Seiu Ito

Seiu Ito was born in Asakusa Tokyo in 1882. He was a Japanese painter and the creator of Kinbaku, known in the world as Bondage or Shibari. On imagination, he conjures scenes difficult to imagine—and much more difficult to recreate. In a society as hermetic and mysterious as the Japanese, where it is complex to know what the others think, the eccentric sets that each individual carries out in their private life is intriguing. The way in which people live sexuality and how they share it with the world is shocking; even more so when considering that, generally, people associate the Japanese with reserve.

Seiu Ito: his Art

Despite the censorship of his work n the 30s and the loss of most of his work after the American bombing during WWII, the Nihon Bujutsuka Renmei (Japan Association of Artists) recognized and awarded Seiu Ito. Ito is today the father of modern bondage. He was especially keen on Kabuki and other forms of the Edo era—and we see the influences in his illustrations.

Among his work over the years, his representation of torture precisely from that period stands out. In it, we find different semi-nude models photographed tied with ropes. Moreover, in a less common way, we see them with objects surrounding their head or neck.

A Curious Case

A curious case of the artist was the representation of a drawing imitation the ukiyo. In this, he suspended his pregnant wife face down in the period necessary to finish the work. Through drawings or photography, Seiu Ito was the forerunner of a style born of his most intimate and sincere desires. This has been, for many decades, a great influence on couples and artist. In particular, he has influenced those who have recovered the art and adapted it to the modern world. Examples of these are like Kinbaku, Shibari or Rope Bondage.