Musings on kinbaku appreciation, art, crafts, and beauty in ropes

Photo by Dolph Vex.

Apart from being a rope model I am also a kinbaku appreciator. Or rather, I am on a path of becoming one as I don’t think I have obtained this skill yet. Just as with any skill, understanding and enjoying kinbaku requires effort and dedication. And the more work you put into it, the more subtle pleasures you will be able to derive from it. 

The path to becoming a kinbaku appreciator is not only through knowledge, even though knowing the history, the important masters and their styles and how they evolved adds to one’s experiences. But what I think is even more important than knowledge is a practice of differentiating between what you find beautiful and what you don’t. In an amazing book by a Japanese pottery master, Soetsu Yanagi, “The Unknown Craftsman”* he says about appreciating beauty: “First, put aside the desire to judge immediately; acquire the habit of just looking. Second, do not treat the object as an object for the intellect. Third, just be ready to perceive, passively, without interposing yourself.” In that way you learn how to ‘feel’ beauty instead of trying to rationalise it. Similar ideas were also prominent in other books on traditional Japanese aesthetics**, *** that I’ve read and in my view they are strongly related to the ideas of living itself being an art that comes from Zen Buddhism and that are very close to my heart. 

The relationship between the artist and the viewer in traditional Japanese arts is usually more equal than in the West. For the Japanese thinkers, an audience perceiving an art piece does not just passively receive what the artist has to show but rather actively co-creates the experience. The audience is an intrinsic part of the work of art they perceive. In the words of Kakuzo Okakura**: “The sympathetic communion of minds necessary for art appreciation must be based on mutual concession. The spectator must cultivate the proper attitude for receiving the message, as the artist must know how to impart it.” In that spirit I watch kinbaku and I train my senses to perceive more of its nuances. Also, I observe what is appreciated by people who are more knowledgeable than I am to learn to feel what makes it such. Not to parrot or rationally understand them but to feel what they feel when they look at something beautiful. I am not saying that you *need* to look at kinbaku in Japanese way in order to appreciate it fully. I am inspired by it because I find these ideas appealing also outside of the kinbaku setting, practising Zen Buddhism and learning about it’s philosophy. Applying it to my passion is a natural consequence. 

I’ve been talking about art the entire time so far but should we even call kinbaku an art? 

I think ‘yes’ and ‘no’ depending on how we want to look at it. In “The Unknown Craftsman” Yanagi makes a distinction between art and crafts. He says that art is something to look at, something torn away from everyday life, while crafts create things for everyday use, such as clothes, furniture and pottery. In light of these definitions kinbaku to me is a craft. It is a skill of using ropes in order to make people suffer, for erotic pleasure, or other purposes that one would use bondage for. It has an aim, it is not done for the sake of tying only. Or rather, it can be but the beauty of it comes from its use. Yanagi says that the beauty in crafts is the “beauty that is identified with use. It is beauty born of use. Apart from use there is no beauty of craft. Therefore, things made that do not stand up to use or that ignore utility can barely be expected to contain this kind of beauty.” He also talks about the fact that “individualistic beauty”, which is created by artists is lower than the beauty that transcends the individual, which you find in crafts. 

To me, even the most beautiful rope work done only for the sake of showcasing the skill of the rigger or the model lacks that “something”, that naturalness which would be there if it was created to be used. That is also, I believe, why the works of Norio Sugiura are so powerful. He is using rope and his subjects for something more than simply tying a shape, and he suggests that something in his photography. Even though his pictures are full of rope, they are never about the rope. And they are also never about the model. They are about creating an image that will satisfy perverted onlooker’s dark fantasies. They are about telling a story that will excite our imagination. They are using rope in such a way that they make one think about what will happen next and what has happened before. The beauty of rope in them is a necessary element but not a goal by itself. And that is what I often miss in other rope photographs or rope performances. Very often they are about showcasing beautiful pieces of rope work but not about “using” what the rigger has just created and because of that they end up being empty. By using I mean - torturing the model, using them for their pleasure, or even simply enjoying their work; not tying in order to stroke their or their model’s ego but in order to put a human being in a position of distress and helplessness because it is something they enjoy seeing. 

Of course, rope bondage can (and does) have other purposes than putting someone in distress or using them for rigger’s pleasure but to me those can often be artificial and not logical, like using a knife to caress your lover. Sure, if you do it very delicately, it might even be pleasurable. But why use a tool for a purpose it was not created for and discard its inherent properties? To me, tying people up for purposes other than mentioned before lacks the “naturalness” that in traditional Japanese arts defines things that are beautiful. It’s a matter of taste. I’m not saying that there is anything wrong with using rope to worship the model, to give them love or appreciation, or to show off your skills, it’s just that I don’t find it beautiful. To me, the whole point of tying someone up (also when it is done for their pleasure) is about tearing something out of them, cracking up their shiny surfaces, getting under their skin (which might also be a kind of worship or appreciation, I admit). And if I don’t see rope being used for that, I just can’t see the beauty in it in the meaning of ‘beautiful kinbaku’. I can still find it interesting and even derive some aesthetic pleasure from it but it will not have the depth I am looking for. Again, as master Yanagi says, “The deepest beauty is suggestive of infinite potentiality rather than being merely explanatory. (...) All works of art, it may be said, are more beautiful when they suggest something beyond themselves than when they end up being merely what they are.” To me in kinbaku, that beautiful something is what you tear out of the model against their will, and what seeing that does to the onlooker. 

