KINBAKU - SHIBARI ART LEVEL 3 /// SHAPES VOCABULARY /// Weekend Intensive

KINBAKU ART LEVEL 3
Ties and Shapes Vocabulary
Bodies, Forms, Tension & Chest Harnesses

Summary
A two-day Level 3 weekender dedicated to expanding your Kinbaku vocabulary through a wider range of ties, body shapes, harnesses, floor forms, and tension refinement.

After Level 2’s focus on Aibu Nawa, presence, Ki, and deep listening, Level 3 begins to develop a broader technical and artistic vocabulary. We explore how to create the most useful and iconic Shibari ties, how they affect emotion, posture, exposure, protection, vulnerability, and power, and we will master tension, one of the essential skills of the Bakushi /Nawashi /Rigger

Level 3 is about learning a wider vocabulary of ties and forms. This vocabulary of ties will later become the foundation for Level 4, where we begin to use it in partial suspension, and Level 5, where it develops further into full suspension work and transitions.

About the course
In this weekend course we explore Kinbaku - Shibari art as an experience.
A tie becomes meaningful when it creates a state, a posture, a feeling, a visual image, or a relational dynamic between Bakushi (Rigger) and Ukete (model). In Level 3, we will learn how ties work, why they work, and how they can be adapted to different bodies, different moods, and different creative intentions. We train how to build and refine shapes with intention and precision. We study how the body is folded, opened, compressed, stretched, turned, framed, and held. We look at how rope placement changes the emotional tone, and how keeping and recovering tension allows the rope to remain alive, precise, and connected.

The focus here is: “Let’s tie with intention”

What you’ll train
Shape vocabulary: learning a wider range of ties, body forms, and rope positions
Tension refinement: keeping tension, recovering tension, and understanding how tension supports structure, sensation, communication, and safety
Hip harness foundations: pelvic framing, grounding, lower-body control, exposure, and support
Body reading: understanding how each body responds differently to compression, folding, opening, and pressure
Floor-based Kinbaku: creating strong visual and emotional forms without relying on suspension
Chest harness vocabulary: Ishi TK, armless chest harnesses, Butterfly Harness, and torso-based structures
Adaptation: adjusting ties to different bodies, flexibility levels, and emotional states
Aesthetic awareness: lines, angles, posture, asymmetry, stillness, and composition

Day 1 — Shapes Vocabulary: Floor Forms, Hip Structure & Tension

Topics
Shapes as language: how rope creates emotional and visual meaning
From tie to form: understanding posture, pressure, direction, and intention
Tension as an element: keeping tension, recovering tension, and understanding where tension is held or lost
Refining frictions: clean structure without overloading the body
Compression and folding: how to create intensity without forcing
Hip structure: how rope can frame, stabilise, expose, support, and guide the pelvis
Exposure and protection: how body position changes emotional tone
Body limits: knees, hips, shoulders, spine, breath, circulation, and nerve awareness
Stillness and image: allowing the shape to speak before moving on

Main ties / shapes
Agura
Hog tie
Mermaid, high, low, and full
Hip Harness structure 

Exercises / drills
Tension study: keeping tension alive through the tie and recovering it when it is lost
Shape mapping: how one tie changes depending on rope direction and body position
Agura studies: grounding, opening, containment, and seated vulnerability
Hog tie studies: compression, exposure, restraint, and breath awareness
Mermaid studies: asymmetry, elegance, side-body awareness, and emotional tone
Hip Harness studies: pelvic framing, lower-body control, exposure, grounding, and support
Adaptation practice: modifying each shape for different bodies, flexibility levels, and emotional states

Day 2 — Chest Harnesses: Torso Structures, TK Variations & Butterfly Forms

Topics
Chest harnesses as vocabulary: support, framing, restriction, exposure, and beauty
Anatomy of the torso: ribs, sternum, shoulders, armpits, breasts/chest tissue, breath
Breath-respectful chest tying: how to avoid unnecessary compression and restriction
Tension and direction in chest harnesses: where the rope pulls, where tension is kept, and how to recover it cleanly
Front-body and side-body sensitivity: reading discomfort, numbness, pressure, and emotional response
Ishi TK: structure, feeling, body position, and function
Armless chest harness creation: building chest structures without relying on arm restriction
Butterfly Harness: opening, framing, exposure, and visual composition
Chest harnesses for floor work, shape-making, and expanded vocabulary
Aesthetic lines: framing the chest, shoulders, arms, and upper body
Consent and emotional charge: exposure, vulnerability, eroticism, shame, pride, and beauty

