What exactly am I doing?

Again and again, terms and concepts come into contact with one another and one simply does not know what to make of them.

When you deal with the topic of bondage, you will often come across words like bondage, shibari, kinbaku, and many others. But what exactly does that mean? Are there differences and if so, what are they? Or are we all talking about the same thing, just with a different name? Can you do one and not the other?

Then there are terms like Box Tie, Takate kote, or TK, to give an example. What is the difference or is it the same? Questions upon questions and confusing answers as to why, how, and wherefore. Well, I would like to write you a few things about this and try to shed some light on the matter, or in other words, give my two cents on the matter^^

Let's start with bondage, a word that comes from English and means something like servitude or lack of freedom. In BDSM circles, however, it also means anything that has to do with bondage in general, such as handcuffs, arm cuffs, adhesive tape, etc. 

People often talk about rope bondage, and this term actually comes closer to the subject. In the context of being unfree through ropes.

So you could say bondage or even better rope bondage are terms that are used in Europe and stand for handling or tying with rope.

The word Shibari is heard and read very often. It means binding or tying up in relation to a person and is known in Europe as artistic binding. Shibari developed from a military or police binding technique called Hojojutsu.

However, if you are in Japan, you will come across the term Kinbaku, which means tight lacing and binding. Shibari, on the other hand, has several meanings and is not normally used in Japan for artistic bondage.

But now I want to go one step further. As you know, there are also numerous bondage techniques such as the Takate kote or TK for short, a classic upper body bondage that can be performed in different ways using 2 or 3 ropes. I will write a separate entry about this, as it is quite extensive. In any case, the TK is also known as a box tie. It is exactly the same with hanging bondage, which is also known as suspension or tsuri. There are numerous other terms that have the same meaning.

If someone says I do Shibari, they will primarily use the Japanese terms for bondage techniques. If someone claims to practice bondage, they will perhaps use English terms. Or you can simply adapt and use both. 

Personally, I am of the opinion that a certain mixture has prevailed, so most people talk about Takate kote, Suspension, Starppado, Karada, Hogtie, etc. Ropes are usually called Seil or Rope and rarely Nawa, although it would be just as correct.

There is so much more to write about various subspecies and bondage. However, I would like to leave it at that for now and will probably go into one or two more points in another entry.

I wrote this article because I recently had a small and very interesting discussion on the subject. I think it's entirely up to you what you do and what you call it. The main thing is to have fun and be passionate about it!

I hope you liked my little contribution and that it helped you a little.

Greetings Andreas