Coming back to the topic of art vs. craft, in my opinion a complex craft elevated to such perfection as kinbaku sometimes is, can be called art. Art, to me, is a form that transcends its use. Something that makes me think and feel beyond what I am looking at. That transforms me into a different realm, that moves me. I think that kinbaku has all these components when performed skilfully (both in terms of skills of the rigger and of the model). But it is a different kind of art. It is not an individualistic art in which the creator is showing off themselves or trying to tell us something. It is an art just because of the sheer amount of skill and sophistication that goes into performing it but it is up to the audience to recognise it. It is art because it elevates something as lowly as torture and sexual exploitation to a spectacle that you can’t take your eyes away from. This is what makes it ‘bigger than life’, which to me is what art is about. 

Apart from the high-level beauty coming from use, there is also a more fine level of beauty in kinbaku, the beauty of the tie itself, of the position of the body of the model and of the actual rope work. Just as in the tea ceremony, there is the ephemeral beauty of the moment and the communion with other people who participate in the event, and there is also the more physical beauty of the utensils, the subtle decoration of the room and the elegant movements of the tea master. And that physical beauty can be more easily defined by what we humans conventionally find aesthetically pleasing, even though it also becomes less straightforward once we develop sophisticated ways of looking at things. 

Recently, because of a strained shoulder I avoided being tied in a TK and ended up being tied in a strappado a lot. It was an interesting exercise, because it made me and my partner, Asiana, look at familiar ties from new angles. One of our discoveries was that it seemed like pretty much everything that she tied looked better with a strappado. But we couldn’t figure out why. At that time we were tying on a single point and a lot of ties we did were kind of crunched or on the contrary, spreading me open, and they were not making me appear very graceful. It was interesting to see how combined with a strappado each of these positions felt more elegant and also looked more conventionally beautiful in the pictures that Asiana showed me. Later, we switched to bamboo again and she tied me in a ‘classic’ S-shape. Getting out of it, I was amazed by how much easier it was for me to take it, partly because I felt graceful and beautiful in it. Then I realised that in general many ties from Naka style make me feel this way and are often easier to handle than ties from other styles. I was trying to figure out what it is that makes them so graceful I have a theory - long lines and smooth arches. 

In another book that I’ve read recently, “A Guide to Better Movement”, the author, Todd Hargrove, says “There is something about a large range of motion that is pleasing to the eye, and this is why dancers and gymnasts get into the splits a lot.” He also says that in “graceful movements, even small subtle movements, affect the whole body.” and he mentions that efficient movement is perceived by humans as more beautiful and that “we can identify efficient movement by looking for arches and not angles. (...) sharp angles followed by flat lines is a sign of weakness, whereas smooth arches indicate strength.“ And in positions that I feel the most graceful and beautiful in my body is often shaped in long smooth arches. That was exactly the effect that strappado had on the ties on a single point because it was adding a long arched line of my arms to it, creating elongation where normally only short and jagged shapes would be present. 

But, there is the beauty that is “easy to see” and there is the one that needs more effort to be noticed. Many ties on a bamboo, especially the ones stretching and twisting the model, are conventionally beautiful in the sense that I have just described, they shape the body into smooth arched shapes. Also, because bamboo makes the shape rather two-dimensional (even though striving for three-dimensionality in a tie usually adds to its beauty), it is much easier to create with it something that looks good on a picture. While, when it comes to a single point, the positions lose a lot when they are shown only from one angle. In that sense, bamboo seems to make the rope work more like a painting, while the single point is more like a sculpture. That is not to say that one is better than the other, but that they are different media and that influences how they look but also my experience as a model. Both me and Asiana do not find the ties on a bamboo more beautiful than on a single point but we do recognise that they show different aspects of me and of our interaction. While the first one is often graceful, elegant and pleasant to look at and it usually leaves me feeling cathartically ‘reborn’, the other is twisted, ungraceful and struggle-inducing and through that it shows my human beauty in it’s more obscure aspects. 

There is a lot of beauty to be found in kinbaku, both as a practitioner and as a spectator. There is the simple and straightforward and the deep and obscure. There are ties that look almost the same but are completely different because of a small detail of historic significance. There are ties that are visually beautiful and those in which the beauty is in the emotions of the model. There is beauty in rope photography, beauty in rope videos, in performances and in private sessions. And the more I practice it, the more I read and study, the more beauty I find in the most unexpected places. My personal need to learn how to appreciate kinbaku is not coming from a need to be more sophisticated or ‘better’ than someone else but from the respect that I have for this amazing craft (art) and the people who devote themselves to learning it. I want to give justice to the effort they’ve put into their mastery. I want to fully appreciate what my riggers give me when they tie me and what I see when I watch performers on stage or in pictures. And to do that, I need to develop my own taste for beauty in kinbaku. Because liking everything is like liking nothing. And I want to be a receiver and an audience that is worth creating for. 

Bibliography:

* Soetsu Yanagi, “The Unknown Craftsman”

** Kakuzo Okakura, “The Book of Tea”

*** A. Minh Nguyen “New Essays in Japanese aesthetics”

**** Todd Hargrove “The Guide to Better Movement”

My thoughts on objectification in Japanese rope bondage and the differences between the ways that the Japanese and the Westerners do rope

Disclaimer: This post is full of generalisations as I use them as a tool for extracting certain patterns. However, I must stress that I do not claim that it is a proper description of the way that people in Japan and in the West practice rope. Rather, it is an indication of certain tendencies which I do believe, partially, to be culturally influenced. When I talk about ‘The Japanese’ I draw most of my conclusions from my experiences with Akira Naka and Suzuki Iroha, Hourai Kasumi, Shigonawa Bingo and Yoshida Yoi, all of whom I have seen live. Finally, I believe that most of the attitudes that I describe here as ‘Japanese‘ are related to the traditional Japanese culture with its arts and crafts which is deeply influenced by Zen as well as Shintoism.

