2.2 The history of shibari without myths: from the Meiji era to the present

Japan organizes its chronology into eras tied to the reign of each emperor, and each one reflects the social and political climate of its time. Going through them allows us to follow the birth of shibari and its evolution up to the present.

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes.

In the Meiji era, the industrialization of publishing favored the appearance of adult publications, and the censorship imposed by the new moral rules forced people to look for other ways of expressing eroticism. In the Taisho era, with Itoh Seiu and the eroguro (erotic-grotesque – エログロ) movement, shibari began to take shape as an erotic expression.

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes.

Shibari developed during the Showa era, always tied to the Japanese adult industry. Postwar magazines, exchange with the West, pinku eiga (ピンク映畫) cinema and, later, video transformed its formats and distribution, giving rise to the works and artists that would define the technical future of shibari.

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes.

With the Heisei era, shibari crossed borders: a new generation of riggers became known in the West, developing their technique and organizing themselves into their own styles. The Reiwa era, marked by the pandemic and by legal changes in the audiovisual industry, reshaped that market, popularizing the practice as an erotic experience between couples.

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes.