I’d say most of the real knowledge on kinbaku only started to get a foothold in the west about 5 years ago. Almost all of us, including me, seem have underestimated the subject and undoubtedly still do. Every time I think I have gained a reasonable degree of understanding, another layer is revealed. There seem to have been a number of distinct stages in development in the evolution of kinbaku in the west:
First, we copied examples of ties of Japanese origin but probably little provenance, e.g. porn pictures with unexceptional rope. Some became formalised and appeared in various western tutorials but most were just ad hoc reverse engineered copies of random examples. Nothing much was known of the engineering principals of shibari. Thus, what I call, ‘shambari’ was born. In case you weren’t abundantly aware, I’m one of those pedants who insist that there are specific forms, rules and aesthetics to shibari. Others use it as a catchall term. Two things are for sure. One, nobody will ever be able to make a hard and fast definition of what is or isn’t shibari as the borders shift and are somewhat ephemeral. Two, whatever the definition, the two sides will never agree and it will be debated until the end of time. It might take decades before we can have a thread asking for shibari resources that won’t mention TKB 🙂 This is not to knock TKB, it’s just that they should be recognised for their own stye and not thrown in the shambari/shibari pot. Unfortunately, kinbaku is now becoming the trendy word to use instead of shibari as a Japanese style catchall word. I’d prefer to see kinbaku reserved for authentic style applied with more passion than ‘just tying’ but I have a feeling I might be disappointed.
In general, these images didn’t convey the use of rope as a tool of communication and domination so, unsurprisingly, most of us thought shibari was simply about tying pretty patterns and hanging people up in exotic ways. Thus, the tendency was to teach shibari in the same way as western bondage, in a merely technical and mechanical manner as a tool of restraint. In fact, the only person I can recall even touching on anything more in generally available tutorials was Midori.
Then, around 3-5 years ago, we started to learn some tried and tested ties, notably Osada Steve’s t-k and variants. I guess at this stage the split between ‘Japanese style’ bondage, which many call shibari, and the stricter formal styles of shibari/kinbaku taught by Japanese masters became more apparent. I can’t speak much for the US scene but in Europe and Australia, the degree of authenticity and competence has changed dramatically in the last 3 years or so due the the number of classes by Japanese masters.
The latest stage is people starting to realise that there was more to it than just tying. The technical side is just the tip of the iceberg, the other 90% below the waterline is what kinbaku is all about: communicating and dominating with rope. It is a fundamental change in philosophy for westerners to look at bondage as more than restraint applied before the ‘main act’ of sex or SM. In my view, kinbaku is more about the journey than the destination. It can be seduction, foreplay, domination and SM or any permutation.
Where does it go next? I think we are getting to a stage where we question dogma and move beyond standard ties/suspensions. While it is invaluable to drill doing an Osada T-K just so, as many other skills come with it; it works just as well with other types of frictions or if you start by going right, not left 🙂 One avenue that interests me is creating more of my own ties using the engineering and aesthetics of some of the masters. I am sure I am not alone. It is quite possible that we will find new techniques or even explode a few myths. Although the flow of influence has been very much from Japan so far, I wonder if some of our ideas will be adopted there as we have more an more contact with their teachers? For example, as I mentioned elsewhere, I have been very impressed with Nina’s new take on the hip harness (aka nawa pantsu or rope panties), which seeems to be far more stable and offer more suspension points than the established Japanese versions yet still retains the right aesthetics. No doubt this might seem heretical to some but it is ludicrous to think we have achived the state of the art. Just look at what was being done 50 years ago in the pages of Kitan Club compared to now. If you did rope now like most of the examples in there and called it shibari, I’d probably throw rocks at you!
OK, that’s a gross over-simplification of the evolution as some of us are at different stages so it can only be a generalisation. I think it is a reasonable summary of where we were and where we are now. Interesting times ahead…