SHIBARI KINBAKU ART

LEVEL 1: The Art of the Rope

Learn the Way of the Rope

This immersive weekend course guides complete beginners through the fundamental principles and building blocks of the Japanese art of Kinbaku and Shibari.

Level 1 is the beginning of the Tiger Nawa Ryū curriculum, the contemporary school of Kinbaku created by Lola Tiger Nawa and taught at Ropejam Studio.

You will learn more than a collection of knots. You will begin to understand rope as a language of connection, communication, structure, movement and artistic expression.

Tiger Nawa Ryū combines technical precision with anatomy, body mechanics, physics and partner awareness. Like a musician practising scales until technique becomes embodied, we study the fundamentals so deeply that creativity and intuition can eventually emerge through the Rope Flow.

No previous experience is required.

PROGRAMME

Saturday

11:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Lunch break: 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM

Sunday

11:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Lunch break: 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM

Please arrive 15 to 20 minutes before the course begins.

WHAT WILL YOU LEARN?

DAY ONE

Fundamental Principles and Building Blocks

The first day introduces the essential knowledge, technical tools and relational qualities that support everything that follows.

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 body types
• Anatomy and nerve awareness
• Principles of safer rope practice

Connection and Expression

• Saeza: massage, touch and listening
• Presence and partner awareness
• Rope as touch, gesture and communication
• The emotional spectrum of Kinbaku, from Aibu Nawa to Seme Nawa
• Preparing and opening the rope efficiently

The Rope Toolkit

• Lark’s Head
• Joining ropes
• Single Column Tie, taught in three ways
• Double Column Tie
• Hon Musubi, or Square Knot
• Slip Knots

Frictions

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

Integration and Improvisation

• Ippon Nawa: exploring connection and creativity with one rope
• Friction Improvisation Lab
• Hojo-inspired cuffs
• Free-form Rope Improvisation

DAY TWO

Building Your First Rope Forms

On the second day, the principles and techniques learned on Saturday are brought together into complete rope forms.

You will begin to understand not only how a tie is constructed, but why it works, how tension travels through it and how structural choices affect the body and the experience.

Core Forms

• Futomomo
• Gunslinger

Two-Rope Takatekote

You will explore different styles of the iconic two-rope Takatekote, including:

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

Looking Ahead

The weekend concludes with demonstrations of partial and full suspension and an introduction to the next stages of the Tiger Nawa Ryū curriculum.

THE TIGER NAWA RYŪ CURRICULUM

Level 1: Initiation
Fundamental principles, building blocks and first rope forms.

Level 2: Aibu Nawa
Presence, connection, touch and the emotional language of rope.

Level 3: Vocabulary
Expanding your repertoire through new ties, structures and body forms.

Level 4: Hanyuka Zuri
Partial suspension, body transformation, directional tension and gravity.

Level 5: Elevation
Full suspension, including face-up, lateral, face-down, inversion and torsion.

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 in childhood through competitive sailing, long before it evolved into more than twenty years of dedicated Kinbaku practice and teaching.

Beginning through creative self-exploration and later deepening through the study of traditional Japanese rope disciplines, Lola’s work draws from Ippon Nawa, Aibu Nawa and Seme Nawa.

Lola has studied with internationally recognised teachers including Osada Steve, Yagami Ren, Kazami Ranki, Jyuubei and Tenma Haru, while drawing inspiration from the traditions of Osada Eikichi, Yukimura Ryū, Akechi Denki and Seiu Ito.

More than thirty years of yoga practice and teaching also inform Lola’s understanding of anatomy, movement, breath, body awareness and human connection.

These influences have shaped Tiger Nawa Ryū, a contemporary school of Kinbaku combining technical excellence, physics, body mechanics, artistic expression and the freedom to enter the Rope Flow.

Students often describe Lola’s teaching as technical, poetic and intuitive, creating an environment where precision, creativity and connection develop together.

WHO CAN ATTEND?

No previous Shibari experience is required.

This course is designed for complete beginners and is practised in pairs. Please attend with the person you will work with throughout the weekend.

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

We provide an LGBTQIA+, FLINTA+, queer and POC-inclusive learning environment. Discrimination, harassment and coercive behaviour are not tolerated.

CAPACITY

The course is limited to 12 pairs, with a maximum of 24 participants, to allow individual guidance and dedicated teaching time.

WHAT TO BRING

Please bring:

4 × 8 to 10 metre ropes

Communal ropes are available for participants who do not yet own a set.

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

DRESS CODE

Wear comfortable clothing that allows freedom of movement.

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

Vanilla, expressive or kinky clothing is equally welcome.

REFRESHMENTS

Tea and coffee are available throughout the weekend.

Please bring your own lunch and snacks.

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

HOW TO GET HERE

Ropejam Studio
Fountayne Road
London N15

Victoria Line

• Seven Sisters
• Tottenham Hale

Overground

• South Tottenham
• Seven Sisters

The studio is approximately a 10-minute walk from the nearest stations.

⚠️ Please make sure you travel to Fountayne Road, N15, not N16.

Please arrive 15 to 20 minutes before the course begins. Late arrival affects your partner and the learning time of the entire group.

Your journey into Tiger Nawa Ryū begins here.

Learn the Way of the Rope.

Unconditional Rope Love in Perpetuity. 🖤