SHIBARI KINBAKU ART

LEVEL 1 /// THE ART OF THE ROPE

The First Chapter of Tiger Nawa Ryū

Learn the Way of the Rope

Every journey begins with learning a language.

Before suspension. Before complex harnesses. Before improvisation and creative freedom, there are the fundamental movements that make rope work.

This is where we begin.

Level 1 is an immersive introduction to the Japanese art of Kinbaku and Shibari and the first chapter of Tiger Nawa Ryū, the contemporary school of Kinbaku created by Lola Tiger Nawa at Ropejam Studio.

You will learn more than a collection of knots and patterns.

You will begin building the fundamental vocabulary of rope handling, knots, tension, frictions, structure, connection and communication that will follow you throughout your rope practice.

At Tiger Nawa Ryū, we don't simply teach you what to tie.

We teach you to understand how rope works.

Why does a friction hold?

Where does tension travel?

What happens when the rope changes direction?

How do individual elements combine to create a structure?

How does the same technique change when it meets a different body?

We study technique through anatomy, body mechanics, physics, partner awareness and artistic expression.

Like a musician practising scales, the fundamentals gradually become embodied.

Technique becomes vocabulary.
Vocabulary becomes expression.

And eventually, you begin to discover your own voice in rope.

No previous experience is required.

TWO MODULES /// ONE LEVEL

Complete it together or at your own pace.

Level 1 is divided into two full-day modules.

You can complete both modules over one immersive weekend, or attend them separately across different scheduled Level 1 weekends.

There is also a weekday route into the curriculum through our separate four-hour Shibari Kinbaku Foundations 1 + Foundations 2 classes.

Different schedules. Same curriculum. Same destination.

MODULE 1 /// SHIBARI KINBAKU FOUNDATIONS INTENSIVE

The Building Blocks

Saturday /// 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM

Module 1 brings together the complete fundamental vocabulary taught across our separate Shibari Kinbaku Foundations 1 + Foundations 2 classes into one intensive day.

These are the nuts and bolts of Shibari.

A complex harness can initially look like one mysterious object.

We learn to see something different:

A combination of understandable elements.

Once you recognise those elements, you begin learning to read how Shibari is constructed.

UNDERSTANDING KINBAKU

• Introduction to the history and philosophy of Kinbaku
• Japanese and Western approaches to rope
• Rope types, treatment and care
• Consent, communication and negotiation
• Different bodies and individual needs
• Anatomy and nerve awareness
• Principles of safer rope practice

CONNECTION & ROPE HANDLING

• Seiza: massage, touch and listening
• Presence and partner awareness
• Rope as touch, gesture and communication
• Preparing and opening rope efficiently
• Rope handling and movement
• Tension and direction
• The emotional spectrum from Aibu Nawa to Seme Nawa

THE ROPE TOOLKIT

• Lark's Head
• Joining ropes
• Single Column Tie through different approaches
• Double Column Tie
• Hon Musubi / Square Knot
• Japanese slip knots
• Forward and reverse tension

FRICTIONS & CONNECTIONS

• Half Hitch
• No-Dome
• Full Dome
• X Friction
• L Friction
• U Friction
• Half Moon Friction
• Full Moon Friction

We don't simply memorise these elements.

We investigate what they do, why they work and how they change the behaviour of rope.

INTEGRATION & IMPROVISATION

Now we begin combining the ingredients.

• Ippon Nawa
• Hojo-inspired cuffs
• Friction Improvisation Lab
• Guided free-form tying
• Connection through tension and movement

This is where isolated techniques begin becoming a language.

MODULE 2 /// FIRST ROPE FORMS

From Building Blocks to Structure

Sunday /// 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM

Now we start building.

Module 2 takes the vocabulary of Module 1 and applies it to complete Shibari forms.

Instead of treating a tie as a pattern to reproduce, we take it apart.

Which elements are being used?

Why are they there?

Where does tension travel?

What is essential to the structure?

What can change?

The goal isn't simply to remember the form.

It is to begin learning how to read rope.

FUTOMOMO

Explore the construction and function of one of the fundamental leg ties of Shibari and see how familiar elements combine into a complete structure.

