Shibari You Can Use: Japanese Rope Bondage and Erotic Macramé

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Hojojutsu is the grandfather to modern shibari. Many of the techniques from hojojutsu make you a faster and more effective shibari artist. For Kok, shibari is a practice imbued not only with heightened power but also humility and responsibility. “Since becoming an artist I’ve tried very hard not to feel the need to have the last word, to not think that I’m most important; to gain a full understanding of what it means to be responsible to something.” More than eroticism, gender and sexual representation is the focus of the durational piece – it runs for two and a half hours. In shibari the “bunny” is tied up by the “rigger”. Get enough rope so you can reach your full potential. Get enough rope so that your partners can experience how amazing you are. Shibari originated from Hojo-jutsu, a method of restraining captives and a form of torture, before morphing again into the erotic bondage Kinbaku (Kinbaku-bi literally translates as “the beauty of tight binding”) in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Central to the art is creating patterns that contrast and complement the natural curves of the (usually female) body. The beauty lies in juxtaposition: bare skin against rough rope, strength against exposure, a sense of calm against the knife-edge of risk. There is a great art to the act of tying,” says the softly spoken George, 37, stirring his coffee in a Sydney Potts Point cafe. “It is this incredibly ascetic experience.” Shibari, a form of bondage, is a beginner-friendly kink that allows you to explore your creativity and attitude with minimal risk and a low budget. In this guide, we’ll cover the essentials of Shibari for beginners, helping you embark on this exciting journey. Ropes The former is typically a petite, small-framed woman. However, in their production of Bunny, both rigger (Kok) and bunny (George) are male and gay. As a teenager growing up in rural Tasmania, George came out when homosexuality was still illegal (it was only decriminalised in 1997), when connections with men were secretive, when the only choice was “having dodgy hook-ups in strange places”. Ropes are central to the art of Shibari. While natural fiber ropes like jute are commonly seen in pictures and exhibitions, beginners can opt for more affordable alternatives, such as cotton ropes. This way, you can test the waters and determine if Shibari is the right fit for you before investing in premium ropes. KnotsI remember being a beginner. I had so many questions: How do I learn to tie? What rope should I get? How much rope? How long? Of course, it can be risky. In one preview, the pair tied up a male volunteer in his early 20s. Afterwards, a viewer chastised them for supposedly abusing the trust of someone young, someone gullible. “I found that very intriguing. Who is to say a 21-year-old doesn’t know what he wants, what he’s open to?” asks Kok. George adds, “We make ourselves pretty vulnerable, we are the ones tied up to begin with.” Bunny will premiere in Australia at Campbelltown Arts Centre on 22 and 23 January, 2016. Photograph: Bernie Ng/Substation I realize I'm both the guy selling you the rope and also the guy recommending you buy more rope. However, I'm writing kink books and selling rope out of love, not for money. If I wanted to get rich, I'd have written a fad-diet book.

If you can afford it, please get enough rope so you can be the rigger you want to be, not the rigger you are right now. Begin your Shibari journey by tying your partner’s wrists and ankles. This foundational practice allows you to establish a sense of comfort and trust before moving on to more complex ties. Additionally, consider using “columns”– tying your partner to a chair or a piece of furniture. Look around your bedroom with a rope master’s eye to find suitable anchor points. Safety It can be very gentle, as well as really hard,” agrees 39-year-old Singaporean Kok. “There is a whole range of emotions that are as flexible as the material itself … a sense of communication through rope.” A bunny conjures up images “of a small helpless creature”, notes Kok. “We want to mess around with [the word]. [The title] Bunny is a campy reference to, I dare say, queer culture – we offset the regular binary between masculine, feminine, strong and weak.” The pair learnt shibari in Australia (George divides his time between Melbourne and Brooklyn, New York). The underground erotic art remains largely clandestine in its native Japan; finding teachers was tough.

The essence of Shibari lies in enjoying the rope games together with your partner. Embrace the learning process and apply what you’ve discovered about basic Shibari for beginners. Remember, it’s a journey of exploration and connection, so let your creativity and enthusiasm guide you. The repercussions for the performer, he says, are huge. “The kind of person we spend our daily lives working on improving might temporarily need to be shelved. It becomes a sublime and massive task for me as an artist.”

You're about to put a lot of time and effort toward learning to tie. For many, tying becomes a defining part of who they are. Being tied can be one of the most profoundly sensual and moving experiences of a lifetime. You'll be the one giving that experience to people.

In Bunny, Kok poses an ethical question: “When a group of people gather, how much concession, agreement, how much of a common denominator do we share?” As a beginner, don’t dive into intricate patterns right away. There are numerous resources, including books and online tutorials, that offer guidance on basic knots. Begin with simpler knots that are easy to learn and execute. Remember, the primary goal at this stage is to explore if bondage appeals to both you and your partner. Wrists and Ankles