Shibari and Kinbaku are the Japanese arts of consensual sexual bondage. Shibari literally means “to tie” or “to bind” while Kinbaku-bi means “the beauty of tight binding”. There are debates about the distinction between shibari and kinbaku and whether one term is more appropriate than the other; however, the one popular distinction is that shibari refers to a purely artistic, aesthetic rope, while kinbaku refers to the artistic, sexual practice as a whole. The aesthetics of the subject’s position is important. Asymmetric and intentionally uncomfortable positions are employed along with the way the rope is applied and the type of rope. Traditional Japanese bondage uses natural vegetable fiber rope such as: help, jute, or linen exclusively. Although, many contemporary masters work with a rage of rope materials.
