Japanese rope terminology
Shibari (縛り)
Shibari (縛り) means tying or binding in Japanese. Internationally, the word is commonly used for Japanese rope bondage and is often used alongside, or interchangeably with, the term kinbaku.
Japanese: 縛り
Reading: shibari
Verb: 縛る (shibaru) — to bind, tie or restrain
Common international use: Japanese rope bondage
Meaning in Japanese
縛り (shibari) is the noun form associated with the verb 縛る (shibaru), meaning to bind, tie or restrain.
The word itself does not specifically mean decorative tying, erotic rope or bondage. Its precise meaning depends on context.
Shibari in rope bondage
Outside Japan, shibari became widely used as a term for Japanese rope bondage, particularly from the late twentieth century onward.
Within rope communities it may refer broadly to Japanese-style tying, while individual practitioners may use the term differently depending on technique, aesthetics, lineage or cultural context.
Terminology
Shibari and Kinbaku
Shibari and kinbaku overlap strongly in contemporary rope-bondage usage, but they are not literally the same Japanese word.
RopeMarks uses kinbaku as the primary term for its own practice. The distinction between the two terms, and the way they have been used in Japan and internationally, is discussed in more detail in the article Kinbaku vs Shibari.
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