Bound To Be Beautiful
Tokyo Love Story is a sabukaru series where we explore the love & sex industry of Japan, and take a deeper look at what goes on inside and out of it. In this edition, we explore kinbaku/shibari bondage culture.
Model Hina
Shot by Ronin de Goede
It is practiced by a skilled rope nawashi; a person with a level of dedication to the craft and technical precision, and most importantly, who can perform the ties responsibly and safely.
Each practitioner of shibari has their own style reflective of their personality. Some prefer theatrical suspensions, while others prefer the erotic poetry of floor techniques, subtly raising the intensity of the binds. What all nawashi seem to agree on is that shibari is invariably a form of intimate communication between a nawashi and their subject. Often the person being tied is taken into a headspace where the act of being bound is cathartic and comforting, while others find the act electrifying and erotic.
The act of wrapping and tying, and the presence of rope, has a long and storied history throughout Japanese culture, from the decorative rope marks on Jomon era pottery, to the obi used to tie kimonos. Within Shinto, the indigenous religion of Japan, rope has talismanic connotations and indicates that a space is sacred. Within this cultural context, kinbaku has aesthetic sensibilities where the rope goes beyond mere restriction - such as the use of manacles that can be common in Western forms of BDSM.
Model Tsubomi Yoshino and Nawashi Go Arisu
Shot by Mariella Kai
Artists such as bad boy photographer Nobuyoshi Araki, whose work often features bound models [including Lady Gaga], and numerous nawashi have also taken kinbaku into the world of fine art, raising its worldwide recognition. There are now over one million posts for shibari on Instagram and it has trended overseas with workshops and festivals, often practised as an exotic wellness activity.
sabukaru spoke to three generations of professional nawashi: Sora, Hajime Kinoko, and Go Arisue to discover exactly what the work of a Japanese rope bondage master entails.
INTERVIEW I: SORA
Sora feels that by using rope, he can become more perceptive and capable of understanding the other person.
Shot by Ronin de Goede
Sora is a young kinbaku prodigy in his 20s who is the apprentice of the nawashi Haru Tenma. He represents an up-and-coming generation of rope bondage enthusiasts. While he performs at S&M clubs and hosts his master’s salon, most of his work consists of private sessions with many of his clients of a similar age, with no prior experience. His clientele request his services after seeing his work on YouTube and Twitter. The Tenma style of kinbaku which he practices, is typified by a sensual type of interplay that prioritizes an intimate and intense form of exchange, which he feels supersedes regular communication.
Can you describe your nawashi apprenticeship, how you were accepted, and what it entails?
When I saw Haru Tenma's rope for the first time, I received a jolt like never before. I became increasingly aware of how great Tenma was, while I was learning how to: bind a woman, the logic of the rope, as well as how to care for her body and soul. There is reasoning behind all the ties and a type of cause and effect, so there are no techniques that are meaningless or purely for decoration. I practice semenawa [literally ‘tormenting rope’, a restrictive type of bondage for endurance], rather than ties that are purely artistic or just for suspension or immobilization.
What is the appeal for you as a young nawashi to go down this path?
I can introduce the benefits of bondage to people who have never done it before, and to younger people as well. I am observing the person’s reactions from behind, and I can recognize when someone is excited, what they are thinking, and if they are concentrating or not. I think kinbaku is a form of mental play; when I pause or do something, the female is imagining what I am thinking and trying to do. Because there is a repetition of this, it raises the girl’s concentration level and she becomes more sensitive.
Some girls ask for my services after seeing my shows. You would think going to a bondage show is inaccessible, but Tenma and I get a lot of female spectators. It is because our bondage is done in a way that respects women, and takes into consideration their bodies and their desires - so there are a lot of female fans.
Hina feels that before wider society finds kinbaku acceptable, it is necessary to lay the groundwork for the legalization of same-sex marriage. ”From there, I hope that people's attitudes toward sexuality will change for the better, and that society will become a place where people with sexual minorities can live comfortably.”
Shot by Ronin de Goede.
You also work with a lot of kinbaku newbies, what are some of the things you take into consideration when working with girls with no experience?
I have clients who are nervous, but I will either dissipate that, or try and inflate it according to what they might find pleasurable. I bind them in a way that conveys the act of talking with them, an interplay with them, and having sex with them. Within BDSM there is the notion of playing with pain, suffering, shame, and pleasure, and you can do all of this by communicating with the rope.