GUNSLINGER

Begin working around the hips and discover how the same fundamental vocabulary can be reorganised around a different part of the body.

TWO-ROPE TAKATEKOTE

Begin studying one of the iconic structures of Kinbaku through different approaches to the two-rope Takatekote:

• Stem Takatekote
• Stemless Takatekote
• Top Kannuki
• Bottom Kannuki

Again, the emphasis is not simply:

“Remember this sequence.”

It is:

“Understand why this structure works.”

TWO WAYS INTO LEVEL 1

You don't have to complete everything in one weekend.

WEEKDAY PATH

Shibari Kinbaku Foundations 1
↓
Shibari Kinbaku Foundations 2
↓
Level 1 Module 2

Foundations 1 and 2 are each taught as separate four-hour classes.

Complete both and you have covered the foundational curriculum taught during Module 1, allowing you to continue directly into Level 1 Module 2.

WEEKEND INTENSIVE PATH

Level 1 Module 1
↓
Level 1 Module 2

Complete both modules over one weekend or attend them on different scheduled Level 1 weekends.

Different paths. One Level.

Already completed a module and want to revisit it?

Returning students can repeat a completed module at our Refresher Rate of 75% of the standard module price, subject to availability.

Rope is a physical language. Returning to the foundations with new experience often allows you to discover things you couldn't see the first time.

THE TIGER NAWA RYŪ METHOD

Learn the elements. Understand their function. Experiment. Discover. Create.

Tiger Nawa Ryū is not built around reproducing your teacher's rope.

Its teaching is influenced by maieutics, the Socratic philosophical tradition in which the teacher does not simply provide answers, but helps create the conditions through which understanding can emerge.

We learn through questions, observation, experimentation and discovery.

Instead of only asking:

How do I reproduce this tie?

we begin asking:

Why does it work?
What is this element doing?
What happens if I change it?
What is the body communicating?
What can I create from the principles I understand?

The deeper you progress through Tiger Nawa Ryū, the more important these questions become.

The goal is not to reproduce Lola's rope.

The goal is to develop the understanding from which your own rope can emerge.

THE TIGER NAWA RYŪ JOURNEY

LEVEL 1 /// THE ART OF THE ROPE

Foundations & First Forms
Learn the language.

LEVEL 2 /// TIGER AIBU NAWA

Connection, Pleasure & Feeling
Learn to listen.

LEVEL 3 /// TIGER SEME NAWA

Challenge, Intensity & Transformation
Learn to deepen.

LEVEL 4 /// TIES & SHAPES VOCABULARY

Bodies, Forms & Composition
Learn to compose.

LEVEL 5 /// HAN YUKA ZURI

Partial Suspension & Transformation
Meet gravity.

LEVEL 6 /// THE SUSPENDED BODY I

Stillness, Static Full Suspension & Orientation
Find stillness in space.

LEVEL 7 /// THE SUSPENDED BODY II

Movement, Dynamic Suspension & Transitions
Move through space.

LEVEL 8 /// HASHIRA

Mastery, Integration & Personal Language
Make it your own.

Eight Chapters. One Evolving Language.

Each chapter builds upon the last, moving from foundational mechanics towards connection, challenge, composition, gravity, suspension, movement and personal expression.

YOUR SENSEI

LOLA TIGER NAWA

Lola Tiger Nawa is the founder of Ropejam Studio and creator of Tiger Nawa Ryū.

Lola's relationship with rope began through competitive sailing in childhood, long before rope became an artistic, relational and philosophical practice.

More than twenty years of dedicated Kinbaku practice have since brought together creative self-exploration with the study of Japanese rope disciplines.

Lola's practice draws from Ippon Nawa, Aibu Nawa and Seme Nawa, with studies including internationally recognised teachers Osada Steve, Yagami Ren, Kazami Ranki, Jyuubei and Tenma Haru, alongside inspiration from the traditions and work of Osada Eikichi, Yukimura Ryū, Akechi Denki and Seiu Ito.

But rope is only one part of Lola's creative language.

