Review by Master "K"

Simply by virtue of its being the first "how to" kinbaku book in English by a major Japanese bakushi, Arisue Go's excellent "Arisue Go's Kinbaku - Mind and Techniques" becomes a "must have" addition to the library of any serious Western rope practitioner. Long recognized as one of the most prolific Japanese rope masters, Arisue has done the shibari for numerous mainstream and adult films, books and magazines and he brings his countless hours of experience to this modestly sized but extremely useful volume.

The book consists of an introductory mini biography of Arisue Go which is then followed by a short piece describing his philosophy of kinbaku. The rest of the book is then taken up with practical advice, including chapters on: making your own kinbaku rope, properly coiling rope, safety considerations, how to create the famous Gote upper body tie (suitable for use doing suspensions), the Utsubase zuri (face down suspension), the Yoko zuri (sideways suspension) and the Aomuke zuri (face up suspension) which is then turned into a Sakasa zuri (head down) variation. Each of these chapters is profusely illustrated with clear, small, Black and White photographs that detail every turn of the rope and necessary technique. Also included at the beginning and end of the book are 2 modest but nicely photographed galleries of kinbaku stills in color and Black and White.

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Yesterday, I received in the mail a very special book from Japan.  The book is well known among kinbaku enthusiasts.  Written by Fujita Seiko, Zukai Hojojutsu, is the bible of hojojutsu (捕縄術) history and practice and the most comprehensive archive available, cataloging hundreds of classic patterns, ties, and techniques for this ancient martial art.

Briefly, hojojustu (probably first codified in the 16th century) was the martial art of capturing and binding prisoners for arrest, transport, and punishment.  It was practiced both as a martial art in the context of warfare and later as a civic function for police and constables as a core part of law enforcement through the Edo era and into both the Meiji and Taisho eras, but was gradually replaced with more western techniques as things like handcuffs and leg irons became more widely accessible in the late 19 and early 20th century.

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I should start off this review with a disclaimer.  For the past year I have been studying with Master "K" on a regular basis and am one of his more serious students in the study of kinbaku.  That said, I also would add that "The Beauty of Kinbaku" holds a special place in my heart because it was this book (along with a recommendation from Osada Steve) that send me searching for Master "K" and ultimately led me to be his student.

If I were to summarize this work, I would say that Master "K" has written the seminal volume on the history of Japanese rope bondage.

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This past week I have been fortunate to be in Tokyo at the same time as Master “K.” As most people know by now, in response to his book, he has had multiple invitations to visit Japan, the most recent by Nureki Chimou, probably the greatest living rope master and an active bakushi who is still tying at the age of 80 after 60 years of professional kinbaku.

While I was not able to attend every event (nor invited to), I got to spend time watching and observing as Master “K” spoke with and interviewed some of the world's most famous rope artists and while they asked him questions about his own work, history, and kinbaku.

Just as The Beauty of Kinbaku was a work which brought together many different bakushi, histories and lines of thought in the writing of the cultural history of kinbaku in Japan, the meetings I was a part of surveyed the current state of kinbaku in Japan.

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