The names we use to describe people who tie and are tied reveals something about the way in which we think about shibari, and many people have some names they are comfortable with and some they are not so it pays to check in with people about their prefer term.

 

Names for people who tie

Rope Artist

This term is adopted by some people to indicate that they feel that there rope work is either highly skilled, or is very creative. Sometimes used by photographers who tie.

 

Rigger

This term is used within the theatre industry to describe the person responsible for rope work, with such jobs requiring formal qualifications including in the mathematical calculations needed to establish safe working loads for various rope configurations. This term has been widely adopted within the Shibari community.

 

Nawashi 縄師

'Rope Master' This term was initially used to describe a master craftsman who made rope, but is now used to indicate someone recognised as having a high level of skill and proficiency with tying. It is generally seen as presumptuous for someone to adopt this title who has not earned an income from tying.

 

Kinbakushi 緊縛師

Infrequently used title to refer to someone who has achieved mastery in Shibari, it is more common for the abbreviated word Bakushi to be used. 

 

Bakushi 縛師

Abbreviated form of kinbakushi

 

Names for people who are tied

Notably the names used to describe people who are tied makes no distinction between very experienced people and new people being tied for the first time. This may give an indication of the way in which the two roles are respectively valued by some.

Rope Artist

Some people use the term Rope Artist to either describe an approach to Shibari as an art form or to describe a high level of skill. This term is used by some people who tie, and some people who are tied.

 

Rope Bottom

The terms top and bottom are used within the BDSM scene to describe people engaging within a scene who are not in a formal Dominant/submissive relationship. Some people have adopted this language for describing shibari which is often practiced within a BDSM framework.

Rope Bunny

Some people see this as a super cute name that makes them think about getting an itchy nose the moment rope is on them and twitching there nose. For other people this makes them think of playboy bunnies and they find it offensive.

Rope Model

Some peoples interest in shibari comes from an aesthetic interest, and a desire to create art work often in the form of photos, and this has led to the use of the term rope model.

 

Rope Slut

A term that has seen some increased popularity partially around people who enjoy being tied by multiple people. 

 

Ukete 受け手

'Receiver'. This Japanese word is used by Osada Steve to describe people who are tied in an attempt to provide a neutral word, this word is normally used to describe someone who in martial arts who has a 'move' used on them, so for example a throw.