Japanese Bondage - 'Kinbaku' Vs. 'Shibari'

'Kinbaku' Vs. 'Shibari'

The term 'shibari' is a wrong Western Japonism. The word denotes tying in Japanese, but in a generic way, and traditionally not in the context of bondage. The names for many particular ties include 'shibari', but it is not traditional to call the entire activity that way. (In the same way as there are 'Diamond Knots' and 'Portuguese Bowline Knots', but 'knotting' does not mean bondage). Instead, Kinbaku is the term for artistic or erotic tying within traditional Japanese rope bondage circles. However, the word shibari is now increasingly being re-imported from the West to Japan.