Category: Glossary

Dominance

A dominant person, in one of the most common BDSM misconceptions, is someone who is loud and brash. However, this is a stereotype that we should challenge in order to attain a more accurate, better view of what a dominant person is. Dominance should be more related to good leadership. And good leadership involves skill,…
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Negotiation

Negotiation is an open, constructive discussion which takes place before a Shibari scene. Participants must express clearly and specifically their interests, desires, comfort levels and boundaries. In the end, negotiation sets the terms for a commitment between partners. It is, therefore, very important to keep communication open and honest during negotiation. This is the only…
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Vanilla and Kinki

Vanilla and Kinki are not opposites, but rather the extremes of a continuous that go from the more conventional kind of sex practices to the weirdest. It is important that you know them, so that you can enjoy a wider diversity in your intimate life. Vanilla means normal. Now, remember that the definition of normal…
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Consent

Consent should be the foundation of any relationship. Even in a non-sexual encounter, such as a Shibari scene, an informed decision to participate is absolutely necessary. This is the case especially when you haven’t known your partner for very long, but it also applies to long-time partners. Never take anything for granted. Never assume that…
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Wabi-Sabi

Wabi-Sabi is an aesthetic concept, which provides a measure of how distant Western and Eastern thought can sometimes be. While Western thought considers symmetry, proportion, and, above all, perfection, as the essential ingredients of beauty, Wabi-Sabi is an appreciation of beauty that is imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete. Wabi-Sabi is very important in Shibari and Bondage.…
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Wari

Wari is an intuition of the most appropriate element for a specific situation in a bondage scene. As Kinbaku master Nureki says: “So many women, so many ways of Kinbaku”. This means that a rigger should never act unimaginatively, according to a formula. Rather, he must look for the one most appropriate element to include…
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Ganjigarame

Ganjigarame is a Shibari technique. Although it may present several variations, it essentially consists in tying a person from head to foot. As you can infer, it is a complex technique, which takes time and requires additional safety measures. Ganjigarame aims for total restraint. It can be the basis for an intense scene. It is…
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Chokyo

Chokyo originally meant the training of an animal. Since it involves punishment, it should be understood in the sense of the metaphorical breaking of an animal. That is, the breaking of its will. We can think of chokyo as the reason behind a beast used for farming purposes not making an effort to break free.…
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Kinbakushi

Japanese rope bondage started with Hojojutsu, which is a military form of torture, humiliation, and restraint. Hojojutsu evolved into Shibari, which is the art of rope bondage for aesthetic purposes. Kinbaku, on the other hand, is more directly connected to sexuality, although it doesn’t always end up with sexual intercourse. In any case, it can…
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SSC

SSC stands for Safe, Sane, and Consensual. Those three words sum up the ethics of Shibari. Even though there are still many people who think according to the old taboo, for which Shibari in particular and BDSM in general is a perversion, that is, a sick and inadmissible deviation of sexuality, bondage practices become more…
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