Akechi Denki (明智伝鬼) es sin ninguna duda uno de los grandes referentes del shibari kinbaku de todos los tiempos. Activo desde los años 80 del Siglo XX hasta principios del Siglo XXI, a él debemos el desarrollo de muchas de las técnicas y la forma en que las entendemos y afrontamos hoy en día . Su influencia en otros atadores es clave para poder entender la popularidad alcanzada por el shibari en la decada de los 90.
Akechi Denki (明智伝鬼) vídeo en Vimeo
Akechi Denki es una de las referencia históricas del shibari.
Nacido en 1940, en varias entrevistas reconoció ser ávido consumidor de pornografía desde la infancia, siendo lector habitual de Kitan Club o Uramado.
Desde joven padecía una enfermedad cardíaca que marcó toda su vida. Posiblemente esa certeza sobre su destino tenga mucho que ver con su obra y la atmósfera única que imprimía en sus shibari.
En su juventud escribió relatos y guiones para obras de teatro breves (ピンク演劇 - pinku engeki) que se representaban en los cines porno entre sesiones y en los cambios de los rollos de las películas.
Esta era un época en que las practicas SM eran consideradas "enfermas", por lo que buena parte de la actividad se llevaba a cabo de forma clandestina. Pero con la ocupación americana de Japón, y las posteriores revoluciones culturales importadas en los años 60 y 70 las cosas cambiaron, y lo que antes era enfermedad paso a ser "underground" y progresista.
En los años 70 del Siglo XX Akechi Denki colaboraba con espectáculos de teatro underground dentro de la moda de los "happening" y las "performance" de la mano de Denijiro Sakurada, haciéndose cargo de sus negocios cuando este se retira a mediados de los 80.
Mediada la década de los 90 publica junto a Takumi Miura "bakuyai", posiblemente el primer manual de shibari con referencia clara a las antiguas artes marciales, a las que ambos dedicaron tiempo y esfuerzo.
Con el cambio de siglo su salud se deterioró notablemente, falleciendo el 17 de Julio de 2005. Desde entonces se suelen celebrar en todo el mundo actos y eventos en su memoria en dicha fecha.
Su aportación al shibari es clave, siendo considerado uno de los "tres pilares" del shibari kinbaku. Su estilo y enseñanzas están presente en la base del de grandes maestros como el propio Osada Steve, Nawashi Kana, Hajime Kinoko o Yagami Ren.
Akechi Denki (明智伝鬼) entrevistado por Osada Steve
Esta es la última entrevista concedida por Akechi Denki unas semanas antes de su fallecimiento. En su momento fué publicada en la ya desaparecia SM Sniprer Magazine.
Today’s repost is of triple significance. Firstly, it marks the sixth anniversary of Akechi Denki sensei’s death. Secondly, the interview is the last time where the grandmaster shares his thoughts for the record. Thirdly, sensei’s very last words touch on the muga (無我) aspects of shibari/kinbaku, and it couldn’t have been said more beautifully.
Osada Steve: Japanese rope bondage is getting very popular in the United States and Europe and people want to know more about it. In the West there is something I call “bedroom bondage” — you tie the wrists and the ankles with very simple bonds and when your partner is restricted you begin with sex or SM play. But that’s different from Japanese rope bondage. How would you define shibari (縛り)? What is shibari to you?
Akechi Denki: In SM, shibari is communication between two people using the medium of rope. It’s a connection made with rope between the hearts of two people. So the rope should embrace with love, like the arms of a mother embracing her child. The submissive has placed her entire trust in you.The most important thing is never to cause physical injury to your partner. There are delicate tendons and nerves in the body and you have to be very careful never to damage them. If you tie someone up too tightly you might damage nerves. And if you don’t make your ties tight enough a rope can slip and catch on your partner’s shoulder or neck. It’s hard to believe that a single piece of rope could cause permanent damage but there have been many such accidents. You need to check your partner constantly and make sure she’s all right. Not with words but by checking her expression.