Main ties / structures
Ishi TK
Armless Chest Harness
Butterfly Harness
Chest harness variations for different bodies
Chest harnesses with arms free
Chest harnesses with arms included
Chest harnesses for floor-based shapes
Chest harnesses as part of a wider Kinbaku vocabulary

Exercises / drills
Ishi TK studies: structure, rhythm, tension, placement, and emotional tone
Armless harness creation: building stable torso structures while preserving shoulder and arm freedom
Butterfly Harness studies: opening the upper body, creating visual shape, and adapting to different chest/shoulder structures
Chest harness tension study: keeping support without unnecessary compression
Breath test: tying with awareness of ribcage and breathing
Harness adaptation: adjusting for different chest sizes, shoulder mobility, and sensitivity
Line and framing study: how placement changes the visual and emotional image
Movement test: checking range, comfort, and stability
Shape integration: combining chest harnesses with lower-body forms

Level / prerequisites
This is Level 3. You should arrive with solid Level 1 and Level 2 foundations, including:

Single column and double column ties
Basic frictions and tension control
Comfort tying on the floor with a partner
Awareness of consent, communication, stop signals, and safety checks
knowledge of at least one TK Gote-style 

This weekend is not about rushing into advanced patterns. It is about developing a richer vocabulary of ties and learning how to make each shape technically clean, emotionally alive, and adapted to the person in the rope.

Level 3 creates the vocabulary. Level 4 will begin to use this vocabulary in partial suspension. Level 5 will develop this vocabulary further into full suspension.

Attendance
This workshop is designed for pairs/couples/duos. Please attend with a rope partner.

Consent & safety note
We shall train further clear communication, stop signals, body checks, and fast exits as part of the work.

This course includes compression-based ties, hip harnesses, chest harnesses, and torso structures. Particular attention will be given to breathing, joints, nerves, circulation, flexibility, pressure, and emotional exposure.

No full suspension is taught in this course. The focus of Level 3 is floor-based shape vocabulary, tension refinement, harness understanding, and learning a wider range of ties that will become useful in later levels.

What to bring
Rope: ideally 6–8 ropes, 8–10m / plus 1 -2 shorter rope bits if you have it
Cutting tool: safety shears / rope cutter required
Comfort items: water, warm layer, socks, any personal aftercare needs
Clothing: comfortable movement-friendly layers; bottoms should consider skin sensitivity and pressure
Optional: notebook, blindfold only if you personally enjoy it

If you don’t have ropes yet, message in advance. Limited loan ropes may be available depending on the studio setup.

Tutor
Lola Tiger Nawa began tying knots in early childhood through a sailor’s upbringing, long before entering the world of Japanese rope arts. Lola’s study of Kinbaku has been shaped by the broader Japanese tradition, often traced from Hojojutsu and the aesthetics of Kabuki, and by the modern Kinbaku scene and its influential artists, including Osada Eikichi, Yukimura Haruki, Osada Steve, and Akechi Denki.

From these influences and long self-taught explorations, Lola developed Tiger Nawa Ryū: a personal style blending Aibu and Seme Nawa, called Romantic Seme Nawa, a holistic approach rooted in presence, creativity, and deep relational awareness.

Beyond ropes, Lola is an artist, filmmaker, yoga teacher, and sound healer with over two decades of multidisciplinary experience, informing the depth, sensitivity, and visual awareness of their rope work.

This weekend course is dedicated to expanding the student’s vocabulary of Kinbaku shapes, floor forms, tension, hip structures, and chest harnesses.

Inspired by
This weekend is  by Lola Tiger Nawa’s ongoing research into the study of floor-based forms, body manipulation, tension, shape-making, and the visual language of rope as embodied composition.

Capacity
Studio capacity is limited to 10 duos/couples to allow enough space, partner attention, and in-depth learning.

Refreshments & Lunch Break
There will be free tea and herbal teas throughout the weekend, and there will be a 1-hour lunch break on both days.

There are a few places to get lunch within walking distance from the studio.

How to get there
Tube: Victoria Line to Seven Sisters or Tottenham Hale
Walk: approximately 8-10  minutes
Overground: South Tottenham / Seven Sisters
Walk: approximately 10–13 minutes

Stansted Express:
Liverpool Street → Tottenham Hale: 15 min
Stansted Airport → Tottenham Hale: 36 min

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

Entrance via building number 7 courtyard the main door is currently always open just push,
Follow the corridor to your right and the second door on your right is Unit 2, or WhatsApp/call: 07772 955 639 if you get lost.

Unconditional Rope Love to all 🖤✨