Eros Series #5: Kinbaku-Bi (The Beauty of Tight Binding)

It’s often difficult for westerners to discuss Japanese bondage without relying on dubious Orientalism; when discussing fetish, it is important to not extend that fetishism to the culture from which it derives. That being said, there is something so uniquely Japanese about the art of kinbaku, “tight binding”, also known more colloquially as shibari, “to tie decoratively.” Its origins can be found hundreds of years ago in the Edo period and the martial arts practice hojojutsu, a discipline devoted to binding criminals and prisoners of war with thin, strong rope. While antique European devices of bondage certainly have their kinky appeal (cuffs, chains, iron masks), hojojutsu was more inherently aesthetic; attention was paid to a certain elegance, to symmetry and asymmetry, and the cultural standards of the society.

The invention of kinbaku’s modern iteration is widely credited to Seiyu Itoh (1882-1961), an artist who combined his love of kabuki theater and erotic woodcuts with hojojutsu. This new interpretation of the artform proved popular due to the success of magazines like Kitan Club, Uramado, and others featured in this volume. Inspired by western artists like John Willie as well as photographs from Charles Guyette and the Irving Klaw Studio, these magazines rose to prominence in the 1950s and ‘60s. They built a unique aesthetic out of its complex relationship between the ancient and the contemporary, the theatrical and the realistic, the artistic and the tawdry. Soon, western audiences were influenced right back, and the art of tight binding became a worldwide phenomenon.

Kinbaku has evolved, and so has the way it's been depicted. Many of these photos are largely in tune with Seiyu Itoh’s work, centering on scenes of traditional corporal punishment and fetishized violence and bondage. However, some magazines, most notably Uramado, eschewed the Edo period aesthetics for a more contemporary look and, along with it, a more artistic use of camera and composition.

OUT OF PRINT.