Get unlimited access to everything VICE has to offer.

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

4 Magazines Delivered to Your Door

Japanese Rope Bondage Is the Kink That Could Save Your Relationship

Couples say Japanese rope bondage is less about pain and more about trust, communication, and getting very honest very quickly.

Share on X (Opens in new window)X

Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Facebook

Share using Native toolsShareCopied to clipboard

The words “Japanese rope bondage” can make people feel momentarily speechless. Which is ironic, given that the people who actually practice it say it’s mostly about talking.

Shibari—which translates from Japanese as “to bind” or “to tie”—has been practiced for centuries, but it’s gaining a new audience among couples looking for something beyond the usual range of a standard date night. The practice involves one partner, the rigger, tying the other, the receiver, using specific knots, hitches, and rope-based restraints. What practitioners describe has very little to do with what most people picture when they hear the words “rope bondage.”

“I always thought it was something for people that enjoyed pain and........

© Vice