Watani Kiyoshi

Watani Kiyoshi was born in 1903 in Japan. He was a prolific author who wrote and studied Japanese martial arts. He focused on Kobudo, also known as the traditional martial art in Japan. Watani was an excellent investigator of the traditional martial arts in Japan. You can find all the information he found in some of his books: Nihon Kengo 100 sen, published in 1971, Bugei Ryuha 100 which was published in 1972, Kosho Bugeisha Retsuden, published in 1982, and Seigou rye torite Tamara nawa iai densho rui, published in 1969.

Hojojutsu is the traditional Japanese martial art of restraining a person using a cord or rope. Hojojustsu splits into two broad categories. The first one is the capture and restraint of a prisoner with a strong, thin cord called hayanawa. The second category is using one or two main ropes to provide a more secure, long term binding for transportation.

One of Watani Kiyoshi famous books about hojojutsu is Zokuzoku Kobudo Bunken-Shu. Published in 1975, it provides a guide of the martial art of hojojutsu. The book contains a number of elaborate hojojutsu ties and an explanation of the art itself. This book has documentation of 12 complete bonds. It also includes a series of techniques for capturing and binding. Moreover, it includes an illustrated discussion of various pressure points on the body.

Zokuzoku Kobudo Bunken-Shu is a great collection, which is very rare and difficult to find since the edition was of only 135 copies. This book is very important for all kinbaku or Shibari students, practitioners. This is because it is one of the two texts that Master Akechi Denki used to study the art of hojojutsu. It shows limited survival in the modern world, but where their techniques are applied to Shibari.

Image: Kinbaku Today