Sora’s model Hina is 22 years old, and says that she had no interest in bondage, and had never watched any porn about it either, but requested Sora’s services. “I had always liked S&M play and restraints, so I was sure I would be into it, but as I expected, I was totally hooked.”
What reasons do your clients give for wanting your services?
After watching my videos and live shows, they want to feel the same way. It is an unknown experience. They also find it appealing because it is like an art form using the women's body - some want to be tied up and have their picture taken.
Some females find bondage comforting, it is like being encased. By losing one’s autonomy, they paradoxically feel they can become free. They entrust me, let me take over, give me responsibility and they don’t have to decide anything on their own. Because they are immobilized, they can’t resist, so even if something embarrassing is done to them they enjoy that. With bondage, there are sides of oneself that you are hiding normally and you can bring to the fore. You can let your mind go blank and liberate your feelings.
You often talk about the dangers of kinbaku with inexperienced people, what are the hazards?
Radial nerve palsy is common, a few centimeters of pressure or misalignment of the rope can cause it. It is not only the way the rope is bound, but also the way the arms are folded that can cause the muscles to compress the nerve and cause paralysis. It is important to assess the other person's body and have solid technique. If someone doesn’t know what they are doing, there will be injuries and the reputation of kinbaku will be sullied because of it.
Hina says, “Gote shibari of Tenma style makes it difficult to breathe, yet there is no pain or discomfort at all; it makes me feel as if I'm being hugged. Also, communicating through a rope is not an easy thing to do, but I think that is why I feel a sense of security and happiness when we communicate with each other.”
Shot by Ronin de Goede
Interview II: Kinoko Hajime
Kinoko says of his work, “Rather than to make the girl feel turned on, I want to make the girl enraptured by beauty. I want to use the rope to make the girl spellbound.” Image from PR T.
Kinoko Hajime is a nawashi, contemporary artist and photographer in his 40s who uses rope as a motif in his artwork. With 25 years of experience, he is adept in traditional kinbaku, as well as more modern takes, such as day-glow rope shibari for club events. However, he is most well-known for his large-scale installations; much in the manner of Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s work he has “tied up” iconic buildings across Tokyo, attaching female forms to their exterior. He has also taken commissions from fashion brands and major music artists such as Aimyon, Snowman, and Koda Kumi.
You started off working in underground clubs - how did you make the transition into art?
Around 12 years ago. Photographer Yuki Kawamoto asked whether I wanted to do something with red rope in a white cube studio. Rather than actually tying, I was just placing the rope on top. It was then I realized I could do things other than SM with the rope. I am not just wanting to do something erotic, I want to make something aesthetic. However, if making something more erotic is what will make the female look more beautiful or sublime, then I will use the essence of eroticism in my work.
An example of Kinoko’s fine art interpretation of kinbaku.
are YOU quite different in that you don’t personally find shibari an erotic form of expression?
I think I am really soft! Usually people who do S&M have a sadistic urge and do it for those reasons, but I didn’t have anything like that. I’m not into making girls orgasm with the rope, whereas guys younger than me are really into that. When you do shibari, the girl is more aesthetic than before. But having said that, within S&M, there are girls who suffer when you bind them, but there are also women that become more beautiful because of that.
What do you want to express via your Art?
Connection. The reason is, when I started doing shibari I realized that it has great capabilities. When you tie someone up, of course, they can’t move. If it were me, I think it’s scary to be tied up by someone I don’t know. I can feel that they trust me, and I have to reply to that accordingly. It is a rich and sensitive form of communication.
Do you feel that shibari is well known in foreign communities?
The recognition level is really high. In Japan, they want to put a lid on sexual things. It is really negative. Whereas overseas, even if there is an element of eroticism, they are really positive towards art. In Paris, I tied up Brooke Candy and she sang at a Palais de Tokyo anniversary party event. It was fresh and new for the audience as I was not doing old-style shibari, so they thought this form of expression was cool or beautiful.
Kinoko’s art is taken to new heights during a live performance.
Quite often I see kinbaku enjoyed as a form of therapy overseas, akin to aerial yoga - how is it seen overseas?
I understand that - it is like calming compression clothing. With pressure, the soul is calmed. I have people tell me that they don’t have to go to the psychiatrist anymore since I started to bind them. But it is not like I’m teaching shibari for therapy, I teach the skills and then after that you can use it how you want, as long as you have safe techniques.
