Steve Osada: King of Tokyo’s Shibari Scene
Ever heard of Steve Osada?
If you’re not a regular on the traditional Japanese bondage scene, you may not have, but within the shibari houses of Tokyo’s seedy Kabukicho district, he’s The Man.
Shibari, also known as kinbaku, is the Japanese art of erotic bondage, differentiated from Western bondage by its focus on ties that actively pleasure the bottom, as well as its minimalist, often asymmetric, aesthetic. While not the only culture to enjoy tying their lovers up, the Japanese may be more open about it than most.
Image by Max Hodges
Osada Steve is one of the few living grandmasters of this art (yes, in Japan there’s a grandmaster for everything), and he teaches classes, performs live, and runs a great shibari website.
The star student of Eikichi Osada, usually recognized as popularizing shibari and bringing it into the Japanese mainstream, he is the first and last word in traditional Japanese rope arts, and mesmerizing to watch- his hands dance over his subject, rhythmically and deliberately, as he combines sexual power-play and minimalist art.
A review of Osada Steve performing at Loft Plus One captures the essence of performance shibari, a stage art exclusive to Japan:
A moonlit stage and a large, gently moving, white cloth bag create an air of mystery and conjure up a world of the surreal where anything might happen as if in a dream. Luckily for us this pouch contains and this dream revolves around the ravishing Asagi Ageha, Steve’s partner of choice of late and a beautiful girl that’s fast becoming a major star in the Tokyo SM nightclub scene.
After emerging from her silky cocoon the butterfly Ageha is captured in a beautifully executed Tasuki shibari before being lifted aloft by Steve into a graceful Aomuke zuri (face-up suspension) and spun as if on a silken web. This is a gorgeous image of kinbaku and worthy of the great Akechi Denki. Without missing a beat Steve then folds his partner into a graceful ball and suspends her head down for more vertiginous spins. The effect is dramatic as the sensei propels the bound and spinning girl out and over the audience before treating her to a thorough waxing that leaves her dazed.
By now these partners have performed so often that every move is picture perfect and the intimate understanding between them always results in great drama and beauty. This is one dream it’s a shame to wake up from.
Hear an exclusive interview with the man himself, as well as walking narration that unlocks the secrets of all the dark stairwells and neon facades just east of Shinjuku station, with the Tokyo Realtime: Kabukicho guide from White Rabbit Press.
