As the lights dimmed and a hush rippled through the crowd, the sound of drums surged like the tide as it grows from low to high. Hajime Kinoko, modern kinbaku master, seemingly appeared out of the shadows, dressed in a traditional, Japanese kimono, holding the hand of a red-lipped, black haired maiden dressed in attire to match his own. Moving past us, their presence filled the air with magnetism, and the room with the kind wonder that makes you forget to breathe. Inhale. Aimi’s slippers, or geta in Japanese, are removed as she and Kinoko come to stand in front of the wooden beams from which she would dangele. Her blue, floral kimono is peeled away to reveal a vibrant red one, the color of strength, passion, self-sacrifice, in its place. The drums continued to beat.
During the third week of July at the Museum of Sex’s, Night Fever Disco lounge, Japanese natives, Hajime Kinoko and talented performer and model, Aimi, presented a Kinbaku performance series to the City that Never Sleeps made possible with the support of HEAVENSAKE. Kinoko has been in the field for twenty years and is renowned for his innovative approach to the art of Shibari. ‘Shibari’ is bondage tying and Kinbaku is ‘Shibari plus emotional connection. Through his practice, he hopes to transform society’s opinion on an ancient art form otherwise seen as dark and obscene.
Exhale. Kinoko bends to reach for the ropes, laying coiled and waiting, strewn across the ground under the beams. He moved confidently as he ciphered through the nuances of Aimi’s body language as it uttered the unspeakable through wiggles, the flex of a muscle, the release of breath. Sometimes he’d let the rope graze her cheek, letting it linger before proceeding to lift her body into the air, transforming her dainty figure into art. Aimi, her pleasure, her pain, became a means of communication between her and Kinoko and as bystanders, we would come to realize that to surrender is not as much about letting go as it is about trust.
Aimi’s body would find itself back in gravity’s grasp with two feet on the ground, dressed, with geta on, by the end of their performance. Applause erupted and smiles swept their faces as they sunk deeply into their bows, returning them to normalcy. Hero caught up with Kinoko and Aimi after their performance series came to a close, we chatted about destiny, transformation of societal opinion and what it meant for them to be performing in New York City.
Lindsey: Can you both talk a little bit about your backgrounds? Where did you grow up and what does "home" mean to you? How did you find the art of kinbaku?
Hajime Kinoko: I was born in a town named ”Shibatta” which means “tied” and grew up in a town named “Nawa” which means “rope,” in Japanese. Maybe it was my destiny to be into the world of Shibari. My first encounter to Shibari as an art was 20 years ago when I pursued how to make women beautiful with Shibari, and people started to say my work was an art.
Aimi: I was born and grew up in a town which is urbanized, but I was still also able to get in touch with nature. For me, “home” means the place or a person whom which I feel comfortable staying with.
My first encounter to Shibari as an art was seeing a picture of Hajime Kinoko performing that showed up in my twitter.
Lindsey: The rope is unmistakably a symbol of power and historically, the practice was used to restrain prisoners. I’m wondering what "power" means to you? And in which moments of the practice do you feel most strong?
HK: Shibari restricts movement of your opponent. I think it occurs as power to the person who ties in the sense of control. In contrast, the model who is bound is controlled by him or her, so there is fear and an uneasiness.
Yet, in understanding the model’s feelings and tying her with love and care becomes a stronger strength, of trust.
Lindsey: It seems that Western culture has become infused with and fascinated by Asian cultures but doesn’t necessarily fully understand them yet, you mentioned in a previous interview that you wanted to spread this philosophy and transform society's opinion, what is the opinion of Asian culture/kinbaku that society currently has and what would you like to guide it towards being?
Hajime: People think Shibari is just an abnormal play in Japan and it’s discriminated against from Japanese media and in public places. However, Shibari is very beautiful and wonderful because people can learn to build a loving relationship through it.
I want people to know about it. I believe strong beauty and morality is necessary when I let people know about the beauty of Shibari and I want to show that through my performance.
Lindsey: Kinbaku you say is a means of communication between two people, what messages do you hope to communicate to your audience at the Museum of Sex during your performances this July? It seems that our current methods of communication have changed so drastically, what with the use of social media, texting and simply living in the digital era.
Hajime: I want to tell people about the connection that I have with a model while performing. It makes no sense that I do not have an emotional connection with a model, and even the shape of Shibari is beautiful.
Today, we live in a convenient world filled with the internet. People communicate in a virtual world like on social media and don't communicate in a real world. We should take a moment to think about genuine ties and communication with others. I hope people remember the importance of human connection while they look at my work.
Lindsey: In kinbaku, pleasure is said to be more so in the journey than in the destination -- Aimi, do you think this is true? What have you felt or realized as result of this practice?
Aimi: Yes, I think so too. However, the meaning and purpose of Kinbaku will change depending on a person who will tie and who will be tied. It also affects the impression on people who see Kinbaku performances because I think Kinbaku draws out the personality of the person involved.
Kinbaku is also a collaborative work and I think it will not be established as a work unless there is mutual trust. Through this experience, I can express myself in and through the beautiful world of kinbaku created by Hajime Kinoko, whomst I respect. Moreover, I feel a pleasure to be a part of his work.
What I noticed through the show, the attitude of the audience who watches the show is also very important. I felt that they paid homage to our performance. I am very grateful for that.
The attitude of the audience enhanced our concentration and enabled us to give our best performance.
Lindsey: How does Japanese culture view this art-form in relation to how the West views it? Where are there similarities and differences? And why?
Hajime: Western culture has an idea of Eternal Beauty in contrast to the beauty of extinction which is inherent to Japanese aesthetic senses. Therefore I think people find beauty from Kinbaku because eventurall the rope must be untied, it will not stay forever.
Lindsey: What does it mean to you to be performing in New York City?
Kinoko: I believe NYC is one of the most modern cities in the world. It is very much an honor and challenge for me to perform here. I think American people are very honest with their feelings, they say good is good, bad is bad. I believe getting honest opinions from people in New York City will change the image for Kinbaku in Japan. I am very happy and appreciative to receive warm applause and positive messages from people in New York City.
Aimi: This is a great opportunity to be performing in New York City. It may change the passive way of thinking held by traditional Japanese people. In Japan, there are only a few people who recognize the beauty of Kinbaku as an art. I am honored that the beauty of Kinbaku was recognized by the Museum of Sex, making it possible for us to perform in New York City, it means a lot to me.
Lindsey: To what extent is trust involved in between the rope master and the subject?
Hajime: I believe the rope master and the subject must have a deep trust between them. When the model is tied up, she can not move and there is a risk to get injured. In that situation, I can not tie her without her trust. I feel an appreciation and responsibility at the same time, I want to make her beautiful in return for her trust.
LIndsey: What has kinbaku taught you about yourself
Hajime: To cherish connections with people.