Did you know that samurai invented bondage?
You just never truly know where the next sexual fetish or craze is going to come from. Now that society is much more open than 50 years ago, a new fetish or craze can come from anywhere. And there will always be excited people who want to try it out, no matter how weird or strange it is. One popular sexual activity is BDSM. There are many different BDSM activities to try, and one of them is rope play and rope restraint. Tying up your loved one is hot right now, and this activity has even moved into mainstream society. But is tying a person up an actual art form? Thanks to Japan, it is, and it is called Kinbaku and Shibari.
Bondage is now a popular sexual act in Japanese pornography and also in many bedrooms around the world. But where did Kinbaku and Shibari come from, and how was it originally used? We have always wondered this, and so we decided to do a little digging. It turns out that this form of bondage originated from the great and wild samurai of Japan! We did not see that coming! Now, before you fill your head with sexual fantasies of samurai tying each other up, you should know that rope bondage was not always used to tie up consenting and excited sexual partners. It was originally used to capture and restrain criminals and enemies.
The history of rope binding
During the 17th century, dozens of prefectures were at war with each other during the height of the samurai era. These separate kingdoms were fighting to gain land, which was rare and highly valuable on the small island of Japan. Remember, Japan is a little smaller than California, so Shoguns fought hard to keep what they had. Because there were so many different kingdoms fighting each, there was much more crime, and law enforcement had to find new ways to capture and keep criminals.
To prevent their captives from running away, samurai and law enforcement who captured their enemies instead of killing them would tie them up in very intricate rope patterns so that they could not escape. This art was known as Hojōjutsu. It was far too easy for a prisoner to jump up and run away if only their arms were tied. By creating these rope patterns and using them on prisoners, samurai, and law enforcement who captured criminals were able to restrain them and make it impossible for the captives to free themselves. There was even a method to completely restrain a captive's arms and tie them around their back.
The different rope designs revealed the crimes the criminals were captured for. There were even designs to tie multiple captives together.
How it became a sexual fetish
The shift of Hojojutsu from a law enforcement practice to a sexual practice was not a natural one. In the 1950s, a man named Seiu Ito deliberately researched Hojojutsu because he wanted to incorporate rope play in sex. He created several rope patterns and practiced tying the ropes by restraining his second wife and some art models. After tying them up, he took many photographs and sent them into newspapers and magazines. The most jarring and eye-catching photograph he took was of a woman hanging upside down. It caught the attention of many people, which solidified the art form's success.
Seiu Ito is now known as the Father of Modern Kinbaku.
What to know about Kinbaku and Shibari
Shibari is a form of rope bondage that is not always sexual. All people involved can keep their clothes on and not engage in sex at all. The rope is then tied around the participant's body, and they are restrained. It is meant to give the tied person a "pleasure high" or a "runner's high." Many people who practice sub-dom BDSM practice Shibari when they want to have a non-sexual connection.
Kinbaku is the form of rope bondage that included sex. There are many rope patterns that a person can use on their lover to restrain them and dominate over them during sex. Some patterns are for the lower body, while others are tied around the upper body. Some patterns that restrain the entire body.
Because both Kinbaku and Shibari are art forms, beautiful rope designs are part of the tying process. Aesthetic is a major element in these rope art forms. A person cannot just tie their lover up with a knot and call it Kinbaku. Asymmetry and knot location are important factors, and the pattern must have Japanese features. There are some patterns that should never be used because they will cause a great amount of pain to the person who is tied up. The patterns were meant for interrogation only.
The rope is usually made from natural fibers because the roughness of the rope stands out on a person's smooth skin. The natural fibers are usually hemp or jute. Also, it is easier to create intricate patterns with natural fiber ropes. The rope that is used in rope bondage is called an asanawa, and it is usually 6 to 8 meters long. The rope's length can be longer, depending on the body parts that are to be restrained and the person's size. Very often all kinds of bondage are showed in hentai productions.
Conclusion
Japan is a place of strange and exotic oddities, but that's why we love it so much. If you can find a person who you trust, you should try Kinbaku at least once. It is a sexual art form that thrives in many BDSM communities. Once used to restrain captives and prisoners, it is now designed to give pleasure. If you don't want to have sex while bound, then you can try Shibari instead.
The rope used in both Shibari and Kinbaku is made out of natural fibers, but you can use any type of rope as long as it is thin and several meters long. The creation and rise of Kinbaku are due to Seiu Ito. If you try out these forms of rope bondage, be sure the rope patterns do not cut off your circulation. And remember that you don't have to participate in any pattern that you don't want to.