Some time ago, I’ve been teaching a workshop on objectification in rope with Soptik and during one of the feedback rounds an interesting statement was made by one of the participants. They indicated that they are currently mainly practising Naka style and therefore objectification was a very unnatural (but also interesting) way for them to treat their model. I was extremely surprised by this statement because the way that I see Naka style is that it is extremely objectifying. That is one of the reasons why I love to be tied in this style so much. Of course, different people might perceive the same ties in very different ways as this perception is usually the result of the intention of the rigger and the mindset of the model. However, the discrepancy in the perception of one style by the two of us was so big that it triggered me to investigate it more. 

In more or less the same time, I was a witness to a performance of a well known Japanese rigger, Yoi Yoshida, which, added to my previous experiences with Japanese riggers, made me think a lot about the differences (as perceived by me) in the way that (most of the) Westerners do rope compared to the Japanese. Combining both, resulted in some thoughts that I decided to word here.

By no means, it is an attempt at defining some ultimate cultural truths. Rather, it is a description of how I perceive certain things, very subjective and personal and definitely open for a discussion.

For the Japanese rope is a ritual, for the Westerners, it is an adventure

I have an impression that a lot of us, Westerners is often focused on the ‘newness’ in rope. We constantly look for new positions, new emotions, new forms of expression. We are always trying to innovate. Looking at the performances of the famous Western riggers, you can see that they always strive for showing something that is, in a way, unusual. They are afraid that if they don’t, they will appear boring. 

From what I have seen so far about the way that the Japanese people do rope, I feel like for them rope is not so much about the new experiences, but rather it is about one very particular experience. They do not mind repeating the same sequence over and over again. They don’t get bored with it. Rather, they recognise that, just as in a ritual, even though seemingly it is always the same, it actually never is. Even though on the outside the sequence of your movements looks the same every time, each of those times you are not the same and your partner isn’t either, and by letting your body flow in a sequence that is so recognizable, you can awaken deep and powerful emotions within, even without much effort on the side of the rigger, just by the sheer power of the archetype.

I often hear a critique of more traditional Japanese performances that they tend to be very repetitive and if you’ve seen one then you’ve seen them all. After seeing a couple, I can say that it is partly true, there is a certain universal dramaturgy to them, a certain flow that remains more or less stable. I find it fascinating, though. Watching it is like watching Shakespear's play on stage. On the one hand, it treats about the notions that you know like the back of your hand, on the other, these notions are so powerful and deep that you can never get enough of relieving them and there is something new to be found there every time you see it. 

New things are big and bold and exciting. They can make one feel a lot. Often though, they lack subtlety. The newness is so overwhelming that there is no space for nuance. Only once you familiarize yourself with a state, either physical or mental, can you go deeper into it and start to explore it in its fullness. Just as with re-reading a book or re-watching a movie. The first time, you are focused on the plot and you mostly follow the most sensational part of it. And only the following times, you start to recognise the craftsmanship of the makers and the beauty of the language used or the particular way the image was shot.

The Japanese focus much more on the path, while the Westerners have a goal in mind

Related to the above is my impression that Japanese people, in general, are much less goal-oriented and much more process-oriented. In their view, the entire process of tying is a goal by itself. When tying, they do not have a particular end position in mind, but rather a journey that they want to go through with the model. I feel like they are much more sensitive and aware of a time aspect of the rope scene and they appreciate it much more.

I think that models in general, both in Japan and in the West, are more aware of this time dimension as it is very hard for the model to dissociate themselves from the process of being tied and only see the end result. While the tie is constructed, you have the visceral experience of having the rope caressing or constricting you, which is basically what you are looking for as a model (at least most of the time, I think). You don’t necessarily want to experience being in a particular position, but simply being tied and the states that are related to it. 

For a rigger, though, it might be different as he or she might be much more drawn to focus on the end result if they are not tuned in with the model. My guess is that the source of satisfaction from tying people might either be your impact on the model, which will draw you more into the here and now or succeeding with finishing the shape that you had in mind which can be more future-oriented. Especially in our, western, culture, we tend to appreciate the successes, but not the path that leads us to them causing people to be very goal-oriented. And I think that often spills into the way we do rope. 

Even models in the West can sometimes be goal-oriented. I often see scenes where the model is just standing there, bored and absent-minded, waiting for the rigger to finish the tie and put them in the air, which then seems to be the goal for both of them. It is always such a shame for me when I see it because I think that they miss a lot of experience.

The Japanese seem to have a more internalized notion of passing time but at the same time, it’s continuity. They don’t see the world as a series of achievements and failures but rather as a constant flow of things. And it is reflected in the way they do rope. It is about the process of putting the rope on and then off and about the mental journey that it brings you on. None of the stops on that journey is more important than the other. Their sequence and flow are what brings you joy.

For the Japanese, the model is at the centre of attention but as an object of beauty

In my experience and understanding so far, Japanese riggers pay a lot of attention to the model, but not in the same way as we would do it. They definitely understand very well that the model, including their emotional state, is a part of the tie. While Westerners often focus more on the form of the rope itself, forgetting about the model that is in it, Japanese sculpt using the model, both in the physical as well as in the mental dimension.

Having said that, Japanese riggers don’t tie for the model, the way that Westerners often do. They don’t tie to give this particular model a particular experience, but rather to achieve a certain universal effect using the model they have at hand. That is why, I think that the Japanese way of doing rope is very objectifying, even though the emotions of the model often are at the core of it. How I see it, is that in the way that Japanese riggers approach rope even emotions get objectified. 

Especially when you look at the Naka style, which is very aesthetically driven, as Naka-san developed it in close cooperation with and deeply influenced by Sugiura Norio, the emotion of the model is very much a visual output. The aesthetics of his or her emotional response is crucial. Of course, it comes from within them and the rigger looks for their real natural expression. But still, the external beauty of it is at the core of the rigger’s interest and not their internal emotional process. That is why, in my opinion, the model in her entirety, emotions and all, is treated by the rigger as a beautiful object. 