INTERVIEW III: GO ARISU
Go Arisue is a veteran nawashi having started his career in the 70s and is one of the most respected figures within the kinbaku scene. Rather than go through an apprenticeship, his kinbaku is inspired by artworks such as those by Seiu Ito, Akira Minomura and Kaname Ozuma. He favors a subdued, minimalistic sensibility and his performances are meditative, contemplative, even wistful in tone. He is one of the first nawashi to go abroad, and has done performances in countries such as Ukraine, Germany, France, Australia and Sweden.
Shot by Mariella Kai
What is the history of professional nawashi in Japan – what generation would you fall into?
There are historic rope ties for criminals from the Edo period which were used to immobilize people, which entered the public eye when they were portrayed in kabuki theatre scenes. There were probably officials tormenting the prisoners as well. There was also the culture of seppuku in Japan, so the pre-modern penal code was quite cruel.
However, contemporary kinbaku was modernized via magazines, shows and videos, so everyone could see it and there is an entertainment aspect to it as well.
I am in the second generation of nawashi, there is one above me, with people like [kinbaku pioneer] Seiu Itoh, but these people have passed away. In the past, it was mostly work with magazines - there were a bunch of people on a set - but now we do the whole lot on our own, including content creation. With the internet, people can watch everything for free, which has facilitated a convenience store culture of shibari that produces a lot of franchises.
Go Arisue’s model Tsubomi Yoshino has had a kinbaku relationship with Ariuse for over ten years. She says, “I think it is meditative, even if you try and quiet yourself, there is a lot of noise and to overcome that is difficult, but when you are tied up, what you think during this time is really lucid.”
Shot by Mariella Kai.
Currently, it’s popular for women TO seek out nawashi and proactively join communities. When did this start happening and why?
It used to be guys looking for girls, but now it is girls looking to have their desires satisfied - it is the complete opposite. Young guys in Japan aren’t that good at dealing with girls like that, they are too timid, so what happens is that the girls end up going for guys with a huge age gap.
As a professional nawashi, what kind of work does that entail?
I host classes, work on shoots and events, and write books as well. Kinbaku is a physical act, but socially there is less direct physical contact. Kinbaku is something that you can’t do in the virtual world: you touch people directly and it is sensitive. Using the rope, you can be honest, there is clarity, it is mushin [a meditative state of mind, a mental state of nothingness]. The term kinbaku is a bit strong, so how about if we change it to ‘communication theory’ or ‘nawacation’!
Shot by Mariella Kai
I do a lot of experimental collaborations with musicians and theatre people. There is a good compatibility with artists like butoh dancers with nawashi because. their work is philosophical and conceptual as well. There are interesting expressions within butoh that seem a bit defective, like the convulsions of the body, but kinbaku is able to contend with that.
Yoshino [pictured above] says, “With rope there is a sense of dependency, where you are giving your freedom to someone you trust, you can be in touch with yourself and because of that, you can touch each other’s souls. But within that, you try to get to a place of independence. You have to stand on your own feet, but if you haven’t experienced being dependent, you can’t be independent either.”
Shot by Mariella Kai
You’ve worked on a lot of mainstream films like Hana to Hebi with famous actresses – were you surprised to receive offers like these?
I knew director Takashi Ishii from before, when he was actually drawing manga for S&M magazines. He came to me with the offer for the movie, and figured I would be the person to do it. I think having an actress like Aya Sugimoto brought kinbaku to a mainstream audience and a lot of females watching it thought that it is OK to have these feelings, and that these kinds of interests are acceptable to express.
Shot by Mariella Kai
How do you feel that kinbaku is seen socially in Japan ?
It is something that is always meant to be seen in dim places, I think it is a bit embarrassing to say it’s a mainstream thing now! I think butoh, kinbaku and tattoos are art forms that Japan excels at. For example with tattoos, there are shaded gradations - Japan is a culture of these restrained, shadowy sensibilities. I also think these obscure things are the most erotic, rather than really bright forms of art. There is a beauty in things that fall and scatter. It is the aesthetics of decay and a sense of loss.
Words by Manami Okazaki- a journalist and author of 14 books about Japanese culture. She often works within the intersection of traditional and popular culture in Japan. She has interviewed members of Japan’s kink underground for over ten years.
Edited by Ora Margolis and Thea Jowsey
Selected Photos by Ronin de Goede and Mariella Kai
Article Layout by Anisha Kapoor
