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History of Japanese Bondage
Eastern, Japanese or Oriental Bondage
By
Jimi Tatu
aka Nawashi Tatu
Eastern rope bondage as a sensual art form, really is not that old. Many
labor under the illusion that it goes back for centuries, but in reality is
only a couple of decades old.
Hojojutsu on the other hand was the art of using a rope to capture, restrain
and transport suspects and criminals in Japan during the Middle Ages and Early
Modern periods; practiced by Torimono, but there was nothing sensuous about it.
Indeed it was not only a form of restraint but also used as a cruel torture
technique.
Because bondage was considered a shameful practice, the legal captor used
no knots thus out of respect allowed the person arrested no shame. There were
four rules of hojojutsu:
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Not to allow the prisoner to slip his bonds.
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Not to cause any physical or mental injury.
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Not to allow others to see the techniques.
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To make the result beautiful to look at.
Japanese and Torture
Torture was used both by officials of the Tokugawa Shogunate and by individual
citizens during the Edo Period (1603-1867).
The first two practices was "flogging" and the other called
"pressing" which was sort of crawling on a
corrugated material on bended knees while holding heavy stones on the back.
The last two techniques of torture involved rope.
If the first two failed to get the required confession, prisoner would
be tied in what was called "the Prawn" position. This was to
tie the person with legs crossed in front, hands tied behind back, and
the person was tied bent over forward with head tied to legs. After a
few hours in this position the persons whole body baked with fiery pain.
The prisoners body would change colors first red, then purple, then violet,
then pale blue. When the pale blue was reached the torture ended, after all
they did not want to kill him or her, just get the confession they wanted.
The technique might be repeated for a number of continuous days.
The fourth and final form of torture was a backwards "suspension".
The prisoner would be ties and wrists and ankles and with arms pulled behind
the back, suspended face down. Heavy stones would be added to make it more
painful.
The Evolution of a Sensual Art form:
In time an art form evolved that took the idea of:
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Rendering of the captive powerless and helpless was combined with other
very oriental concepts.
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The aesthetic aspect. Most are well aware of the
significance that beauty has in oriental cultures.
As in the presentation of the flower the submissive
is presented as beautiful art.
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Add to those the idea of erotic massage. Some claim
to incorporate the Orientals healing system using pressure
points, thus the practices of acupressure and acupuncture.
Using ropes and knots to massage those pressure points is the
third facet. What I have learned from my contacts in Japan is
that this is myth.
There is a fourth facet to this diamond we know as Oriental Bondage.
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Time. Stillness, beauty, erotic massage and time, as
the oriental perceives it... and you have the modern
oriental bondage as we know it. Oriental bondage
takes time and patience. (like growing of bonsai).
The submissive experiences the inner soul, the beauty
as she relaxes and focuses on her inner pleasure
in the experience.
Eastern Bondage features tighter bondage, uses rough
ropes like rice or hemp. Struggle is not desired, but
total stillness. Emphasis is on the mind. Notice
the serene look on the faces of Japanese bondage
models. There is an introspection, a soul stillness if you
will. The emphasis is on beauty and art, it is a decorative
sensual art.
Within Oriental Bondage there are at least two different practices:
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The traditional Sadomasochistic approach which
was handed down from the torturous practices of
the Edo period is a harsh form and emphasizes pain,
suffering, humiliation and the bondage itself is the
basic goal. Pleasure or erotic stimulation is a
byproduct of this basic goal. No one has to tell
you that the Orientals historically have been masters
at the art of cruel torture techniques. Remember
"Chinese Water Torture?" drip drip drip...
until one is driven mad. Often accompanying this type
of bondage are techniques like nose torture, tit torture,
hair bondage, candle waxing, and the use of clamps.
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A second and yet modern practice has as its main goal
sensuous or erotic stimulation. The Oriental or Japanese
have always been an odd confusing mixture of the ugly, torturous
and the beautiful and artistic. With this sensuous form the key
for the submissive to use her mind to achieve pleasure.
