<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Report May 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rope bondage as a natural form in Japan, limited only by logic of placement and safety has given way in the West to new version invented in 2005 from individual prior interest in aikid\u014d adopted to teach in a pyramid system, introducing dogma, and terms such as d\u014dj\u014d, ry\u016b, grandmaster, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Traditional; natural shibari is unconfined by levels or grades, and transient, from the concept there\u2019s no end, found in aesthetics such as wabi\u2013sabi, with individuality, spontaneity and creativity. Technique continually evolves, eg. Matsui Kenji\u2019s suspensions absorbed by Akechi Denki. So too materials, with most in Japan using jute because its natural attributes are harmonious with what some term \u2018Classical Kinbaku\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jute rope is primarily used in agri\/horticulture due to biodegradability where, eg. it\u2019s tied only once to strap fruit saplings. When it weathers, its hydrophilic action lessens. As the tree grows, it won\u2019t cut in, and when strong enough, breaks to melt as bio\u2013mulch. Manufacturers therefore hadn\u2019t encountered our application, nor specifications as tight as we demand. It\u2019s been a learning curve as we train in what we want and the reasons why \u2013 a giant leap from producing where JBO, impurities and minor flaws are inconsequential in other applications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shibari puts different demands on rope. We expect zero petrochemicals, impurities or flaws. We want consistency, to suspend safely, and tie and untie multiple times. This generates completely different conditions, including longitudinal loads generally higher than expected in normal application uses. This is precisely why we developed the KI yarn grade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We continually strive to improve quality control. It requires communication down from engineering expertise in Japanese and English to Bengali. We visit our mill and factories regularly, where training continues to educate our production staff, seeking perfection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of our total 2025 crop material of all grades, due in part to not using any JBO in our yarn mill combined with demand running 150% of supply, all has been now used up. We have 3,300kg KI yarn still in stock to produce rope from the last 10 tonne production run, but won\u2019t be able to manufacture fresh yarn until new season raw fibre becomes available in September.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tossa seeds were planted in March, and following the typical dry season, critically important rains have now arrived. But we should remember the fourth deadliest tropical cyclone on record 35 years ago that made landfall exactly where our yarn mill and rope factories are now located with the loss of 138,866 lives. If one were to hit this year it would spell disaster for the world\u2019s jute supply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In other news, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is generating widespread problems. The FBX11 sea freight index has inflated 205%. Soybean oil prices have rocketed 12% in 3 months. Reports from Bangladesh indicate fuel shortages affecting production in all sectors with massive layoffs. We can only hope a resolution is found very soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Report May 2026 Rope bondage as a natural form in Japan, limited only by logic of placement and safety has given way in the West to new version invented in 2005 from individual prior interest in aikid\u014d adopted to teach in a pyramid system, introducing dogma, and terms such as d\u014dj\u014d, ry\u016b, grandmaster, etc. Traditional; […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3417","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/koumanawa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3417","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/koumanawa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/koumanawa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koumanawa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koumanawa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3417"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/koumanawa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3417\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/koumanawa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3417"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}