed with equal lengths of 7 meters (or 8) in mind. the "nostalgic" materials also include dish cloths (tenugui) used for gags and blindfolds. Bamboo, posts (hashira), traditional japanese clothing (wafuku), etc. Modern materials include costume play, vibrators, clamps, ballgags, metal nose hooks, and really anything and everything.
One things that's important to remember, is that if one decides to use a rope other than a good quality hemp or jute rope, then one must take into account the different properties of that material and adjust the ties accordingly.
The common forms found in kinbaku are (but not limited to):
Both Wrists Tie (ryoutekubi shibari)
Forearms and Hands Bound High on the Back Tie (ushiro takatekote shibari)
Both hands at the Back of the Head Tie (koutoubu ryoutekubi shibari)
Sitting Cross-legged Tie (agura shibari)
Shrimp Torture (ebi zeme)
Hog Tie (gyakuebi shibari)
Prayer Tie (both hand in front or behind) (ushiro gasshou shibari and maete gasshou shibari)
Tanuki Tie (tanuki shibari)
Legs Spread into the Letter-M Tie (kaikyaku M-ji shibari)
Grasping behind the Post Tie (hashira ushirodaki shibari)
Bound hand-and-Foot/Completely Entrapped Tie (ganjigarame shibari)
One Leg Up/Standing on One Leg Suspension (kataashi zuri)
All the different suspensions (tsuri)
Plus many more.
Variations of these basic ties exist for different skill levels and to fit personal preferences, as well as for purely artistic or photographic or performance reasons.
[One added note: not all Japanese rope enthusiasts play strictly within Kinbaku. Many mix and match, and some are into North American and European styles of rope bondage and BDSM.]
Besides the mechanical methods and techniques used to apply rope, one also applies rope for physical, emotional, and psychological effect. One applies rope to stimulate erogenous zones, to create a sense of helplessness, for erotic embarrassment or shame, for discomfort or pain, for sexual release, for emotional release, to enhance an intimate bond and so on.
The Shibari ties called the Shinju or Sakuranbou we believe are mostly a part of the North American and European Shibari forms, though occasionally one can find similar Japanese versions in some photo collections.
The visual element of Kinbaku is equally important, and the aesthetic is keyed into the patterns and shapes the Japanese find attractive. Patterns are drawn from every uses like product packaging, clothing, fabric patterns, shapes in nature, as well as from patterns and techniques borrowed from hojojutsu. We think this aesthetic aspect of kinbaku is probably the slowest part of kinbaku to master since it requires familiarizing oneself with things that the japanese themselves internalize growing up. But it's worth the effort.
All of these elements are mixed into Kinbaku, and one can take these elements and adapt them to one's own personal style and desires. Desire and intent will inform how one uses the elements. Every partner is unique, and every scene is unique. And whether one likes to stick with the classical forms or whether one prefers to mix and match from everywhere, Kinbaku can be a very enjoyable experience. There's room for everyone.
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