Historical background and sociocultural elements that shape Japanese heritage and identity, in which shibari would later emerge.
We will now connect the elements that make up this Japanese heritage and identity within which, shibari will emerge.
Materials, Tools and Trades
The scarcity of metals led to them being reserved for specific uses, such as forging swords, while more practical and essential needs-such as construction or food production-were based on natural materials such as rope and bamboo.
Japan's class-based system extended to education. If you were born into a family of fishermen, it was almost impossible to rise above that social class, as your entire life would be focused on fishing-related matters to the exclusion of everything else.
This guild-based specialization led to each trade or craft developing its own techniques for working with materials.
Carpenters, farmers, and fishermen all used rope in their daily work, but each developed their own techniques and specific applications that were refined over generations to become their respective Trade Jutsu.
Sexuality, Pornography, and Perversion
Historically uninfluenced by Christianity, the Japanese have different taboos surrounding the body and sexuality than Western societies.
In this context, sexuality was approached through Taoism, which developed intriguing theories about sexology, biology, and sexuality-many of which remain surprisingly accurate even by contemporary Western scientific standards.
One of its peculiar theories was the belief that male ejaculation during sexual activity should be avoided at all costs. According to this view, ejaculation was considered a loss of energy (ki) and a way to shorten one's existence in this life cycle.
When this belief intersects with the phenomenon of erectile dysfunction, it results in the "de-genitalization" of male eroticism. In other words, the focus shifts away from the penis to other parts of the body, paving the way for alternative expressions and experiences of sexuality.
If we look at ancient times (before the Meiji Restoration) and compare them to the West, Japan showed a high degree of freedom and naturalness in discussing these topics and depicting the human body.
In the arts, serial prints with erotic themes were sold alongside others depicting beautiful landscapes, crimes, and courtly scenes.
Erotic-themed prints, known as shunga, were (and are) a celebration of sexuality and the beauty of the human body, with their consumption being socially normalized.
Note:
In these historical prints, there are no depictions of shibari as we understand it today—a consensual practice of restraint.
However, some prints do depict crimes in which victims are tied up using shapes and techniques similar to those used in modern shibari.
War, Politics, and Crime
This section brings together various elements that ultimately shaped shibari as we know it today. It is important to note that this is a highly summarized account of a vast historical period.
Looking back several centuries, especially at the turbulent times of Japan's first millennium, a few key aspects stand out:
We have already mentioned the deeply rooted presence of warfare in Japanese culture and history. However, we should not romanticize these historical events or imagine them as epic battles between noble lords clad in exquisite armor. These lords rarely fought directly, as evidenced by their survival, which allowed them to father children and perpetuate their clans.
When we think of warfare in this period, we are more likely to think of groups of peasants conscripted against their will and forced to fight with sticks and stones against others who, like them, "owed allegiance to their lord".
So there is little to connect this context with shibari. There were no prisoners of war in these scenarios. If one side lost, their soldiers were quickly assimilated by the victorious side.
As for other kinds of prisoners, such as criminals, it is crucial to understand that the Japanese concept of justice in this period did not come from the state or a ruler-deity figure, as in Roman law. Instead, justice simply was a fact of life
This meant that only those who lived and acted justly could determine whether the actions of others were consistent with those values.
Another characteristic of Japan's historical "justice" system was the absence of the concept of "prison" or imprisonment as punishment.
In a society as stratified as Japan's—where a small percentage of the population owned property and people, and the vast majority were themselves property working to sustain the ruling minority—it is no surprising that there were no prison sentences or crimes against property.
Of course, except for political intrigues, the social divide also exempted the ruling class from the application of the law.
In the 16th and 17th centuries of our era there was also a period of stability, the beginning of significant changes.
Among these were the prosperity of commerce, the emergence of merchants, and, consequently, theft, as individuals for the first time had money in their possession.
Merchants soon turned to mercenaries for protection, to catch potential thieves, and to bring them to justice.
It is in this context that the use of ropes and "martial" arts developed to capture, transport, interrogate, present and, if necessary, torture prisoners.
This exigency spurred the development of techniques associated with hojo-jutsu (used here as a broad term, not the name of a contemporary martial art style).
These bodyguards had to apprehend the criminal without causing injury, as the prisoner might be the "property" of a feudal lord who could demand compensation for damaged property.
The guards had to present the prisoner to a court unharmed, since an innocent verdict could lead to compensation claims - or even retaliation.
During this period, in an excessively conservative society, a common and well-documented type of crime involved offenses against the established social order, especially the institution of marriage.
Adultery inspired masterpieces of universal literature, such as Shinjū Ten no Amijima (Suicidal Lovers of Amijima) by Chikamatsu Monzaemon (1720), in which a pair of adulterous lovers decide to take their own lives after the humiliation they have suffered as "punishment" for their crime.
Once a sentence was passed, the usual punishment was torture, often consisting of severe beatings, severe pain, or sexual assault, always with an added element of public humiliation to ensure that the damage was moral rather than physical.
It is worth noting that punishments were reserved for commoners, who had to return to productive work after serving their sentences. Nobles were granted escape routes such as assisted suicide or monastic retreat.
In the Edo period, a system of control over political opponents and warlords was introduced, known as "ritual hostage-taking." In this system, part of each local lord's family had to remain "detained" at court with the shogun or ruler.
The purpose of this measure was to use the local lords' families as human shields in case of attack, but it eventually gave rise to the so-called "floating world of Edo" (ukiyo), a reference to the luxury and hedonism that characterized the court.
From this “ritual hostage-taking” comes the myth that shibari is a traditional practice of samurai and princesses. When these handovers took place, a Shinto ritual was performed in which the individuals being “offered” were tied and untied by a priest.
There are no graphic references to this practice, but the types of bindings used by priests in their rituals were highly ornate and elaborate—a style completely unrelated to shibari.
Rape Culture
This is a sensitive topic. But it is one that we cannot simply sweep under the rug due to its importance.
There is a palpable culture of rape in Japan, historically and even in "recent" times, if not today.
Let's try to analyze this aspect in order to understand it better and to clarify what we are talking about.
Historically, being considered "property" and lacking rights has placed individuals in a vulnerable state, making them easy prey for sexual predators with higher social status - or even in their immediate environment.
Furthermore, during its nationalist delusions, Japan waged war in other territories where it used systematic diffusion as a weapon. This had the dual purpose of harming the local population and altering their genetic makeup by conceiving children with Japanese ancestry.
But what does this have to do with shibari?
Let us consider Japan’s obsession with efficiency, its attachment to traditional knowledge, its treatment of prisoners, and its erectile dysfunction issues. Together, these factors led to the development of specific techniques designed to “aid” the perpetrator, triggering uncontrollable stimulation and arousal in their victims.
These techniques, along with those used in the arrest and management of prisoners, as well as guild craftsmanship, form the technical foundation of shibari.
Don't Mistake
Mistaking a consensual act performed by adults for the sole purpose of mutual gratification with a violent act of war is simply incomparable.
In the same way, it is an absolute atrocity to admire an illustration that depicts kidnapping and murder as if it were erotic art.
The past is history, and we must learn from it to avoid repeating the same mistakes—or committing even greater atrocities. Not everything involving ropes is shibari, not every naked body in a sexual context is erotic, and not everything is acceptable in this life.