What are the origins of Shibari?
Learn about Shibari, Kinbaku or Rope Bondage
What we know as Shibari or Kinbaku has its origins in an ancient Samurai tradition, Hojojutsu, of tying up prisoners. The shibari knots used depended on the social status of the prisoner, his crimes, and the jurisdiction of the Samurai in charge. It is important to note that Hojojutsu was a method of torture and humiliation. The shibari ties were a method of bondage meant to cause pain.
By the late 1800s, kabuki theatre created dramas that depicted heroes revolting against oppressive regimes. Incredible stories filled with violence and nationalism in which the lead role suffered from beating and torture. In order to depict the Hojojutsu ties on stage, the actors had to redefine them in order to make them more comfortable, safe, and aesthetically pleasing for the audience. This is the beginning of Shibari as we know it today.
By the end of WWII, fetish magazines in the east and west were showing illustrations and later pictures of rope bondage. And so the art began to spread. Enthusiasts in the west took it upon themselves to learn shibari and became so adept that they were soon creating their own shibari rope designs comparable in mastery to those done by riggers in the east. Rope bondage lessons began to spread in BDSM circles and shibari workshops became easier to find.
By the late 1800s, kabuki theatre created dramas that depicted heroes revolting against oppressive regimes. Incredible stories filled with violence and nationalism in which the lead role suffered from beating and torture. In order to depict the Hojojutsu ties on stage, the actors had to redefine them in order to make them more comfortable, safe, and aesthetically pleasing for the audience. This is the beginning of Shibari as we know it today.
By the end of WWII, fetish magazines in the east and west were showing illustrations and later pictures of rope bondage. And so the art began to spread. Enthusiasts in the west took it upon themselves to learn shibari and became so adept that they were soon creating their own shibari rope designs comparable in mastery to those done by riggers in the east. Rope bondage lessons began to spread in BDSM circles and shibari workshops became easier to find.
