In recent years, shibari (also called ‘Japanese rope bondage’) has steadily crawled its way out of the dungeons, dojos, and private bedrooms and straight into the limelight of mainstream pop culture. From Tom Ford’s 2013 Bondage Collection to The Weeknd’s video for Earned It , and Lady Gaga’s suspension for performance artist Robert Wilson to FKA Twigs’ music video for Pendulum (both the handiwork of UK-based rope educator WykD Dave), shibari is no longer a practice you need to hide from your friends and co-workers. Now you can pop into a weekend rope bondage class or participate in a shibari workshop in the same way you might go to a yoga class.
But what is shibari, where did it come from, and who is it for? And while we’re at it, why do people do shibari in the first place?
Here’s a short intro to shibari to begin to understand what the practice is all about…
Illustrator: Eysar Vargas A brief history of shibari: rope, red-light districts & Japanese BDSM You may have heard shibari referred to as an ‘ancient’ or ‘sacred’ Japanese tradition, but the truth is that its historical narrative has been highly romanticized and exoticized, peppered with tales of heroic samurais, seductive geishas, and scenes seemingly lifted straight from antique paintings on prehistoric vases. (The wonderful Midori has written at length about this here: The History & Myths of Japanese Rope Bondage .)
What we call shibari today wasn’t even a thing until the 1900s and was first popularized in Japan after 1950. It then took another 40 years or so for the practice to make it to the West.
What we call shibari today wasn’t even a thing until the 1900s and was first popularized in Japan after 1950. The roots of shibari, though, can be traced to the martial art form Hojōjutsu with origins all the way back to the civil war of Ōnin in 1467. The tradition took hold during the 17th-century feudal Edo period in Japan when the dominant samurai class used rope to immobilize and torture opponents. Even after the Samurai era ended in 1868, Hojōjutsu remained in practice and was used by Japanese law enforcement all the way up until WWII.
Although the brutal practice bears little resemblance to today’s shibari ties, many traditional forms, such as the Gyaku Ebi (reverse or inverted shrimp tie), are still in use, although for altogether different purposes. Originally utilized as a means of slow psychological breakdown, today’s versions are adapted for safety and their intentions have changed significantly.
So why use rope for capture and not metal cuffs and chains? This has to do with Japan’s lack of access to raw metal resources; instead, natural materials for rope manufacturing were abundant, making it the obvious choice. A ubiquitous part of Japanese culture and daily life, rope is used everywhere, from adorning the entrances of Shinto shrines to wrapping packages to lining Sumo wrestling rings, and everything in between.
Illustrator: Eysar Vargas Bondage was first sexualized in Japan in the early 1900s when the Kabuki theater started to stylize torture bondage as part of their acts. Found in the country’s red-light districts, these experimental theaters were part of the walled-in pleasure quarters of larger economic hubs. The post-war era later gave rise to bondage and fetish pornography in print media through so-called pulp magazines, the most famous ones being Kitan Club and Uramado . Contrary to popular belief, shibari is far from a respected art form in Japan. Instead, it’s more on a par with graffiti, tattoos, and burlesque.
Bondage was first sexualized in Japan in the early 1900s when the Kabuki theater started to stylize torture bondage as part of their acts. One name you’ll invariably encounter as you delve into the history of shibari is that of Seiu Ito (1882-1961). Known is the “father of modern kinbaku” (more on the meaning of ‘kinbaku’ below), Seiu Ito was a Japanese artist, photographer, and bondage enthusiast whose work is known for its themes of eroticism and torture. His own early obsession with depictions of captivity drew him to the historical Edo period techniques, to the elaborate kabuki theater acts, and as his artistic career was established, he used these as sources of inspiration to tightly bind his models for his photos and paintings. His major contribution to the emergence of shibari as a more visible practice in Japan coincided with the post-war period and a growing trade in mail-order porn and BDSM magazines. (Read all about his lasting legacy in the world of shibari and rope bondage here: On Seiu Ito And The Origins Of Kinbaku .)
Shibari in the West is somewhat newer. From the 1940s, the erotic artwork of the likes of John Willie and Irving Klaw frequently centered around the archetypal ‘damsel in distress’, beginning a parallel Western rope tradition. While there was undoubtedly a black market trade in SM publications between East and West well beyond the 1960s and 1970s, Japanese-inspired rope bondage was only popularized in Europe and the US in the mid-1990s, with the first show in Amsterdam by Akechi Denki in 1997.
‘Shibari’ meaning and rope bondage terminology The more you learn about shibari, the more you’ll discover just how expansive (and specific) the world of rope jargon can get, with Japanese shibari terminology being in common usage in rope dojos the world over. (Check out the Shibari Study Glossary for just about every unfamiliar word you might encounter in a shibari class.) For now though, let’s ask the obvious question: Is it shibari or is it kinbaku?
