Nawa Dojo - ”The Way of Japanese Rope” by
Tatu

Tatu is a male Dominant from Florida whose central love has been Japanese Rope Bondage, or otherwise known as Kinbaku or Nawa Shibari. He has been teaching Shibari as a spiritual component to D/s for many years and is on a very short list of well-respected Rope Masters in the US.

His first introduction to Japanese Styled Rope was in the late 1970's while living in New Orleans as a graduate student. Through the early years his love of bondage grew at first with a "damsel in distress" western style approach until the early 1990's when he began gravitating more and more to the Japanese style (Kinbaku / Shibari).

Tatu is the creator of the Ds-Arts.com website which offers a wide variety of rope and BDSM information as well as the Japanese Rope Art website which explores rope art from a Japanese cultural perspective.

See: http://www.ds-arts.com. & http://www.JapaneseRopeArt.com/RopeArt

He is also the owner / founder of the Adult Rope Art Yahoo Discussion Group with some 14,000 participants. It is the largest support & educational rope group on the Internet, helping people with: techniques, safety, resources, and artistic exploration of the art of rope.

See: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AdultRopeARt

His undergraduate and graduate studies were in History, Psychology, Sociology. He is an educator, author, and has over 30 years public speaking to his credit, giving over 3000 educational seminars and speeches around North America and Europe.

Tatu is one of the founding board members and past President of S.P.I.C.E. (South Florida People Involved in Consensual Endeavors). He is also the founder of The Palm Beach Munch Group. In 2000 he founded and leads "Shibari South Florida" aka "SILK" a local educational group of rope lovers.

Tatu has presented at national and forums such as Shibaricon I-V, Black Rose, LIL (Living In Leather), SELF (SouthEast Leather Fest), BMSL (Beat Me in St Louis), Orlando Bash, Kinky Kollege and Sinsations in Leather as well as numerous regional support groups. He was the keynote speaker for Shibaricon II in 2005.

Japanese Chest Harnesses: (Course overview)

Being rendered incapable of only embracing the rope is a key moment of sensual surrender in the rope bondage experience. Tatu will teach the basic forms of chest harnessing that will place your rope bottom in the position of no choice, but to surrender her/his power to the pleasure inflicted.

Presented will be the traditional “Go-te” and "Ushiro Takata-kote", a behind the back box arm & wrist tie. This form is foundational and a building block of most classic Japanese Rope ties. Variations on these forms will also be explored. Basic safety and quick release methods will be covered.

Other traditional Japanese chest harness variation will be taught, known as the "Ushiro Tasuki" as well as the beautiful “Hon Kikkou”.

Additionally, I show how to adapt these forms regardless of gender, body shape or size.
Materials, safety and variations are always a component with each tie.

Nawa-aikido: The Way of Harmonious Loving Energy with Rope: (Course overview)

“Nawa” – Rope “Ai” - Love “Ki” – Harmony / Center of Energy “do” – the way
“So you have your bottom skillfully and beautifully tied; posed and exposed what now?” In this class participants will discover what makes Japanese Rope, Japanese Rope. Discovering those transcendental spaces of deep energetic connections that activates the body’s natural inner pleasure centers is the objective of this class. We will discuss rope scenes as a sacred spirituality in terms of "energy" and not simply skilled rigging or roles played. Normally visual aesthetics are the main focus with our Shibari. Here we will deal with uniquely Japanese cultural themes such as “Wabi Sabi” (beauty in simplicity and embracing the rust of time). The class will come away with much more than visual aesthetics as we explore all the senses; sensual, auditory, smell and taste. Participants will also take what is referred to as the “blind tour”.

Understanding the body and the flow of energies, and other approaches used in creating a spiritual connection between the Rope Top and bottom is fundamental to the goal of mutual pleasure. Techniques and concepts such as: scene setting, ceremony, tradition, ritual activities, simultaneous breathing, and meditation will be explored and practiced in this class.

All are shared from a Japanese cultural perspective, discovering various concepts such as “Kami” (the spirit that resides in all things), “Shime-nawa” (spirit that inhabits the rope), “Ichi-e, Ichi-go” (Being in the moment) and “wa” culture of being in harmony with self with others.