The concept of ‘muga’ applies as much to the model as it does to the rigger

There is a concept of muga, selflessness, that is often talked about in the context of the riggers. That the rigger should be empty at the beginning of the scene. He or she should have no expectations and they should let the expression of the model and the tying itself fill them in and flow through them.

Many people understand it in the way that the rigger should be empty so that they can be there for the model. So that they are not self-centred, but model-centred. That they let the expressions of the model guide them. I would venture a different theory, though.

In my opinion, both the model as well as the rigger should be muga. The model should not have any expectations of the rigger or of the tie either. He or she should be empty at the beginning of the scene and let the experience itself fill them with emotions and flow through them, emanating to the outside world and inspiring the rigger. The way that I see it, they both serve a higher purpose, which is performing a kinbaku scene. They both sacrifice themselves in their own ways in order to create something that they both find beautiful. In that sense, I see the model very much as an object in the context of a kinbaku scene, because it is not about them expressing themselves, but about being the vehicle through which the rigger can express the beauty of the Japanse rope bondage. 

In the West, we often focus a lot on expressing our personalities in rope, on making the model feel a particular emotion or on pleasing him or her. My impression is that for the Japanese it is not the case. They do end up doing all these things (maybe except for pleasing), but they are all a by-product of a kinbaku practice and not a goal by itself. The Japanese don't strive for self-expression in the way that we often do. Rather, it comes from within them when their ego is quiet and when the time for it comes.

 
Finally, I want to stress that I am not trying to criticise the people who don’t strive to do rope the Japanese way. I don’t think that one is better than the other. I am not even sure if I should call it ‘the Japanese way’ as I don’t think that there is one Japanese way in the same way that there is no one Western way. What I mostly talk about here in terms of Japanese rope is what I experienced myself, which is seeing Akira Naka and Suzuki Iroha, Hourai Kasumi, Shigonawa Bingo and Yoshida Yoi or learning from western teachers who are deeply influenced by traditional Japanese rope Masters. I do think that, even though generalizations are never entirely true, an effort taken in producing them can give one a lot of insights about the area that they are trying to generalize about.

And for me, if I practice an art coming from a certain culture, I usually want to learn as much as I can about the culture itself because I think that in order to get into the core of the practice, you need to take its cultural aspect into account as well. And only after internalising it, can you make it your own. 

People often criticise the Westerners who are trying to be too ‘Japanese’. For me, there is something beautiful about it, though. There is this art that fascinates me and that comes from a very different culture. To me, it must mean that there is some link between me and ‘them’. And maybe by exploring and trying to live that culture, I will uncover what that link is and therefore uncover and incorporate that part of myself that was so drawn to it in the first place. 

Considerations on what constitutes the matter of kinbaku from Riccardo Wildties and RedSabbath

I've been extremely lucky to have recently participated in an unforgettable workshop, Xtreme Xclusive: Matter from Wildties and RedSabbath, as a model of one of the most talented riggers and amazing people that I know, Soptik. I don’t think that there is a need to add how huge influence it had on me and my development as a kinbaku model. Enormous.

Even though I’ve been worried about not being able to follow it, because of an arm injury that I’ve experienced at Eurix a week earlier, I survived all the challenging ties without a scratch (oh well, maybe a few) and had an amazing experience.

There are a couple of important realizations that arose from that workshop, that either have been shared by the teachers or other participants or just came to my mind, that I would like to talk about here.

Riggers

You learn the rules in order to break them at the right time

It was really fascinating to listen to Riccardo telling his students to break almost all the rules that he had taught them before. In his other workshops, he teaches how to execute Naka style ties perfectly. He explains each position and placement and teaches the standard way of tying that tie. Here, he was showing how to get out of the standard and break the perfection in order to express the mood and intensify the connection.

Because perfection is not what kinbaku is about. It's actually about the opposite. By breaking the rules you show your personality, make the tie yours. But you have to know how to apply the rules before you can break them. Otherwise, you are just ignorant and what you are doing is not showing personality but incompetence.

But when the time is right and when you reach the level of mastery that can inform your choices, sticking to the rules of a style religiously will prevent you from truly expressing yourself and the mood of the moment in your tying.

One tie does not rule them all

People in the West tend to learn a pattern and apply it thoughtlessly to every model, without consideration of how he or she is looking in the tie. Riccardo kept challenging the riggers to go beyond that habit and really look at what they've created so far and at their model in ropes and put the rope where they feel and not where they think it should be.

This created an entirely different experience. Both aesthetically, as it created more beautiful ties, but also mentally for us, models. You could feel that you are a part of the creative process of the rigger, instead of just being the means to his goal of putting your body in a certain position, that he is working with you and not despite you.

If you want your ropes to be clean, you need to clear your mind first

Riccardo kept saying that the riggers have to become more Japanese in how they are tying. It wasn't about conceptualizing the Japanese aesthetics, though, but about clearing your mind, so that you can let the inspiration flow through you.

There are certain standard ties that Europeans are able to tie in a Japanese way because they know the pattern well, but any time they try to deviate from the norm and change something, they become, as Riccardo calls it, ‘gothic’. That's because they think too much about the ropes, instead of observing and feeling them.

In Japanese aesthetics things are never perfect, there is always something unfinished, asymmetric, breaking the pattern. At the same time, those changes are very subtle. No big deviations, but rather small imperfections are what make the tie yours without losing its initial form. But only having a clear mind will let you see and feel the subtleties.

