Kinbaku means ‘to bind tightly’. Kinbaku-bi means ‘the art of tying up tightly’. Kinbaku is a Japanese form of bondage, in which simple but visually appealing patterns are made. The rope used is usually of natural materials and is called ‘asanawa’. In the Western BDSM scene, people also use the term Shibari (knots) to refer to Kinbaku. Yet there is a big difference Shibari is only about artful knotting, while Kinbaku is more about the erotic experience. Now there is an online platform where you can learn everything about Japanese bondage.
Osada-ryu
Bondage sensei Steve Osada, is the heir to the Osada family name associated with the Osada-ryu binding of Eikichi Osada. This master passed away in 2001. In his lifetime he was one of the people who made kinbaku mainstream. He performed his first kinbaku performance in a ballet school in Asagaya, Tokyo, in 1965, bringing the hitherto hidden world of bondage into the public eye. In the late 1970s, he moved his performance to the strip show circuit. In the 1980s, he did many shows with film legend Hiromi Saotome and remained active in both the comic book and BDSM show circuits. He also produced the film ‘Orgasm’ in 1984. Eventually, he became a manager of strip theatres. In his final years, he performed live shows in a bondage bar in Shinjuku and a swingers club in Roppongi.
Thanks to the legacy of Eikichi Osada, people like Hajime Kinoko are able to perform spectacular and provocative rope tricks. For those who wish to master this art form themselves, Steve Osada has launched a comprehensive online platform for kinbaku/shibari study: the Kinbaku Academy.
The Kinbaku Academy
The online platform offers courses with more than 500 lessons and over 150 hours of videos to watch. Because of Covid, there are fewer group meetings to learn these rope arts and many people are still hesitant to participate in group activities. Also, now you don’t have to travel to Tokyo to learn from the master himself.
Kinbaku Academy is apparently used by thousands of students worldwide. Osada’s latest online binding workshops – one last month and one planned for later in September 2022 – were sold out, which shows how popular it is.
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