Image of art with hand cuffs.

This section is a draft, expect errors and issues.

Shibari 縛り is a longstanding Japanese art that literally means “To Tie” rope bondage and Shibari share many similarities. Shibari can be very rewarding over traditional rope bondage because it is creating a form of art with your partner that you can experience together. You also may hear the term Kinbaku 緊縛 used synonymous with Shibari, Kinbaku translates to “binding tightly.” Shibari in some depictions has loose rope as part of the aesthetic, while with Kinbaku this would be incorrect. Kinbaku is often considered Shibari, while Shibari is not always considered Kinbaku. Note: Shibari and Kinbaku are Japanese meanings that are sometimes disputed. Some say the modern western meaning (one I used above and is growing in the west), others argue the traditional Japanese meaning “tying, but in a generic way.” While Kinbaku is “erotic tying” in contrast, it depends on whom you ask and their perspective, there is no true single definition now, and the exact meaning may vary in your culture, especially if you are Asian/Japanese local.

How Does Shibari Differ From “Rope Bondage”?

There is often much confusion between what is Rope Bondage (Western Bondage) and what is Shibari, the opinions vary, but the general census is Rope Bondage is focused around restraint above all with looks not a consideration. While Shibari is making those knots and restraint effective and beautiful, hence why many call it ‘art’. There are multiple ways to tie up your partner and they come out all knotted and tangled (think of tangled headphone cables) without symmetry, meaning or design. Shibari is about putting thought and technique into your bondage using Japanese aesthetics. Admittedly rope bondage often shares the same name of Shibari in the west because Shibari is “Rope Bondage” in a literal sense, but Rope Bondage is NOT always considered Shibari, this is an important distinction between Shibari and Rope Bondage. Shibari in the west is often disputed as being 100% Shibari (about 90% right). If you want to be a purist sourcing your information from Japanese Shibari sources will provide the best accuracy, but of course “western” Shibari and Japanese Shibari share almost identical aesthetic so for any beginner it will not matter to you as the fine details are what vary. With that said, it may be fun to learn about cultural differences once you become proficient!

Do I need a partner to do Shibari?

Yes & No, you can practice on yourself and perform many techniques and bindings. While you will not be able to complete all the things you may want, you can learn the foundation of making weaves, knots, and bindings upon yourself. Starting without a partner is possible and especially encouraged if you do not have anyone to experiment with. Make sure to take it easy, do not tie yourself into a pickle.

What kind of rope should I get?

Rope can be a rabbit hole of complexity, anyone into Shibari may have strong opinions about what kind of rope is best, but the reality is get something soft, flexible and cheap with good reviews when starting. Amazon has many types of ropes that if you read the reviews you can see many use them for BDSM. You should avoid any rope from hardware stores, walmart and such as most of this will be rigid and not really what you are looking for to use with Shibari. You should look at packs of rope so you can have enough to use. You can expect to pay around 15$ for a pack of 3 @ 32 feet or so on Amazon. If you already have a rope, you are halfway there! If you want a larger selection of more BDSM ropes you can use sites like Twisted Monk, they offer a vast selection of ropes with varying qualities, colors and cost. The image below demonstrates exotic ropes and how expensive fancy ropes can get, Twisted Monk also has a number of standard ropes too. Twisted Money is regarded as a reputable bondage supplier if you want true “Bondage Ropes”. https://www.twistedmonk.com/collections/exotic-ropesIs a good place to look into.

Being Safe (Part One)

If you plan to do any rope suspension you need to buy expensive and reputable rope advertised to do such. Doing any suspension as a beginner is hugely ill-advised, buy cheap rope for now and see if Shibari is for you before trying harder stuff like suspension.

Within bondage sometimes things happen, your partner (or you with yourself) may have a panic attack, even worse your partner may pass out and become unresponsive. All of these are significant concerns, and you need a way to quickly undo any restraints. As a beginner I highly suggest getting “Paramedic Shears” or “EMT Shears” or “Trauma Shear” (they are the same). They look like the image below and can be added to your order on Amazon.

These will allow you to quickly cut rope without the concern of using sharp scissors that could injure someone further when trying to get under the rope that is tight. You do not want to be using sharp scissors if your partner is having a panic attack. I recommend testing them on your rope and making sure they are up to the quality and can cut it before putting them in an accessible spot near your scene. Please do not use them for anything else (like cutting paper, hair, plastic containers etc..) you want the pair to be generally unused, so they stay as sharp as possible when they are needed.

Nerves (Being Safe Part Two)

I recommend people to start with snug bondage, while Kinbaku can look alluring there is more risk involved that needs to be discussed that beginners may not realize when starting out, consider starting small first. Starting out at any level you need to understand human anatomy like circulation and nerves as well as signs of potential problems. You need to properly communicate to your partner what they need to look out for to be safe. If a submissive feels odd shooting pains, hot, cold or itches on limbs or the body this is often an indication of nerves or circulation points being pressured beyond safe levels and you should seek to address them. The rule of thumb, every feeling of “weirdness” needs to be addressed by the person in charge. Nerves and circulation issues do not necessarily hurt and can be very hard to recognize before it becomes a serious problem, often leading many to feel a false sense of safety.

One popular and recommended way to see if your partner is safe is to do a “Range of Motion” test. Ask your partner to clench their hand into fist with their thumb inside their hand. As well as expand their fingers out as much as possible creating a web with their hand. If a partner struggles to expand their fingers to form a fist this indicates nerves have too much pressure and you need to loosen the possible nerve points until your partner regains range of motion. The test will vary depending on the libs you have bound, but if at any point the submissive is unable to move their fingers/toes for no apparent reason this is a dangerous warning sign nerves are being blocked by the rope’s pressure and immediate action is needed.

Drawing Some Inspiration

The first thing to understand is, with any type of art there are multiple different ways to achieve the same result. Referring to some inspiration is essential in being successful, especially when being a beginner you must learn from the masters as the saying goes. If you want True Shibari, I recommended a Japanese site called https://www.ropemagic.net/gallery/it has many free galleries you can use to learn with quality modeling, photo angles, and camera work for you to refer from. You may need to use Google Chrome and enable google translate if you have trouble navigating the website. If you are having problems navigating the website. The second resource of Shibari is Tumblr, Tumblr has a massive following of BDSM / NSFW content you can look up an search. Other Possible Sources Of Shibari Images (NSFW)

  • https://www.oscarmike.co/blog/shibari(Mixed Content)
  • https://www.reddit.com/r/shibari/(Hit or miss, but many amateur original content and discussions)
  • https://www.reddit.com/r/MenTiedUp(Good Content - Strictly Male)
  • https://www.kinbaku-studio.com/kinbaku-photography#/rope-bondage/
  • https://www.pinterest.com/audvet/shibari/?lp=true(Pinterest Site)
  • https://www.pinterest.com/texdiver78/shibari/?lp=true(Pinterest Site)

Time To Learn!

You got your rope, you got a vision, and you are ready to go! If you are a visual learner and do not know how to get started. I would recommend giving this Imgur album a view https://imgur.com/gallery/ujwy4it has an assortment of knots and is quite informing, although some require a partner. As you get familiar with tying knots and working with a rope, you will better be able to create and replicate from inspiration.

Large Collection of Knot Types Visual Videos (Downloadable)

https://knottyboys.com/ - See “Downloads”

This page will be updated and improved as time goes on.

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