Using the right tie to evoke the right emotions in the model has everything to do with technique

I think that this was one of the most interesting concepts of this workshop because it's a paradigm shift for many riggers. People usually equate rope technique with their command of rope. The more ties you are able to execute, the neater they are, the faster you are and the better your rope handling skills are, the better your technique. It's partly true, but Riccardo shifted the focus, by saying that what good technique ultimately is, is being able to evoke the right emotions in your model at will.

Just as a brush is a tool for a painter, the rope is a tool for the rigger. And just as a painter paints with colours, the rigger paints with the emotions of the model. For a painter, knowing which brush to choose is a part of his technical skills in the same way as for the rigger is choosing the right tie.

I love this approach because it shifts the focus of the riggers from their ropes, which is a mere tool, to the models, which are the canvas. And that adds so much depth to the experience.

You should tie for yourself and not for your model

This concept might be a bit controversial, but I fully agree. I've heard it for the first time expressed by Soptik in his workshop 'Soptik's rope' during the Prague Shibari Festival last year. In the workshop, he had an exercise in which he was encouraging the riggers to tie something that they've always wanted to do, but they've never done because they thought that the model will not like it. He was asking the riggers this one time to tie for themselves and not for their models. To do whatever they feel like and see how it changes their experience.

A similar attitude was indicated by Riccardo during this workshop. He said that he always ties what he feels like and not what he thinks that his model (or the audience) wants. Only then he can deliver at his best. Even if it means tying the same tie over and over again, he will do it, because deviating from it will result in something suboptimal.

I love this approach because it intensifies the D/s dynamic enormously and it's very fulfilling for me as a submissive. The rigger has the power to do whatever he wants to do and he is executing it. He is in control. As a submissive, that's exactly what I want. If the dominant is focused on my comfort or pleasure, then the power dynamic is lost, because it is me who becomes a more important part of the equation. The balance is reversed.

If he ties for himself, I can feel that he is truly enjoying himself thanks to me. And that's extremely fulfilling and ultimately more enjoyable then if he would care for my pleasure directly. Also, it makes it more worthwhile to suffer through difficult ties. I make it for him and not for myself. And that makes all the difference.

Models

Surrender is not the same as dissociation

At some point, there was a question from one of the participants about how the surrender actually looks like, and why Japanese models are often so squirmy while in surrender, and Western models usually calm down and become less reactive in the same state of mind.

An immediate response that popped into my head and that was spelt out by NawaTaNeko seconds later was that surrender is not the same as dissociation. The models in the West often dissociate instead of surrendering, meaning that they distance themselves from their internal experiences, which often results in a freeze response, while surrender is actually opening up and letting all the experiences in. Surrender is an acceptance of your inner experience instead of its denial and that often leads to a strong external expression, which you can observe in Japanese models.

Another point that Riccardo raised was that in the West riggers are often not able to be there with the model if she is expressing her emotions. Squirming or screaming often leads to ending the scene. Therefore, models teach themselves to go more inwards, because they do not want to worry the rigger. Which is a shame, because by silencing themselves they might lose part of the experience.

Of course, every model is different and expresses herself differently. Some models naturally go more inwards. I, on the other hand, tend to be very expressive, which I used to treat as a sign of weakness, watching other models being so peaceful and calm. I even felt like my squirminess and being loud might be treated as a sign of disrespect towards my rigger. Like it might be taken as a complaint, which it definitely isn’t.

But watching more and more amazing models, like RedSabbath or NawaTaNeko, suffering and expressing themselves during semenawa sessions, I realized that there are power and beauty in strong self-expression. Being expressive means that I am not afraid to open up and to show what I am going through and that I want to incorporate the rigger in my experience. I am not expressing my feelings because I'm not able to take the tie otherwise. I am expressing them because I am fully open and I let everything spill out of me. I have nothing to hide. I am fully surrendered to my rigger and to the experience that he is giving me. And I trust him that he will stay there to witness me in it.

Showing true surrender inspires more than a thousand words

During the workshop both Ale and Riccardo were very tired as they've just come back from almost a month-long tour around the world. Partly because of that and partly because it's not her style, Ale was not talking much.

Two times during the workshop Riccardo asked her to describe her experience. Both times her descriptions were brilliant and so on point (I wish I was so articulate when my partner asks me to describe my experiences… I usually just say "It was tough, I thought that I can't take it, but I could."). But still, my impression is that according to the current standards of model involvement in a workshop, that's not a lot.

Even if she didn't talk at all, though, her presence and how much she was giving of herself was the best inspiration that I could get. It was amazing to see her take everything that Riccardo was putting her through, to see her break in relief after a difficult tie, to have her showing us her bare emotions. I can't imagine a better example of true surrender. The moment you see something like that, you think "I want to be so beautiful and strong for my rigger as well". And you are.

There is somehow this misconception nowadays that there is not enough verbal content for the models during the workshops. That 'modelling skills' should be talked about almost as much as ‘rigging skills’. Surely, there are certain technical skills that help in being a rope model. And surely, they are more or less important depending on the style that you're being tied in. But I refuse to acknowledge that the only valuable content that a model can bring to the workshop is verbal content. That if 'modelling skills' are not being talked about, then there is no modelling content in the workshop.

Not everything needs to be talked about. Being a rope model, especially for semenawa, is such a strong internal somatic experience and it's so individual that observing someone else in it might actually be much more powerful than having it being explained to you. Because it's all about the feeling, about getting out of your head and into your body, into the experience. And having your head busy with analyzing whether you are activating the right muscles only gets in the way sometimes.

