Shibari. Kinbaku. They are the Japanese arts of rope tying, usually to bind a person either for restraint or to add sensuality to a situation, to enhance the bound person's body's look or feel, or to even assert one's dominance over another by binding them, limb to limb, or to a piece of furniture or more permanent fixture. This rope is made of soft cotton, which has a high burn speed (meaning that you can pull it relatively fast against the skin with minimal burning sensation), and it's a medium-short, 30- to 36-foot length. These factors make this particular rope ideal for beginners to the practice of rope bondage.

Some suggestions for use I would give include BDSM scenes or roleplay, light to heavy restraint of the body, sensual adornment of your submissive or yourself, or solo play if you are careful. I would not recommend suspension with this rope, because as far as I could see, there is no weight limit listed on the package of this product.

The rope appears to be well-woven, and after tying the ends with overhand knots, it will not and has not frayed, even after several uses and washings. The material is quite soft for rope, which can be made even softer with fabric softener, and it's strong enough to withstand a good amount of tying, untying, retying, and tugging. Because it is rope, it can be tied in any fashion to fit you or your submissive's body, though if the person being bound is of more-than-average size, the length of the rope may not be ideal for complicated body harnesses. In this case, you can get more than one length of rope or buy something different altogether that is longer.

Being cotton, this rope is a good choice for vegans who don't want to use leather straps or collars to bind themselves or a submissive partner. However, BECAUSE it is made of cotton, I definitely do not recommend getting it wet, or gods forbid, using it in the water. Cotton rope tends to swell when wet, making it burn when dragged across the skin, and making it very difficult to tie and untie safely, and the water makes it stretch... Just, don't get it wet while in use. (Bodily fluids notwithstanding, of course.)

It's a mainly round rope, so it's quite versatile and can be used in almost endless ways. There are no bells or whistles to this product, just good old-fashioned rope, but you won't hear me complaining.

The Japanese Bondage Rope works quite well in binding people, as well as restraining them or attaching things to them, like dildos. It definitely met and even excelled past our needs and expectations. It's not bulky unless you layer several knots on top of one another, and it does not chafe unless you pull extremely hard on areas where the skin is quite sensitive. With a little instruction, it is easy to use and holds up well from session to session. I have not yet been surprised by the things it can do (it's rope after all), but I am always on the lookout for new ideas!

The first thing you should do after reading everything that comes with this rope is to tie both ends of it with overhand knots. This will keep the ends from fraying. Before your first use and between every use, the rope should be washed. This can be accomplished by throwing it in your clothes washer on the delicate cycle with some detergent and fabric softener if you so choose. Or you can wash it by hand, which will likely help the color stay richer longer. It can be dried on medium heat in a tumble dryer, hung out on a line, or laid flat to dry.

I store our rope like this: Once it's dry, I wind it around my arm from hand to elbow, like you would a long cable, until there is about a foot of it left. Then I wind the tail around the bunch of rope and tie it off. This keeps it from tangling in storage (and may I add that in this form, it makes an interesting flogger?) It looks like this:



It can of course be stored in its original box, and in fact it seems that's what it was designed for, but because I live with my parents half the time, I needed something less bulky than a plastic package and store it in the bottom of our bag of sex toys.

The rope came snugly packed in its own clear plastic clamshell box labeled with the words "Japanese Style Bondage Rope." I guess that means the package is in no way discreet. The label looks a little "faux" Japanese and maybe even a little cheap, but it's actually quite pretty and stylized also. Inside there is a small booklet about the art of Japanese bondage listing several kinds of knots. Useful for the beginner but not for the advanced. As mentioned before, the package is extremely useful in storing the rope as long as you have somewhere to hide it. It should keep your rope protected for the most part.

Before you decide to run out and buy a bunch of rope to bind your partner or yourself with, there are some things you must consider:

Being bound is an extremely sensual experience but may not be for everyone. Individuals who have experienced some sort of abuse, especially sexual abuse, may have a tendency to flash back or panic while bound. Make sure your partner is mentally sound and alright with being bound by you for pleasure.

Once your partner or your own body is bound, as the binder it is up to you to make sure the bound body is healthy throughout the session. That means not blocking pulse points with rope that is too tight, checking all extremities for good blood flow, and allowing stretch time before, after, and sometimes in between bindings.

Should something go wrong, it is always important to keep a few things close by. I recommend at the very least a pair of scissors (preferably the kind that has a way to keep the skin from being cut), water to keep your submissive and yourself hydrated, and foods like diced apples or crackers in case someone suddenly needs an energy boost. If you are using candles, keep a fire extinguisher nearby, and if you are engaging in knife play, keep gauze or bandages and the phone near you at all times, just in case.

Constantly check your partner or yourself to make sure you want to continue. This can be done verbally or visually. Ask "What do you want me to do next," and if you think things have gone too far, back off on your own. Sometimes a submissive will become too out of it (or would that be into it?) to tell you they have had enough.

Often after a bondage experience, and sometimes even before, a submissive can become emotional or check out of reality completely. This is normal but can be scary. Good care on the part of the Top is imperative to the positive experience of the bottom. Give your submissive lots of praise, cuddle if it's your thing, pet or fondle or tell them they are a good girl or boy. Before the ropes go on, and after they come off, and everywhere in between, it is up to the Top to keep their bottom comfortable and healthy and feeling loved.

On the other side of the coin, Tops, this is an experience for you, too. If your submissive wants to continue but it's taking you to a bad place of cruelty instead of a headspace of healthy dominance, you have every right to stop or pause the scene. Your bottom will thank you for your self control and you will feel better when you continue or if you choose to pick up another time. In order to keep your bottom comfortable and healthy, which is your responsibility, you yourself must be comfortable with what you are doing. Be honest with yourself, or you run the risk of harming your partner.

Above all, communicate, communicate, communicate, and keep things within the parameters of these three words: SAFE, SANE, and CONSENSUAL.

I first bought this rope for use as a hand-made harness for our Feeldoe. I have strong Kegel muscles, but when things get slippery, I simply can't hold on to the dildo anymore, and so a harness was required in order to give my boyfriend the ride he craves. Instead of risking buying a harness that might not fit my body type or might not hold onto the Feeldoe properly, I decided since I was looking into starting rope binding anyway, a dildo harness would be a good way to get started. It worked like a charm! (If you'd like the instructions, please feel free to message me.)

Now that I have a harness that works with our Feeldoe, I can concentrate on using the rope for other things, like a full-body harness, which is usually what people think of when they hear "rope bondage." The rope is -just- long enough to make such a harness on a woman of slightly larger build, like myself. I find the rope to be quite comfortable against my skin, and like the package claims, it doesn't chafe. I have even worn the body harness out in public under my clothes!

We have owned this rope for about a year and a half now, and after all the use and washings it has gotten, it has started to fade just a little. I assume that can be avoided for longer if we were to hand wash and line dry it, but its functionality and strength have not been compromised, so I don't worry too much about it. Soon I will start binding my boyfriend as well and experimenting and learning and growing in my rope skills, and maybe asking him to bind me as well. As we discover new things about our rope and our experiences expand, I will post a follow-up review to let you all know how it goes!