Akechi Denki: An illustrated lesson in tying, in  別冊宝島  変態さんがいく2  (1997)

This publication contains a lot of interesting material, including a report from one of Akechi Denki’s performances at Loft Plus One. For this blogpost, I have chosen to share a rare item: A tutorial by Akechi.

A great THANK YOU to rish for the translation, and to two Danish friends of the blog for their recent donations. To keep this blog going, I ask all readers to please consider making a donation, however small. Details here:

https://kinbakubooks.wordpress.com/2017/07/10/call-for-donations-4/

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 Akechi Denki: An illustrated lesson in tying

It’s easy! One can do so much with only seven (?!) meters of rope

A lesson for this magazine by the great expert Akechi Denki

Teacher: Akechi Denki / Model: Shiroishi Yukimi /  Illustration: Sakurai Yukinori / Layout: The editorial department

We most often associate SM with candles and whips, but there is also the world of shibari and kinbaku. Tying [shibari] had many functions in ancient times. The technique of capture-rope [hobakujutsu, 捕縛術] is of course one of the famous capturing arts [torimonochou, 捕物帳]. But in addition to the techniques of tying for capture there is also a tying with the purpose of making the tied-up person beautiful. It may seem strange to call tying people up an art-form, but in recent years Japanese kinbaku-jutsu has even been acknowledged and praised in the West, and some bakushi have been invited to do performances.

The following is a short introduction to this Japanese rope art that has become world-famous. There are tutorials on how to tie [shibarikata] in SM magazines from time to time, but it is very hard to explain only through the pages of a magazine.

This time I will present some basic techniques for couples: the ”hands behind the back tie” [‘ushiro te shibari’, 後ろ手縛り], which can be combined with a ”sitting cross-legged tie” [‘agura shibari’, 胡座縛り], and the simplest one – the ”racoon tie” [‘tanuki shibari’ , 狸縛り]. Tanuki shibari also goes by another name, the ”beast tie” [‘kemono shibari’, 獣縛り], as it was developed by hunters carrying their prey home.

First, you need to get 7–8 meters of rope. You can buy rope at the craft shop. There are several colours to choose from such as red, white, and black and more. I recommend getting rope with a diameter of 6 or 7 mm. However, if you are planning on doing suspensions in the future, I would recommend getting rope with a diameter of 9 mm and with a reinforced core.

Make knots at the ends of the rope, and then fold it in half. These approximately three and a half meters of doubled-up rope is your tool. You should be able to do it if you practice enough.

Tie your girlfriend or boyfriend so that they cannot move their arms and legs, but take care to do it with empathy. Don’t tie the ropes tighter than necessary, because it can lead to blood congestion. If you have done it properly, the ropes will be loose but the tied-up person will not be able to release their limbs.

These ties can also be combined to create the ”prawn” torture-tie [‘ebizeme’]. Once you’ve gotten used to these ties, you can also try ”kikkou shibari”, ”udemakura shibari”, ”teppou shibari” etc, but the basics are what is most important. If you have your partner lie with their face on to the ground while bound in an ”agura shibari” or ”tanuki shibari” you can have doggy style sex. However, it is quite painful being tied up lying with your face down, so it is important to be able to quickly untie the ropes when needed. As the hands and feet are set free, a pleasurable feeling of relaxation sets in. This is a key to SM.

Some concluding words: I have chosen to present these basic techniques for beginner couples that want to experiment. Never use these techniques without your partner’s consent and don’t do anything that could be considered a crime. Do not do any of this if you can’t take responsibility for your own actions.

Tanuki shibari

1. Wrap the rope around the left ankle and wrist three times, leave around 20–30 cm of rope.
2. Take the excess 20–30 cm rope and pass it over.
3. Chinch the whole cuff.
4. Gently pull at both rope ends and make sure that it isn’t too loose nor too tight.
5. Make a knot, change direction and make a second knot.
6. Pull the longer end of the rope and check that the knot is stable. Tie the other ankle and wrist the same way.

As you can see in the illustrations, ”tanuki shibari” is very simple. You don’t have to tie many knots. It won’t loosen and you will be able to do it very quickly once you have gotten used to it.

Ushiro te shibari

1. Put the arms behind the back and wrap the rope twice around the middle part of the arms.
2. Let the long end of the rope hang vertically, and do the wrapping with the short end of the rope.
3. Next, take the short end and wrap it around everything to make a knot
4. Take the long rope end and wrap it twice above the breasts.
5. In the back, pull the rope through like in the illustration and adjust the tightness.
6. Put your finger between the rope and the upper arm and dress the ropes. Make sure you have not tied too tightly.
7. Fixate the short end of the rope by pulling it up and wrapping the long end around it.
8. Adjust the balance between the rope tied above the breasts and arms.
9. Wind the excess rope so that there is equally much rope on each side (left and right).
10. Tie off the rope so that the rope ends are of the same length.

”Ushiro te shibari” is a basic way to tie the arms. When well balanced in tension and symmetry, it is quite beautiful. Also, it is a very good exercise for learning how to tie with the right tension just above the breasts.

Agura shibari

1. Have your partner sit cross-legged and wrap the rope three times around the ankles.
2. Go around and fixate the cuff. Make sure it is not too tight.
3. Make a knot. Pull the rope and check that the knot is stable.
4. Have the knot in front of you and pull upwards.
5. Pull the rope from the front to back over the shoulder.
6. Pull the rope through under the knot you made for the ”ushiro te shibari”. Pull the rope to the front of the body again via the other shoulder.
7. Pull the rope through the cuff you tied for the ankles and use the rope adjust the distance between the legs and the upper body.
8. Wind the excess rope around the vertical rope to make it pretty.

The combination of ‘ushiro te shibari’ and ‘agura shibari’ is often used in old pictures of ‘ebizeme’. With this technique, you are completely restricting the mobility of the tied-up person. If you up pull up both knees, you can easily make your partner lie on their back, and if he or she is made to lie face down, they are really completely immobilized.

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Translated by rish, commissioned and edited by Bergborg / KinbakuBooks