VoudouRopes is a YouTuber that loves Shibari and makes tutorial videos on how to get any type of look that you can imagine. You can learn a lot from her and the techniques that she shares.
If you don’t know what Shibari is, it’s a form of Japanese bondage. It’s a Japanese word that broadly means “binding” or “tying” in most contexts, but is used in BDSM to refer to this style of decorative bondage.
The aesthetics of the bound person’s position is important: in particular, Japanese bondage is distinguished by its use of specific katas (forms) and aesthetic rules. Sometimes, asymmetric and often intentionally uncomfortable positions are employed. In particular, Japanese bondage is very much about the way the rope is applied and the pleasure is more in the journey than the destination. In this way the rope becomes an extension of the nawashi’s hands and is used to communicate.
Traditional Japanese bondage techniques use natural vegetable fiber rope (hemp, jute, or linen) exclusively, though contemporary Japanese Masters have been working with a range of rope materials. The natural fibers easily lock to each other which means the bondage can be held together by the friction of twists and turns or very simple knots.
Shibari has a strong presence in the works of some renowned contemporary artists, mainly photographers, like Nobuyoshi Araki in Japan, Jim Duvall in the United States and Hikari Kesho in Europe.
In 2014, Romanian singer-songwriter NAVI released a Shibari-themed music video, “Picture Perfect”. The video, directed by Marian Nica, was controversial and banned by Romanian television for its explicit erotic content.
Shibari has also been featured in Western pop culture. For example, in the music video for The Jonas Brothers song “Sucker,” Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner briefly appear to be engaging in a form of Japanese-inspired bondage. More to the point, shibari is explicitly referenced in “Tying the Knot,” the nineteenth episode of The Good Wife’s fifth season, as the practice of shibari is integral to the episode’s plot; in this episode, fictional characters Colin Sweeney and Renata Ellard Sweeney (portrayed by actors Dylan Baker and Laura Benanti respectively) are revealed to engage in the art of Shibari, and Shibari is also used as a means by which Renata’s friend, Morgan Donnelly (portrayed by actress Jenn Gambatese), is murdered.
Anyway, check out the video below and see if you think Shibari is for you! It’s a vast world of bondage and it’s something you can practice and get extremely good at doing. You can also share your own Shibari creations by sending them to Submissions@AllAboutKinks.com! Let us see what you enjoy doing and give us some ideas for rope play of our own! Shibari comes in many different forms and there’s no limit to what you can do with the right rope. Voudou Ropes is going to walk you through a very simple Shibari form that you can do on your own!