The term is formed by combining three characters:
- 急 (kyu): “urgent”, “critical”, “vital”.
- 所 (sho / tokoro): “place”, “point”.
- 學 (gaku): “study”, “science”, “academic discipline”.
Its literal translation is “the study of vital points” or “the science of critical points”.
The concept of kyosho appears in martial arts and acupuncture, designating anatomical locations that are vulnerable or strategically relevant.
In both martial arts and the Yagami Ryu, the concept of kyosho-gaku (急所學) refers to weak points, or key points, that are supposedly able to trigger surprising reactions if stimulated in some way.
Obviously, this interpretation does not apply to the erotic context: this is neither a fight nor therapy and, if we want these interactions to be healthy, they should not involve strategies of the “gaining an advantage over the other” kind.
Quite the opposite: we must go in the same direction, each on our own path, but together.
Setting aside, as usual, the field of martial arts, in erotic shibari we can state that there are no such points in the body, and that claiming predetermined effects can be achieved by pressing or pushing on them is a fantasy with no connection to reality, and one refuted by science.
At Shibari Dojo we take this term as a metaphor.
Under its umbrella we bring together the concepts, processes and techniques from various disciplines that help us improve communication and management during the shibari session: that is, in fact, the true “key point” of any erotic interaction.
Knowledge and skills that help us better understand what is happening in the other person and in ourselves.
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