Japanese BDSM is a generally referred to as it relates to the bondage aspect of the BDSM scene in Japan. There are several different aspects of BDSM that differ from the Western world’s BDSM scene, most notably in their bondage technique.

Japanese Bondage is quite different from the West’s approach to bondage, where in Japan the bondage is created to allow for minimum movement of the slave, and Sex Toys are often not used. Kinbaku-bi is the official term, meaning “beauty of tight bondage” and is designed so that the bottom, or submissive is not able to become comfortable. As such, they receive pleasure from the constant movement causing the fabric to stimulate erogenous areas. The asymmetric designs, are intentional and put pressure on the breasts or genitals.Their focus is more on design, rather than knot tying, which the West tends to put emphasis on by creating ornate and complicated knots.

The fabric used is also distinctively different, where the west originally focused on natural materials such as cotton, and then gradually moved on to nylon during the 80’s and 90’s, and now polypropylene. The nature of synthetic fiber - being very smooth, require complicated knots in order to prevent from coming undone, this is further exacerbated by the sub’s repeated movement or squirming. The Japanese art form however still uses natural fibers such as jute (a soft, long, and shiny vegetable fiber), hemp, and even linen. This allows the advantage of not requiring complicated knots, and in some cases, no knots except to tie of the ends.

This history of this form of bondage is said to go back to the edo period on the 17th century, and is partially derived from a martial art from Samurai’s who created a system for restraining combatants or captives/criminals with rope, known as Hojojutsu.In recent years the West has seen a rise in popularity of the Japanese method of bondage and is in increased use in the erotic BDSM Scene.