A philosopher, filmmaker, artist and creative director, Lola's work explores perception, human experience, expression and the relationship between ideas and form.

A background in electronic music as a DJ and producer brings rhythm, composition, tension, repetition, silence and improvisation.

More than thirty years of yoga practice and teaching contribute an understanding of anatomy, movement, breath, body awareness and presence.

These disciplines converge in Tiger Nawa Ryū.

Physics and body mechanics provide foundations.
Japanese Kinbaku provides history and vocabulary.
Philosophy asks why.
Art and filmmaking inform composition and perception.
Music brings rhythm and flow.
Yoga brings awareness of body, breath and presence.

Together they form an approach to rope as technique, structure, communication, human experience and art.

WHO CAN ATTEND?

Complete beginners are welcome.

No previous Shibari experience is required for Module 1.

The course is practised in pairs. Please attend with the person you will work with throughout the module.

To attend Module 2 without Module 1, you should previously have completed Shibari Kinbaku Foundations 1 + Foundations 2, or have equivalent foundational knowledge agreed with Ropejam Studio.

Ropejam welcomes people of all genders, sexualities, bodies, identities and relationship styles.

We are proudly LGBTQIA+, FLINTA+, queer, trans, non-binary and POC inclusive.

At Ropejam, difference isn't something we simply accommodate.

We celebrate it. 🌈

Discrimination, harassment and coercive behaviour are not tolerated.

LIMITED CAPACITY

To preserve the quality of the learning experience, places are intentionally limited.

We keep our courses small enough to allow individual guidance, questions, observation and direct feedback throughout the weekend.

Early booking is recommended.

PROGRAMME

All Academy courses start at 11:00 AM.

Saturday /// Module 1
11:00 AM to 6:00 PM

Sunday /// Module 2
11:00 AM to 6:00 PM

Lunch each day
1:30 PM to 2:30 PM

Please arrive 15 to 20 minutes before your module begins.

🧠 COMPLIMENTARY ROPE ANATOMY GUIDE

Level 1 students receive the Tiger Nawa Ryū Rope Anatomy Guide, an illustrated educational reference exploring major peripheral nerve pathways, blood vessels, sensory territories and body awareness relevant to rope practice.

The guide is designed to support continued study beyond the classroom and accompanies the anatomy and nerve-awareness principles introduced during the course.

Understand the rope. Understand the body it meets.

WHAT TO BRING

Please bring:

4 × 8 to 10 metre ropes

Communal ropes are available for students who don't yet own a set.

Premium Japanese jute rope is also available to purchase from the studio, subject to stock.

WHAT TO WEAR

Wear comfortable clothing that allows freedom of movement.

Close-fitting, non-slippery clothing is recommended while learning because it makes rope placement easier to see and check.

Vanilla, expressive or kinky clothing is equally welcome.

Come as yourself.

REFRESHMENTS

☕ Tea and coffee are available throughout the course.

Please bring your own lunch and snacks.

There are cafés, supermarkets and restaurants within walking distance of the studio.

📍 HOW TO FIND US

Ropejam Studio
Unit 2, 7 Fountayne Road
London N15 4QL

⚠️ Make sure you go to Fountayne Road N15, NOT N16.

Enter through the courtyard at number 7. The metal and glass courtyard door is open.

Go inside and follow the corridor on your right.

Unit 2 is the second door on the right.

There is no need to ring or message when you arrive.

If you get lost, WhatsApp/call:

07772 955 639

🚇 TRANSPORT

Victoria Line: Seven Sisters (High Road / buses exit), Tottenham Hale

Overground: South Tottenham (Suffragette Line), Seven Sisters (Weaver Line)

Approximately 10 to 13 minutes' walk.

Stansted Express: Liverpool Street → Tottenham Hale approx. 15 minutes. Stansted Airport → Tottenham Hale approx. 36 minutes.

YOUR JOURNEY BEGINS HERE

You don't need to know where rope will eventually take you.

You only need somewhere to begin.

One rope. Two people. A language waiting to be discovered.

Learn the Way of the Rope.

Unconditional Rope Love 🖤🪢