More content will appear in due course.

Please remember that we are “UNDER CONSTRUCTION”!

Here’s some introductory rambling by harper, who fully expects to be challenged!

The first point I want to make about Eastern Bondage is that it includes a lot more than Japanese Bondage. There’s an active school of Chinese Bondage with a long history, and for all I know there may well be others. I’d like to hear about them!

However, Japanese bondage is the kind we know most about, so that’s where I’ll start.

There are three words that have to be sorted out: Hojojutsu , Shibari , and Kinbaku .

Now you’ve got them clear, there are also three dimensions to understand: technique, culture, and communication.

Technique - this is the aspect of shibari that is most talked about and written about. The key points are the use of natural-fibre rope (ideally jute, but not many people will mind if you use hemp or even flax), tying with two strands of a doubled rope, and the use of standard components to build up more elaborate ties.

Culture - shibari is deeply embedded in Japanese culture and cannot really be separated from it. This would be better written about by a native Japanese, but one example is the sense of shame that is associated with being tied - often emphasised by a disheveled appearance and an artfully disarrayed kimono.

Communication - all erotic, sensual or fun bondage depends heavily on the relationship between the two people involved. In Japan, that has perhaps developed further and more deeply than elsewhere