Respect your models because without them you wouldn't be able to tie

I loved how much emphasis Riccardo was putting on being grateful to Ale and all the models for giving themselves to their riggers. I have a feeling like this aspect is often missed, as the role of the model in Naka style seems so passive that we sometimes forget how much it takes to do these things. And it's not even so much about our technique or physical strength, but about our mental power and endurance. Even though we are not learning any technical skills, we allow the riggers to use our body and we train our minds to be able to take more and more so that they can become better in what we both love.

There was a very touching moment, after one of the emotionally very challenging ties when Ale was coming back to her senses, and some people started chatting loudly without respect for what had just happened. It must have been difficult for her, as it might make her feel like people didn't care about her experience when she was at her most vulnerable. Riccardo immediately took notice of it and asked people to be quiet and respect her headspace, which they did. I think that it was really beautiful and showed how much he cared about her. He did understand how much she was giving of herself, even if others didn't.

Of course, I know that a workshop is a special circumstance and as teachers (and as participants) you can't give each other as much care as you normally would if it was a session. But still, it's important to remember that, especially in semenawa, the emotional toll on the models is really high. We are tough and we can take it, but even small signs of appreciation really make a huge difference. The fact that I almost cried when at the end of the workshop Riccardo thanked all the models for their dedication is a good indication of that.

Showing appreciation for my suffering and letting me know that he sees my efforts is exactly what Soptik was doing during the entire workshop. Thanks to that I was able to take more for him than I would ever have thought I could and really surrender to all the experiences that he put me through. And I am really grateful to him for his support and recognition even amid the most technically challenging exercises. I felt truly seen.

I had already been in love with Naka style, but this workshop had made my love even stronger. Even though it was supposed to be a very technical workshop, it evoked a lot of strong feelings in me, because it’s impossible to fully separate the matter from the spirit in kinbaku. And the ability of Riccardo WIldties and RedSabbath to explain and make us understand something as esoteric as kinbaku is truly extraordinary. We need more teachers like that.

Last but not least, I have to mention this unforgettable quote from Riccardo here because we need not forget that in the end, kinbaku is a perverted art invented by dirty men wanting to do dirty things to innocent women:

Explaining his tie, ‘fucked up Gyaku ebi’, “You want to see the boobs, the ass and the face of the model all at the same time."

Isn't that poetic?

Lessons from the Masters of kinbaku, Akira Naka Sensei and Iroha Shizuki

Disclaimer: I am going to refer to the rigger in a male form and to the model in a female form throughout this writing for the ease of formulating my thoughts, but of course the gender has nothing to do with the role and I am not trying to imply that it does.

Recently, I had the privilege to take part in a kinbaku workshop from Akira Naka Sensei and Iroha Shizuki for the first time. I can’t even express how grateful I am for being able to see and experience Naka-san and Iroha-san live, and to be immersed in the beauty that they created together during those three unforgettable days. I am sure that I won’t be able to put into words everything that I’ve learned during the workshop, but there are certain things that were really impactful for me, and I want to preserve at least those here.

Kinbaku is about climbing the mountain together

I think that this was the most important and beautiful message that I took from this workshop. Kinbaku and semenawa are really about going through the hardship together. It is not about torturing the model with your ties, but about evoking the beauty that is in her, using your ropes, and feeling with her.

It was really beautiful when Naka-san shared with us how difficult it is for him to hurt his models, how compassionate he is for them and how he is suffering together with them. Semenawa is not about sadism. The point of it is not to hurt your model. You can do it in many other ways. The point of semenawa is to experience the suffering together with your partner, in order to come out of it stronger. It is about being there for each other, both partners willing and open and vulnerable. Both attuned to the needs of the other. Both fulfilling different, but complementary roles.

Of course, when practising semenawa, the rigger inflicts pain and suffering on the model and they both must be enjoying that aspect as well. But it is about more than that. I think that the point of Naka-san was that even though it's all consensual and they both enjoy it, it doesn't make it less difficult to cause another person pain. You need to have compassion for the person that you are hurting, you need to be able to read them and get into their skin. Otherwise, you will simply abuse them.

During the performance of Iroha-san and Naka-san, you could really see that they are giving everything to each other. And how that moment makes them stronger. The moment when the suffering ended and Naka-san took Iroha-san in his arms was one of the rawest and loving gestures I’ve ever seen. I truly appreciate how open and vulnerable they were with us. They didn’t withhold anything. And I think that this is what makes them so unique.

It was really special, when the day after the performance, Naka-san was telling us how much he feels for Iroha and how practising kinbaku makes his love for her even stronger, and you could feel that he was actually insecure when talking about it. He really opened up to us, and even for him, one of the most respected masters of kinbaku, it was a difficult moment. To me, it was really touching and proved his honesty.

It’s not about the patterns, but about extracting the beauty of your model in every moment

In each exercise, Naka Sensei repeated that the point of the exercise is not to replicate the sequence that he tied, but to get inspired and then adjust it to your model. Every person and every body is different. He wanted riggers to learn to look at their models, get the pattern out of their head and really be there with the model, with her beauty, feel what this moment needs to make it special.

He did create patterns for the purpose of the workshop but in general, he doesn't think in terms of patterns. After the initial position was finished, it was really fascinating to see how he moved from there, observing Iroha-san, adding and changing lines, each time accentuating her beauty and only moving forward when he felt like what he created was the best what he could do in this moment.

I think that riggers often get carried away in their pursuit of a certain position. They focus on the tie itself and forget about the person in their ropes. They are more driven by the end-result then the process, missing the beauty of the moment and the unique opportunities that each model and each moment gives them.

Naka-san repeated endlessly not to force anything. He was asking riggers not to let their ego get in the way, but to tie to their abilities, as it will create a much better experience, both for the rigger and for the model. Also, Iroha-san mentioned how unfair it is that the riggers often make models feel guilty if they can't take certain ties that Naka-san created, while they definitely shouldn’t feel guilty. They are there for the riggers, willing to give them their body and to suffer for them. The riggers should appreciate it and make the best out of it. Especially because usually if the model can't take something, it more often than not is because of the riggers technique lacking. Therefore, they should be humble and look at themselves first, before judging and blaming the model.