By binding her thus forcing stillness and stimulating her
body specifically the shiatsu pressure points over long periods
of time, the mind is stimulated to unimaginable places. To the
westerner this may sound hokey, but by forcing your captive time
in bondage her mind begins to meditatively travel into the
deep recesses of her inner self. The goal of this journey is
the release of the body's pleasure sensors, natural endorphins
if you will, the goal being to achieve a natural orgasmic high.
The Japanese call this "Ky or Ki or Chi", which is simply
concentrating mental and physical energy on one area of the body.
The use of floggers, canes, any corporal implements etc would be
considered an interruption to the goal of this form of bondage. --
[http://www.jahsonic.com/NawahsiTatu.html]
Akechi Denki
Arguably the most widely known rope artist in Japan today.
Even his most torturous bondage techniques always display an element
of beauty and harmony.
Asanawa.com
Stay on top by learning a few Japanese bondage terms
nawa
= rope
asanawa
= traditional Japanese bondage and torture rope made of hemp
nawashi
= rope artist
kinbaku
= the art of Japanese bondage
shibari
= the action of tying someone up
shibaritai
= a top indicating his/her desire for bondage action
shibararetai
= a sub indicating his/her desire for bondage action
tsuri
= rope suspension
musubime
= knot
musunde
= tying a knot
http://www.asanawa.com
Kikkou.com
The mother of all Japanese bondage sites directly from Japan. In English!
With detailed how-to tutorials by kinbaku artists Randa Mai and Shiko Shima.
The mother of all Japanese bondage sites directly from Japan. In English!
With detailed how-to tutorials by kinbaku artists Randa Mai and Shiko Shima.
http://www.kikkou.com
Nawashibari.com
Nawashibari's fluid archive of weekly features, random
daily galleries and odd moments capture this erotic art form
at it's most spontaneous, intriguing and sometimes, approaching
it's height. Lush imagery is all produced by NawaShibari.com's
own bondage gurus, photographers, and courageous heroines on their
trek through bondage, sadomasochism, and sex - making this site a
refreshing change from the mainstream!
www.nawashibari.com
Nawashi.com
To the western eye, Nawa Shibari appears to be a complicated
way to tie someone up and one could probably have a lot of fun
doing just that. But to the dedicated, it can be much more.
Working with a single submissive, I have found that shibari
represents a complete way of D/s. In part, shibari is a way
of restraining to various degrees, a way of submitting deeply,
a way of influencing behavior and thought, a way of intimacy,
and a way of intense erotic play.
http://www.nawashi.com/
Yoshifumi Hayashi
Little is known about Japanese
erotic
artist
Yoshifumi Hayashi
. Apart from this page and
Thierry Zalic's
site, and some books on arcanabooks.com, not much is
available online. I encountered the work of Hayashi in
Paris when I was seventeen. I was browsing a bargain bin
of books right across the centre Pompidou. His work 'struck me'
immediately but I was too shy to buy it at the time.
[http://www.jahsonic.com/YoshifumiHayashi.html]
Sites of Interest
My Yahoo Club with Pictures
Book
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Several dozen Asian women -- well-educated, independent,
liberated, experimentally-minded, and familiar with the
stereotype of the submissive Asian female -- volunteered
to participate in this highly- stylized fine art. In these
photographic images by a non-Asian male, they appear
elegantly nude and often intricately bound, often not
just participating consensually but actually controlling
the scenario, and thus the imagery, while ostensibly
surrendering all power to another. These images are *
a collaborative form of body art * exemplify the traditional
values of classic creative studio photography -- formal
exploration, spatial drama, nuanced lighting, concern with
chiaroscuro, attention to textural detail These unusual
partnerships succeed, the photos a microcosm in which
they move through and past stereotypes into a zone of
unexpected freedom and mutual empowerment. With an introduction
by A.D. Coleman.
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