Tag:rope

Shibari – Japanese Bondage

I am always open to new ideas and keen to try something different. So, I organised a small group of photographers to shoot a Shibari Japanese bondage session. I already knew of a talented rope artist – and he had his own ‘muse’ to bring along. However, finding a location turned out to be the most difficult.

Knotwork

We needed, for obvious reasons, somewhere indoors, somewhere private—something within our meagre budget and with a big strong beam to suspend our shibari model from. Lots of hunting later, location, date and crew were in place.

Starting the Tie

In Japanese, “Shibari” simply means “to tie”. The contemporary meaning of Shibari describes an ancient Japanese artistic form of rope bondage. Shibari style rigging creates geometric patterns and shapes with rope that contrast beautifully with the human body’s natural curves. The ropes and their texture provide contrast to smooth skin and curves. In Shibari, the model is the canvas, the rope is the paint and brush, and the rigger is the rope artist.

The Art of Contemporary Shibari
Terminology
  • Shibari is a Japanese word — for “to tie decoratively.”
  • “Rigger — is the one who is tying his partner
  • Ropebunny — the one who’s being tied.
Shibari - Japanese Bondage

On the day of our Shibari Japanese bondage shoot, we fronted up to the Carlton warehouse. The ‘bunny and rigger’ did their own thing. All the while we circled, cameras clicking, photographing from all angles.

Shibari - Japanese Bondage

In the late 1800′s and early 1900′s a new form of erotic Hojo-justu evolved, called Kinbaku, the art of erotic bondage. Today, particularly in the west, the art of erotic bondage is typically called Shibari, which is an art of erotic spirituality, not a martial art.

Art of Contemporary Shibari
Shibari - Japanese Bondage

A Cosmopolitan article described Shibari as “the act of tying up a person for aesthetic purposes, in a pretty or intricate pattern, typically by using some form of rope”

Shibari - Japanese Bondage
Shibari - Japanese Bondage
Shibari - Japanese Bondage
Chris (Doolzy) and Minda

Chris (the rope artist) and Minda (the model) were fabulous. Everyone was delighted with the shots they came away with, and the experience is something I won’t forget.

© Bevlea Ross