Shibari - 縛り
Shibari is the Japanese term for "bind".
Bind, constrain, subdue, inhibit, render helpless, and submissive to the will of others. Tying is one of the simplest erotic games to put into practice.
Some practical circumstances favored the development of the shibari in Japan. Here, the act of tying is part of everyday life: traditional dresses do not have buttons, but are closed with fabric bands; the handle of the katana, the typical Japanese sword, is made with a ribbon of tied and woven fabric; the rope is used to delimit the sacred areas in the temples, and the list could go on much longer...
Before shibari, there was hojo-jutsu, a martial art that consists in immobilizing an opponent by one or more ropes.
The rope became a useful tool for several purposes related to the capture of prisoners: transfer of prisoners at risk of escape; torture to obtain military information from prisoners of war, or confessions from ordinary prisoners; public exposure of evildoers as punishment. In the Japanese people, a link begins to be created between being tied up, humiliation and suffering. At the same time, it should not be forgotten that the sacred areas are girded with a rope and that the most precious gifts are decorated with ritual knots. When we bond someone, we are creating for that person - and for us - a difficult but equally rewarding experience.
The ancient Japanese tortures were very slow. The purpose of this slowness was to induce a psychological breakdown in the prisoner. The modern shibari inherits the slow progression from these techniques by shifting their intentions. Today the slow progression allows the tied person to eroticize the suffering that grows little by little.
Ties, empathy, eros, abandonment, responsibility are indissoluble… the simple ropes, made of jute, hemp, cotton, polyester, scarves, ties, chains, barbed wire, and why not leather ropes. Black leather, colored, with an unmistakable scent and touch that embraces in opulent weaves of simple knots.
Written by Federica Tattoli