What rope is used for Shibari?

Shibari rope is traditionally constructed from jute, usually about 5-6 millimeters in thickness, prepared in lengths of 7-8 meters. Practitioners of less traditional versions of Shibari often use alternative natural fibers such as hemp or linen.

Occasionally, non-traditional Shibari artists may prefer to employ rope made from other exotic natural fibers like bamboo, silk, or even coconut coir.   Exotic ropes are often even more expensive than traditional materials like jute or hemp, which themselves are already pretty pricey.

Cotton rope is yet another natural rope fiber that can be used for non-traditional style Shibari.  Certainly, cotton rope is cheaper than other natural fiber alternatives, and often it's more readily available, being found in most any neighborhood hardware store or even in the big box marts that litter the North American landscape.

I used some cotton clothesline for my very first experience with bondage back in 1980.  If I remember correctly, it was even recommended for use by the Joy of Sex.  However, because of it's low strength, cotton rope is much more commonly found in use by Western style bondage practitioners, rather than being seen in actual Shibari.

Although not as commonly employed as natural fiber rope, it's not unheard of for some Shibari tops to use ropes made of synthetic fiber.  Multifilament polypropylene rope (often abbreviated as MFP rope) is a fairly versatile and affordable alternative, however it does handle differently than natural fibers.  For instance, because of it's relative slick texture compared to natural fiber ropes, simple knots used by traditional Shibari are more likely to slip if replicated by MFP rope.

What is Shibari?

Shibari is a Japanese word that literally means to tie or to bind.  Sometime during the decade of the 1990's the word shibari became commonly used to describe the art of Japanese bondage.  In Japanese vernacular the term Shibari actually means the artful use of twine to tie objects or packages, and the more proper term for the art of stylized sexual rope bondage is Kinbaku.

Shibari differs from Western bondage in a couple of key ways.  For instance, instead of just immobilizing or restraining the bottom as is common in Western bondage (often applied to make the subject directly sexually available,) the Shibari subject is more intricately bound.

The more intricate patterns of Shibari often directly squeeze the subject's breasts or genitals. This style of bondage promotes pleasurable sensations from the pressure and strain of the ropes on erogenous zones, but often makes the subject less directly available for traditional genital sex.

The aesthetics of the bound individual's position are also more important in Shibari than in Western bondage.  Japanese bondage is notorious for its use of asymmetric positions which are applied to heighten the psychological impact of the subject's bondage.

Traditional Shibari involves bondage with several lengths of relatively thin natural fiber rope, usually made from jute, while less traditional versions of Shibari often use other kinds, lengths, and even thicknesses of rope.

The acknowledged grandfather of modern shibari is Akechi Denki, who died 17 Nov, 2005, aged 64. Living grandmasters include Nureki Chimuo, Yukimura Haruki, Chiba Eizoh, Osada Steve, Randa Mai and Arisue Go.

Although some of the techniques of Japanese sexual bondage originated with the military restraint technique of Hojojutsu, sexual bondage techniques are far gentler, and great care is taken to avoid injury.