There is no one definition of kinbaku

Naka-san stressed that for him kinbaku is very individual. Each person has their own approach to it and their own point of view. He ties what feels natural to him, but he doesn’t think that his way is the only true way. He might not understand or have a feeling for what other people in rope bondage are doing, but it doesn’t make it any less valuable. In the end, each scene and each encounter are unique and should be treated as such.

Another thing that he mentioned, and that was very interesting, is that there is no final destination in kinbaku. It is a never-ending process. And for each person the path is different, and the point where they will end up will be different. For him, as a professional, the road will definitely not be the same as for someone who does it as a hobby. And it is fine. Each person chooses their own path and should not try to get ahead of himself. It is better to enjoy the process.

Both the rigger and the model should be grateful to each other and respect each other

It's really amazing how humble and appreciative of the model Naka-san is. He kept repeating how the riggers should appreciate and be grateful to their models for letting them tie them up. That the models are not their slaves (even if sometimes they like to play that they are). They give themselves to the rigger out of their free will and they deserve respect and gratitude for that.

Iroha-san was also saying that the models should feel free to communicate to the riggers anything that feels wrong or puts them in a position that they don't like. They shouldn't force themselves into things that they don't enjoy, just to please the rigger. They should like what is happening to them. Otherwise, they will start to hate kinbaku after a while. As a model, your body and mind are in some way being abused and if you don't enjoy it in some way, then it might quickly turn into a trauma. Without open communication, there is no kinbaku. It's simply an abuse.

One time, when Naka-san was putting the first wraps of the TK on Iroha-san, he revealed that it's one of his favourite moments because he can be so close to the model that he can almost hug her. Then he started joking that maybe while for him it feels amazing, the model suffers, thinking that she wants that perv away from her. Then he told the riggers that they need to stay healthy and clean, otherwise, their models will really feel like that and will hate them. It was a joke but it shows how self-aware and humble he is. Even though he is one of the best riggers in the world and there are tons of girls who dream to be tied by him, he still cares about the impression that he makes and the comfort of the model.

Kinbaku can be a risky art and you should be conscious about the risks that you are taking

One day, Naka-san told us a story of the rope that he is using. How he was looking for weeks with different sellers to find the right kind of rope for kinbaku. How he finally found it with Ogawa, and how they became popular thanks to him. How some people are complaining about its smell, and that it's not suitable for tying people. How nowadays you can buy rope that is specially made for kinbaku. And how in his opinion the people who buy this kind of rope are missing the point.

Because kinbaku is not supposed to be normal. You use the ropes not what they were created for, and it's an essential part of it. You do something perverted, dirty. You transform ordinary ropes into your tool of torment for the model. In this way you build their history, you make them special because of the way you use them. You will not obtain the same feeling with ropes that are made especially for kinbaku. They are too proper, too ‘clean’.

There is no lying to ourselves, kinbaku and semenawa are perverse and they bear risks. More than that, the perversion and the risks are what makes them exciting and beautiful. They are at the core of the practice. If you tie in a way that is safe and comfortable then the spirit of kinbaku is gone. Because it should be difficult and painful. Your ropes should be abusing the model in some way. In the end, kinbaku is a D/s practice.
And sometimes you take risks for the sake of beauty. You tie less safely because it is more aesthetically pleasing. It happens and it's perfectly fine. But when it happens, both the rigger and the model should be aware of what they are doing. It should be a conscious risk-aware decision of both partners. And until you are able to assess all the risks, you should put safety first.

As a model, you surrender to the tie and the rigger

Semenawa is not a power struggle. Rather, it is an expression of the model's surrender. The moment you let the rigger tie you, you already belong to him. Once in ropes, all you can do is to accept your faith and to do it gracefully.

The ties in Naka-san style are difficult and painful. They can also be exposing and objectifying. It is not a kind of rope that you would do with everybody, the same as you wouldn't enter a D/s dynamic with everybody. If you (as a model) decide to tie in this style, you need to be willing to suffer for the other person, to give yourself to them. And for that, you need to trust that they are going to respect your gift and care for you.

In almost any form of rope bondage, the model is in the power of the rigger. She can struggle, but in the end, the rigger has all the control. But I think that the difference between overpowering rope and semenawa is a bit like the difference between doing CNC and D/s. In both cases, the bottom doesn't have any power. But while in the first case it's being taken away from her, in the other she hands it over willingly.
And this is one of the things that makes Naka-san’s style so alluring to me. It is such a beautiful and deep expression of a D/s dynamic that exists between the rigger and the model. It’s a kind of rope that you can’t do casually. It requires an absolute devotion from both sides. And an immense amount of trust.

Semenawa ties are meant to be really challenging. They are asking the model to give everything of her. Personally, I am not able to go so far if I am doing it for myself only. If I tie for the sake of beauty or to challenge myself, I can only go so far. But when I am doing it for someone else, when I'm suffering for my rigger, only then I can overcome my limits and truly surrender to the tie. The fact that I am doing it for someone else, gives me an additional strength to persevere and to enjoy my perseverance.

Lots of lessons learned during this workshop. It's so inspiring to see how one of the biggest masters of kinbaku and his model approach rope. The way they talk about it made me see many things more clearly and put others in a completely different light. Especially, because kinbaku is a part of Naka-san and Iroha-san's culture, seeing them and hearing about their approach really changed my perspective on this beautiful art.

