Seductive Art of Japanese Bondage

This is an excellent guide for beginners who would like to explore (japanese) BDSM. No, it's not a photografy/art book! In fact there are only a handfull of photographs in it; but YES it is a great book for people who are new to the subject and are curious to find out if japanese BDSM is their thing. I was -and still am- a complete novice in BDSM, but after reading just a little I was able to tie my loved one in a couple of very exciting postures, and will continue to have fun with this book for while to come.PRO'S: You get 6 basic postures, from which you can really get an idea of Japanese bondage on different gender and body types -not just slender barbydolls- from which you can improvise numerous new combinations yourself.The book leads you towards each position in small, quite easy to follow steps with drawn pictures.You also get a few very clear chapters on the background of Jap. BDSM, but -more important to me- also a good background in rope-type, body types, safety procedures and how to create the right playfull atmosphere. Within this atmosphere you can make the experience either as hardcore of soft and gentle as you please. CONSSometimes -in my opinion as a knot enthousiast- there are little mistakes in the knot-drawings; but for the most the drawings are very clear.North-Western Europeans watch out with rope length! The author warns for bigger sized western people when she discusses rope lenght, but still from a US perspective! For my slender 1.70m (5.5ft)intermediate length Dutch girlfriend the 8 meter (25ft)rope Midori advises is still quite short. My advise: Buy close to double lengths: You can always use the excess for other exciting ideas. If you're interested in BDSM with a Japanese bite, this book is certainly worth a try in my opinion. It's really very respective to all sorts of BDSM and apetites. The pics are clear instructive and erotic, but not hardcore pornographic. There's all space to make of BDSM what suits you best.

After the long wait to receive a copy of this book there was a very real fear that it would be a disappointment. After all, Midori may be the "fetish diva" and a "goddess" popular on a nation-wide circuit of demos and workshops with various bdsm orgs, but she's best known as a "queen" of self-promo: she tends to be her own best friend. So it's almost a shock to review her book and declare it wonderful. The introduction is sound without being laborious, the how-to diagrams clear and easy to follow, and the photographs tasteful and inviting.Midori starts off with a "folkloric" history of the rope in Japan and continues with an analysis of a bondage scene from the perspectives of bottom and top. Chapter II instructs the reader on rope selection and maintenance, and addresses important safety concerns regarding one's roped partner. And it's in Chapter III that Midori diagrams the use of rope for breast, leg and torso restraint, together with a short depiction of the use of the bamboo stretcher and the more common hog-tie. All in all a great introduction to erotic bondage.It would perhaps have been better if Midori had chosen to lengthen the book. Maybe a bit more on variants in technique, or a more graphic exploration of the mix of rope and suspension. Perhaps she's already envisoning a sequel? If there is another effort it would be nice if she went beyond the scope of the present work and included a contrast/comparison with western bondage à la John Willie, et.al.If the book has a real fault it's in the bibilography. Credit should be given the many other texts and personalities on both sides of the Pacific who have embraced the sensuality of Japanese bondage (RIP Tammad Rimilia), and to those schools (notably the Baltimore and the Seattle) that appreciate the art and offer instruction to, and workshops for, those with a yearn to learn. With Midori's cosmopolitan background I personally wish she had offered other suggested readings from the Orient, along the lines of the hojo-jutsu texts by Mizukoshi Hiro or Fujita Seiko, for those who wish to delve deeper into sophisticated bondage.A special hats-off to photographer Craig Morey, whose work helped transform this book from an instruction manual into a genuinely tasteful coffee table addition.KIHARA

"Rope Bondage." Say those words out loud at a party, and most conversations within earshot will likely pause or stop. However, this is often a misunderstood art, an ancient craft that can convey a variety of meanings and experiences for those that choose to explore it, whether you opt to tie or be tied.You have an excellent instructor in hand here. Midori draws from her childhood upbringing in Japan, her education in psychology, and her experience as a SM player and educator to provide the information presented in this fantastic new publication. You learn the historical place and perspective of rope in Japan, both as an everyday tool and a modern erotic practice, as well as the evolution of rope play in the US.A variety of traditional Japanese rope ties are both described and illustrated, along with some stunning full-color photos by Craig Morey. Selection and care of rope is covered in good detail, along with basic safety and specific rope bondage concerns. The various positions are presented as consensual, erotic and fun, with some of the easiest and clearest instructions I've ever seen. Models are all ages, shapes, sizes, genders and ethnicities: a most refreshing change from the usual depictions of these practices. For lovers of restraint in any form, this is an elegant and necessary edition to your library and play life.

What more could you want? This book combines all of these elements through the delicacy and power of intricate ropework encasing and caressing the human form, created by an expert in the art of Japanese bondage, and captured by a master photographer. But this isn't merely an image book (as if that weren't enough). True to her first-and-foremost role as an educator, Midori offers step-by-step instructions on how to recreate the bondage shown in Craig Morey's gorgeous and inspiring photographs. The instructional pages and illustrations are clear and amazingly easy to follow. The history, safety, resources, and materials overviews, plus little extras like a titillating his-and-hers seduction scene, followed by a detailed (and purposeful) scene analysis make this a comprehensive, sexy, and altoghether thoroughly entertaining guide. I do wish there were more photographs, but that's the petty complaint of a beauty glutton. And this is a beautiful book, a must-have not only for anyone wishing to incorporate ropes into his or her sensual play, but also for anyone who enjoys the human form as art.Midori is an artist of the human form.Written by Babydoll1008 (for some reason, this didn't go through with my name...)

Imagine..a "coffee table" type book about Japanese rope bondage, complete with instructions and diagrams and some absolutely gorgeous photographs produced by Craig Morey (a photographer who has created some luscious bondage photos over the past few years). Fetish Diva Midori who has been involved in the San Francisco Bay Area SM scene for years now has created an excellent book about this form of bondage, which can be beautiful and alluring to look at, but for some like me, a daunting task to do well. Midori must have had people like me in mind, because she describes specific types of this kind of rope bondage, offering step by step instruction and diagrams, along with pictures of the "finished product." The book also offers information about the history of Japanese rope bondage, the different types of rope available, safety, and then discusses seven specific rope bondage "techniques." Among them: simple breast bondage, arm & chest bondage, the beautiful "Tortoise Shell Body Harness," and the "Bamboo Rod."If you're any kind of "bondage aficionado," be it practioner or simply a "conoisseur," this book is excellent, as well as being a kind of "instruction manual" on Japanese rope bondage.