Jute Rope from NaturallyTwisted.com

looks like a delicious blonde . . . two lengths of Naturally Twisted Co's handmade traditional Shibari rope

Looking for Jute rope to use in traditional style Shibari / Kinbaku?

You could certainly do well by yourself with a purchase from Australia's Naturally Twisted.

As I stated in a previous post here at SpiritualBDSM.com, a few months back I made the decision to discard all of the rope I'd used for bondage over the last two decades.  It wasn't a huge sacrifice, for the most part it was just cotton clothesline and braided nylon rope from a local big box hardware store.

I wanted to move away from cheap hardware store rope and get into better handling and more sensual, not to mention more authentic, natural fiber rope for my explorations of Shibari.  With that in mind, I purchased a 10 rope "starter pack" of handmade jute rope from NaturallyTwisted.co. 

closeup of our hand conditioned jute rope - purchased from NaturallyTwisted.co

Anyone who's visited us here at SpiritualBDSM.com probably already knows that Serafina and I live in the Upper Mississippi River Valley.  So, it may strike our readers as strange that we purchased rope from Australia.  

Yes, shipping charges for international packages are very expensive.  But, when priced against the Shibari Kit of Osada Steve jute rope from (located here in the USA) kinkyropes.com, NaturallyTwisted.co's jute was a better value, even with the exorbitant postal charges applied for packages shipped from Australia to the US.

For the relatively modest cost of $130 (AUS) I was able to purchase ten separate lengths of Naturally Twisted's hand made and conditioned jute rope, each 7.5 meters in length.  Here's Naturally Twisted's own description of their rope:

6mm Handmade Jute - Natural
A 6mm tightly twisted jute rope that provides a soft feel without coming apart, suitable for both floor work and suspension. Tested to over 200kg per strand.
These ropes are hand made in Australia from the highest quality jute. The rope is springy and lovely to the touch.
A traditional Shibari/kinbaku rope or asanawa, finished by hand to produce an exceptional quality product.
All lengths are 7.5m

The description is quite accurate.  Hebari (the individual behind Naturally Twisted) makes beautiful rope that is both soft and strong.  I gave a single strand of the rope the "jerk test" - using all of my weight (240 lbs) in a quick dynamic pull hard enough to lift my feet off the ground.  No problem.

There is a very strong and distinct aroma associated with this rope.  It smells like jute rope!  If you know the smell it's unmistakable.  If you don't know the aroma, you probably need to experience it for yourself, it's difficult to describe.  It's earthy and woody for sure, but there's a strong undertone that just screams JUTE to me, I'm sorry but that's the best I can do.

As would be expected from a traditional rope made for Shibari, this rope holds knots very well.  It's handling characteristics are very similar to the 6mm Twisted Monk hemp rope that also inhabits my rope bag.  It's noticeably lighter in weight than TM's hemp offering, and perhaps a touch narrower in diameter.

One of these days I'm going to grab an affordable micrometer so I can give an exact diameter to rope and other toys that need precision measuring.  Until that happens, I'll eyeball my various rope and rope samples, then estimate (guess) that this jute rope is somewhere between 5-6mm.

A tender skinned submissive or bondagette might look at the detail picture we've included with this post and worry that this rope might feel rough or itchy.  That's simply not the case.  The hand conditioning that Hebari gives this rope makes it soft and quite scratch free.  Very nice!

detail of jute rope we purchased from Naturally Twisted Co

While I've very much enjoyed describing Naturally Twisted's rope, not to mention it is very much a pleasure to use, I don't consider myself qualified to truly judge this rope against other similar traditional jute shibari ropes.  This is the only jute in my toybag, it's the only jute in my experience.

It certainly is a premium handmade and hand conditioned jute rope that is a pleasure to use to bind my Serafina.  I'm told it's quite sensual to be bound with this rope.  I used alternating lengths of this and Monk's hemp rope in a chest tie on a blindfolded Serafina, she was unable to feel a difference between the two premium hand conditioned bondage ropes.

This is great rope, I love it.  As I continue to learn the art of Shibari / Kinbaku, I'm certain this rope will continue to have a special place in my ropebag, not to mention in my heart.  I already love it!

DISCLAIMER - SpiritualBDSM.com and it's owners (Michael Samadhi and Serafina Samadhi) are not associated or affiliated with Naturally Twisted Co or NaturallyTwisted.co in any manner.  We have not received any compensation or consideration in return for this posting.  


All images within this post are property of SpiritualBDSM.com - © 2011 Serafina Samadhi.

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.