Japanese bondage

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(literally meaning "bondage"), is a Japanese style of sexual bondage or BDSM which involves tying up the bottom (or uke) in intricate patterns, usually with several pieces of thin rope. Shibari differs from Western bondage in that, instead of just immobilizing or restraining the bottom, the bottom gains pleasure from being under the pressure and strain of the ropes, squeezing the breasts or genitals. The aesthetics of the bound person's position are also important: in particular, Japanese bondage is notorious for its use of asymmetric positions to heighten the psychological impact of bondage.

Contents

1 History
2 Technique
3 Glossary
4 Topics to be covered
5 Further reading
6 See also
7 External links

History

Although some of the techniques of Japanese sexual bondage originated with the military restraint technique of Hojojutsu, sexual bondage techniques are far gentler, and great care is taken to avoid injury.

Many rope artists have derived their own flavor of Japanese-inspired bondage which often mixes some Shibari techniques with other forms of bondage.

Shibari is greatly influenced by the Sengoku period of Japan. One of Japan's darkest historical eras of torture and execution, it is still remembered for cruel means and methods that include the use of fire, knives, tattoos, rocks, boiling water, divining blocks and rocking horses^{[[Citing sources citation needed]]}, etc.

Eventually (in 1742) the Tokugawa government created a foundation of crime laws, which included the seven different types of punishment (Labour, slavery, exile, death, etc) and the four kinds of torture (whip, pressing stone, constriction by rope, and hanging by rope).

According to several sources, bondage as a sexual activity first came to notice in Japan in the late Edo period. Generally recognized as "father of Shibari" is Ito Seiu, who started studying and researching Hojojutsu in 1908 and turned it into an art form. Shibari became widely popular in the 1950s in magazine form (some sources to some extent credit influence from John Willie with popularizing Shibari). In the 1960s, a tradition of bondage as a form of performance art developed in Japan.

In recent years Japanese style ropework has become popular in the western BDSM scene.

Technique

Traditional Shibari is based on fairly specific rope patterns, most of them derived from Hojojutsu ties. Of particular importance are the Takate Kote (a type of arm box tie), which forms the basis of most Shibari ties, and the Ebi, or "Shrimp", which was originally designed as a torture tie but today makes the bottom vulnerable for more pleasant forms of play.

Generally, traditional Shibari is practiced with ropes of 7 meters (23 feet) in length. Due to the generally different physique of Western bottoms, 8 meter (26 feet) ropes are commonly used in the West. The rope material is usually hemp or jute (neither sisal nor manila hemp are usually useful), prepared according to specific techniques to achieve a pleasantly soft yet sturdy rope. Other materials are also sometimes used, although most synthetic ropes tend to be too slippery for Shibari techniques.

For historic reasons, Shibari uses very few knots, sometimes none at all, or only a lark's head or an overhand knot. This requires rope with high friction.

Glossary

: strict bondage
: rope tying
: the person doing the tying, or the rope artist

Topics to be covered

Karada Japanese word for body (body harness, a "rope dress")
Ushiro takate kote Foundational form for most shibari ties, capturing the upper body / breasts and arms in a "U" shape behind the back
Kikkou - Also known as the "tortoise shell". A body tie that ends with a tortoise shell design in the front upper torso.
Hishi A tie using diamond shapes. When done as a full body tie, it is sometimes also called hishi-kikkou. The hishi has been popularized by manga, or cartoon, art.
Ebi The "shrimp" tie
Agoura a less severe tie similar to an ebi
Tazuki "criss-cross harness"
Tanuki "racoon dog"
Kataashi tsuri "one-legged suspension"
Asymmetrical bondage, a common feature of Japanese bondage
Tsuri suspension
Gyaku ebi
Hojojutsu
RopeMarks
Drachenmann

External links

[ArtSensual] Shiabari performance and show
[Nancy's Japanese Style Self Rope Bondage - Include techniques]
[Shibari] on the Wipipedia the BDSM Wiki
[ShibariCon: Annual Shibari Educational and Community Conference in Chicago]
[Master Tatu's Japanese Rope ARt - Free Tutorials]
[Master Tatu's Glossary of Japanese Rope Terms]
[RopeMarks - The True Beauty of Japanese Bondage / Shibari]
[RopeMarks online traditional shibari tutorials]
[RopeMarks Artistic Rope Exchange bondage glossary]
[Japanese S&M]
[Guide to Japanese bondage] -- warning: note that some of the pictures on this site contain nudity
[Japanese-language site depicting finished Japanese bondage and tying procedures]
[Master "K" at RopeMarks]
[Master "K" at Immortal Shibari]
[History of Shibari]
[pictures of Shibari by Philip Boxis]
["I am an S+M writer" or "Futei no kisetsu"] 2000 Japanese film concerning shibari and adultery

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