Shibari means ‘to tie’ in Japanese. The word predates the practice and is also used to describe tying literally anything.
Kinbaku is a newer Japanese word made up of two Chinese characters. Kinbaku is a term used to specifically describe erotic bondage and the tying of people. The literal translation of the word is ‘tight binding’.
While there’s disagreement about which is the most appropriate term – kinbaku vs shibari – and some argue that the first is more about aesthetics while the latter is a sexualized version of the art form, 'shibari' and 'kinbaku' are often used interchangeably.
‘Bondage’ is a much broader term and can refer to physical restriction using any method or material, from cuffs to tape to belts and scarves. Shibari, despite its various styles, adheres to a certain aesthetic and exclusively uses ropes. But what makes shibari or kinbaku different from bondage ? ‘Bondage’ is a much broader term and can refer to physical restriction using any method or material, from cuffs to tape to belts and scarves. Shibari, despite its various styles, adheres to a certain aesthetic and exclusively uses ropes. (For more insights, check out this free inspiration session, which explores The Beauty of Semenawa , an intense style of ‘tormenting rope’.)
In rope and shibari practice, roles often come with specific terminology that helps describe the dynamic. The person doing the tying is commonly referred to as the rigger or rope top, while the person being tied may be called the rope bottom, model (depending on context), or, if they personally identify with it, a rope bunny. It’s important to use these terms thoughtfully—“rope bunny,” in particular, can feel infantilizing to some and shouldn’t be applied without consent. For those who explore rope independently, the term self-tier is often used—yes, shibari can also be practiced as a solo, self-expressive form!
Who is shibari for? Accessible to anyone, shibari can be enjoyed by all genders, orientations, and body types. True to trite heteronormative stereotypes, you’ll still see a prevalence of male riggers tying female models but, thankfully, this is changing as the scene becomes progressively more queer, feminist, and open-minded.
Rope is a tool that can be adjusted to accommodate different bodies, ages, fitness levels, and abilities. What matters is that the rigger and model work together to find a style and approach that works for them. To understand more about how ties in shibari can be adapted, check out Tying Different Bodies .
Rope is a tool that can be adjusted to accommodate different bodies, ages, fitness levels, and abilities. It is also absolutely crucial, especially when tying with new partners, to negotiate and agree on limits, boundaries, and other wishes beforehand . While it’s true that anyone can practice shibari and that it can be adapted to suit a range of bodies and desires, it’s equally true that shibari is inherently risky (for more information, read Safer Shibari: Understanding the Risks of Rope Bondage ). How you approach risk, which sorts of risks you’re willing to take and what you consider a no-go will vary from person to person and maybe even from tying session to tying session.
Illustrator: Eysar Vargas | Reference: @subay_kokorostudio Why do people do shibari? For some, tying someone up or getting tied in ropes can feel like a form of relaxation and grounding or even meditation; for others, it can feel like a yoga or acrobatic practice. Dubbed an erotic art form , shibari has strong ties to BDSM and sexual fetishism. Still, Japanese rope bondage can have many other uses beyond the sexual. It’s also important to keep in mind that the very definition of what is erotic, sensual or sexual differs wildly from person to person, and that even the most erotic or sensual rope session may not involve sex at all—at least not in the traditional sense of the word.
Commonly compared to feeling like a tight, comforting hug, many people who enjoy being tied will paradoxically tell you that being bound feels freeing. Riggers – that is, the people doing the tying – often cite a feeling of intense focus, tuning in to their partners, and being in control as intoxicating, affirming, and confidence-building. While so-called sub-space and top-space tend to be seen as opposing mental states, both have a tendency to help the practitioner escape their regular headspace to become fully immersed in the present moment. (For more on this, read Why Does Shibari Get You ‘High’? )
Shibari can be a wonderful tool to build trust and connect with our rope partners and with ourselves. Shibari can be a wonderful tool to build trust and connect with our rope partners and with ourselves. It can help us understand each other’s and our own needs, desires, and limits, as well as how to better communicate these, both verbally and nonverbally. Some people may want to push their own boundaries and challenge themselves, work through shame, or play with BDSM dynamics while others crave closeness, comfort, and safety. Often our needs will change with time and even from one day to the next.
One of the many things we rope nerds love about shibari is that it can be whatever you want it to be – it all depends on intention. Whatever you want out of your shibari journey, keep in mind that the rope is just a tool and that you get to create with it what you want.
This piece was initially published in April 2024, and has been updated by our team.
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