I'm not Japanese and I will never experience being tied in a way that a Japanese person does. And that's ok. But still, I feel like one of the keys to understanding what it is that draws me so much to kinbaku is understanding the culture that it comes from. Therefore, I'm so grateful to Naka-san and Iroha-san, not only for sharing their approach to rope with us but also for being so open and vulnerable and sharing so many beautiful stories. This experience was definitely a milestone on my journey.

On one performance that embodied the essence of kinbaku to me

Recently I've had a privilege of watching Bingo Shigonawa performing live. Coincidentally it was also my second proper rope performance that I have seen (first one being Benoit Descordes & Human Chuo right before him). I was extremely excited and I expected an amazing experience. What I did experience, exceeded my expectations by far. It was not only beautiful and intense, but it also made me realise what kinbaku is for me and what exactly draws me to it.

Intensity

When I was watching Bingo tying his model, I could see that they're in a sort of trance. His focus was all on her and her focus was all on him. To the point that she was twitching each time when he touched her. I've heard some people saying that Japanese models exaggerate sometimes and are too theatrical. From my own experience that is not the case. If I have a great connection with someone, they can put me in this intense trance-like state when everything I experience is intensified tenfold. I am a sucker for intense experiences. When I am tied, I want to be all in and I want to cross my boundaries. I want to get lost in the experience that he/she is giving me and forget about everything else that is there except for being in their ropes.

Eroticism

Bingo was tying and touching his model in a clearly erotic way. He didn't touch her vagina but he was touching other parts of her body and tying in such a way that he made her aroused. For me that was a big part of the show that made it so exciting. It was hypnotizing to watch him play with her and make her more and more excited.
I get turned on when I am tied up. A rope scene involves so many elements that I find hot that it is basically impossible for me not to get aroused. At least when done well. In its essence, Japanese bondage is an erotic activity. A special, subtle and beautiful one, but still erotic. And I love it’s sensuality. It doesn't mean that I want it to grow outside of ropes or that sex is the end goal. But I do want my scenes to involve some level of eroticism or sensuality.

Shame

I don't think Bingo exploited it in particular, but you could definitely see that his model did not feel comfortable and confident being exposed and tortured in front of all these people. She kept looking down and closing her eyes and was not engaging with the audience. And I loved that.

Apparently, for many westerners shame play is hard to grasp, but I identify with it strongly. Even though in general, I might not be a person who is ashamed of her body or her sexual needs, there is a certain mental place where I become that person. I actually love to be there and play with it. When I feel very submissive I immediately become more self-conscious and way easier to embarrass. And I love when the rigger plays with it, exposing me to the audience and taking my mind and body apart and showing all the pieces to them one by one with me having no control over it. Of course, part of me wants all those things that the rigger is doing to me, but while in the subspace I genuinely feel embarrassed about it. Maybe it's my Catholic upbringing that programmed my head to find sex and pleasure shameful. Or maybe something else. Whatever it was, I am extremely grateful for it, as it makes shibari and sex so much more intense and exciting.

Dominance and Submission

Bingo's model was clearly submissive to him and that is what made their interaction so beautiful to watch. I don't know if this dynamic existed also outside of the scene, but in the scene you could see that she belonged to him entirely.

For me there is no way of doing rope without submitting to the rigger. Or maybe there could be, but I don’t want to take that path? I want to feel like I belong to the rigger and that they can do whatever they want to me. I want to be at their disposal and to lust their touch when all they give me is a touch of the rope sliding on my body. And I want to please them by making myself beautiful and by suffering through all the complicated poses that they put me through. I want to do it for them and I want to gain their approval and be appreciated. This dynamic is for me the essence of kinbaku. Total submission and revealing of my deepest parts to the rigger.

Suffering

At some point Bingo hung the model upside down with her knees brought close to her chest by the rope and her ass exposed for blows. He took an object that looked like an intricate shoehorn and started hitting her, each time evoking a loud scream. When he finished, he turned her butt cheeks towards us and revealed bloody red and purple bruises. This was an intense moment. It made me both in awe of her and at the same time a bit disgusted with myself, enjoying it. I think that he made us all feel like perverts. She was clearly suffering and it was beautiful in a terrifying way. There is a beauty in watching a person endure a torture and persevere.

As a masochist, I enjoy pain. But it is not really the pleasure of pain that I'm after in rope. I want to be challenged and put on the verge of breaking. I want to be tortured while helpless and endure it for the rigger and for myself. I want to be put in more and more challenging positions and I want to be left in them until I reach the point where I can't take it anymore. I want to amaze my rigger and make him/her proud. I want to feel strong and invincible afterwards. I want to be broken and then repaired.

Beauty

There are so many aesthetically appealing elements in the Japanese rope bondage that I don't even know where to start. The colorful intricate kimono slowly revealing more and more of the naked body, the impossibly unnatural poses that the body is forced into by rope, the meticulous precision of the rigger applying rope on model's body and playing her emotions like an instrument, the visual beauty of the body canvas covered in white cloth, beige rope and red wax. All that was in Bingo's performance.

At some point towards the end of the performance, he hung the model by the ankle, revealed her inner thighs and poured streams of red wax over one of them, making it drop on her hand. His moves were deliberate and composed, while the model was screaming and squirming under his touch. You could see a range of emotions passing through her. It was such a beautiful view, it was like a fleeting piece of art unfolding right in front of your eyes. It made me think that in this way rope definitely is an art. Not only in visual terms, but also in terms of the emotions that it evokes in the audience. The aesthetic beauty without the emotions would be empty.

The show of Bingo was a quintessence of what draws me to the Japanese rope bondage. The intensity, eroticism, shame, dominance and submission, suffering and beauty combined together make for a mixture that is hypnotizing and irresistible. And I just can't help but want more of it.