We're at Mount Mitake today.
I'm here to tie up some rocks.
Right now, we're going to take this cable car up to the summit.
This is Kawamoto. He does all my photography and is a nice guy.
Hi there.
He's my partner in crime who shoots all of my projects.
Out of all the photographers, he and I have the best chemistry.
We'll start by paying our respects at the shrine.
Ah, that feels great. Super cold.
Rope work has a purifying effect.
The subjects who get tied up feel more energized afterwards.
The ropes are made of hemp.
In the past they used to burn hemp at festivals and so on.
Cannabis has supernatural powers.
That's why, when someone is bound by hemp rope, it removes all their impurities.
Now I won't face divine punishment.
The heavier or more powerful the energy concealed within the subject is,
the better my rope work will be.
So it's better to work with subjects that have something hidden within them.
That's why things with long histories like rocks make for such good subjects.
I want to use that one.
That boulder.
But a lot of people pass through here.
Somebody might get angry with me, so I'm a little hesitant.
The size is perfect. Just the right amount of moss, too.
The moss only partially covers the rock.
It's like a person's face. It looks different depending on what angle you view it from.
This is too close to the forest gods though. Let's look around more.
This one's good too.
Nice and compact.
That's cool, too.
Wow, that boulder is crazy.
There's a tree growing on it.
The boulders came rolling down and ended up there.
That's what I'll express with the rope, using my whole body.
It can't be just decorative.
Rocks get weathered and broken down by the wind and elements.
The shape of the rocks change over time.
I'll take all of that into consideration.
Let's get started!
What makes rope work so beautiful,
is that there are two forms: decorative and instinctive.
Decorative rope work is where I come up with ideas in my head.
The other is where I'm guided by my feelings.
My photographer Kawamoto tells me that my instinctual rope work looks the best.
I think so too.
The result of tying something up instinctually is natural, like this forest.
I tie them according to what they want, when they want it.
For example, when I tie a person,
I'm tying based on a rhythm they dictate.
The strength that they desire.
And the places they want tied.
So the resulting form is very natural.
You're enhancing the natural shape of the subject.
The original lines of the woman, I guess.
That's what we end up with.
It's a boulder.
I wanted it to look like it's always been this way.
Luckily it just started to rain. It's actually pouring!
The ropes have started to take on a nice color.
This showcases my usual style of letting my feelings dictate how I tie the subject.
I listen to the desires of the subject. Where they want to be tied up,
How fast, and how tight they want it. This time, I listened to the rock.
The hardest part was doing the rope work carefully
so as to respect the rock's natural state.
I actually prefer to respect my subjects as I work anyway,
so I just tried to be extra respectful this time.
Let's cut the ropes!
I cut the ropes at the end.
When you tie up a person, you aren't supposed to cut the ropes.
But it rained today.
The rain tightened the ropes. They're impossible to untie when wet.
Even if we tried, we would end up rubbing off the moss,
damaging the rock.
Since our subject this time was the rock,
I wanted to remove the ropes in a way that wouldn't hurt it.
That was my absolute priority.
So I thought it was best to sacrifice the rope and cut it off.
It was my way of showing respect for the rock.
What I'm doing isn't normal, so people do get angry at me. Especially the traditionalists.
I guess they're not interested in pursuing new styles.
But the fact that they tell me off means that they recognize my abilities.
I want to pursue the traditional style of rope work too.
Older rope masters often tell me they wished I would work the traditional way.
My current style is a juxtaposition of old and new,
out of respect for the opinions of these forerunners.
I have no idea what I'd be doing now if I weren't doing rope work.
I'm pretty sure I would have found it eventually.
I'm so glad I found shibari.