The erotic art of Shibari is a Japanese discipline. It is based in tie people erotically. The Shibari is a communication, using the ropes, between the tier and usually a model. The origin of Shibari was as a martial discipline in the Japanese Edo age. Public authorities used the ropes to tie and move prisoners. Also used as well as an element of torture.
The Erotic Art of Shibari in the Arts
The erotic art of Shibari was used as an erotic component of the Japanese imagery at the late 40s. It was used in photography magazine, shows, getting the form of the actual shibari. Shibari has a strong presence in the works of some renowned contemporary artists. Photographers like Nobuyoshi Araki in Japan use it Jim Duvall in the United States, and Hikari Kesho in Europe used it. In addition, in 2014, Romanian singer-songwriter NAVI released the Shibari-themed music video “Picture Perfect”. Therefore, the highly controversial video was banned by Romanian television based explicit erotic content of it.
A traditional view is that the term ‘shibari’ is a Western misuse of Japanese vocabulary. The word denotes tying in Japanese. But in a generic way and not in the context of bondage. The names for many particular ties include ‘shibari’. But above all, it is not traditional to call the activity that way. Instead, traditional Japanese bondage uses Kinbaku as the term for artistic or erotic tying.
The Ropes of Shibari
In Japan the most often used type of rope is jute rope. As a result, this rope is referred to as “Asanawa”. It means “hemp rope”. It is a combination of the word ‘asa’ as hemp and ‘nawa’ as rope. However, this is using the more generic form of the word. Hemp is referring to natural fibre ropes rather than a particular plant.
Traditional Japanese bondage techniques use exclusively natural vegetable fiber rope, like hemp, jute, or linen. Contemporary Japanese Masters have been working with a range of rope materials. The natural fibers easily lock to each other. For instance, the shibari can be held together by the friction of twists and turns or very simple knots. Traditionally, multiple 6-8 meter lengths are used.
THE EROTIC ART OF SHIBARI BY ALEX MANFREDINI