Written by Josep Lapidario

At the beginning of 2009, the luxury mosaic company Bisazza hired the famous photographer Nobuyoshi Araki for an advertising campaign. The promotion was a success, but one of the images was quickly banned in the United Kingdom by the ASA (Advertising Standards Authority), on the grounds that it had a strong charge of sexual violence. The photograph showed the model tied up and with a strange expression on her face.

I am already accustomed to any nonsense regarding censorship, but I am surprised that Araki's work still raises controversy. Considering one of the greatest admirers of female beauty to be misogynistic is a sign of such incredible shortsightedness that, as a fan of Araki and an amateur of BDSM, I think it is necessary to clarify some points about the art of shibari that would have avoided the misunderstanding of the ASA.

An initial clarification: the word shibari (縛り) literally means "binding", while kinbaku (緊縛) can be translated as "tight binding". In practice, both words are used almost interchangeably (with certain nuances) to refer to the Japanese art of erotic binding, to whose history, meaning, and beauty this article is dedicated.

1. A binding is a strong hug

Why is it erotic to immobilize or restrict movement? For the person being tied, the effect is partly physical: the pressure of the ropes on sensitive points and erogenous zones, the friction that can be smooth or rough depending on the type of rope... In a suspension, the weightless sensation of flying and losing one's bearings comes into play; in a binding on a tatami mat or a bed, the feeling of being handled, pushed, caressed by the ropes. The psychological effects are very powerful and sometimes contradictory: the rush of adrenaline from feeling helpless and at the mercy of the binder, versus the relaxation and trust of knowing one is in good hands and can let go of all responsibility and shame ("I cannot resist the pleasure that is provided to me"). As Araki himself maintains, binding tightly is hugging... The ropes become an extension of the binder's fingers.

The establishment of fluid communication between the binder and the bound person turns a shibari session (whether a performance with an audience or a private game) into a cross between an intense dance and a martial arts fight... The aesthetic aspect also comes into play: the arrangement of the ropes highlighting and underlining the forms of the bound person, the erotic contortion of the bodies, the poses both exposed and withdrawn, tense or relaxed. The expression on the face of the bound person is often key in shibari photographs: in a culture like the Japanese one, famous for its impenetrable facial expressions, revealing a deep emotion creates a powerful and meaningful moment.

And what does the binder do when they have the "victim" at their mercy? Do they whip them? Caress them? Photograph them? Fuck them? Let t...