Yet almost all nawashi (縄師) wear sunglasses, particularly when they are doing shows. If your model can’t see your eyes, is she really able to communicate with you?
Communication is about much more than eye contact. You put your arms around her to see how she is doing, or you do something to her and judge her reaction. It’s really full-body communication. It can be very frightening to be tied up, to lose your freedom. You have to have good communication in order to make the person you’re tying feel safe. You want her to feel good.
What about the term nawashi? I think people in the West tend to mistakenly believe that there is some kind of qualification process before you can become a nawashi.
When did that term come into use? Maybe thirty years ago. Before that, no one used the term nawashi. When I started doing SM shows, everyone said sado (from the word “sadist,” to indicate the dominant) and mazo (from the word “masochist,” to indicate the submissive). In those days, the SM world was much smaller and people within it took their relationships very seriously. The sado was the master; the mazo was a willing slave to him. He might call her over and put his cigarette out on the palm of her hand, and that was accepted within the context of their very deep relationship. It was accepted that he could hurt her; that she was willing to give her very life to him. It wasn’t until later that people began to use the term nawashi for someone who did rope bondage as part of SM shows.So how does someone become a nawashi?
How did you become a nawashi? You have to understand that people like me, the old generation, started doing this in our teens. We got hold of SM magazines like Kitan Club (no longer published), and then we would try to imitate what we saw in the magazine, which was much simpler rope work than what you see today. And we practiced a lot. Not just rope but all the skills we used in SM shows. I had a five or six meter whip from America — a real cowboy whip. I used to practice for hours, throwing it again and again until I learned how to cast within a confined space and be able to hit with accuracy. We gained experience through repeated practice.
But the most important thing is having a partner with whom you share a deep, trusting relationship. That was the hardest part for me — finding partners. Forty years ago, you couldn’t just come out and say you were interested in SM. There were no SM clubs where you could go and find a woman who wanted to be tied up. So I would meet a regular girl and begin a regular courtship, taking her to coffee shops and the movies for six months or even a year, forming a very deep relationship before I even dared to bring up the subject of bondage. And even so, most girls would be shocked and horrified when I brought out a rope. They’d leave me immediately. Finally, one said, “Ok, but just a little.” I was so grateful I was crying as I started tying her. I would have done anything for her. It was like finding a precious jewel.
How old were you then? Sixteen or 17. I remember because in those days, you weren’t allowed to go into kissaten (coffee shop) until you were 18. That first girl worked as a waitress in a kissaten. And that first time, we went to a place like a dormitory. I had a weak digestive system so I always wore a sarashi and that’s what I used to tie her up. (A sarashi is a long thin cotton cloth that is wrapped around the belly because Oriental medicine teaches it is important to keep the internal organs warm.) Since I always wore a sarashi, I was always prepared if I got an opportunity for bondage.Very convenient!
Yes, and not just for bondage. Having a sarashi wrapped around your middle could protect you in a knife fight by deflecting or stopping the blade. And if you did get cut, the cloth helped stop the flow of blood. In those days, I worked at construction sites, which were pretty tough places. I was in charge of about 100 people but I knew I wasn’t a good fighter so I kept loyal people close around me. And I wore the sarashi.
Are you completely self-taught? Did you learn rope from someone? No one taught me. But I did become friends with Tsujimura Takashi, whose work appeared in Kitan Club in those days, and his friend Yamamoto Issho. They were based in Kansai (Osaka) but we would meet when we could and practice bondage together, and lend each other our partners.
How about the famous artist Ito Seiyu (1882-1961)? Did his photographs and paintings of women in bondage influence you? Not really. I have collected books of his art but he explored many subjects besides shibari such as traditional ghosts. I appreciate his work as art rather than inspiration for my own work.
I understand you have done a lot of research on hojojutsu, which is an ancient form of martial arts using rope. Yes. Because I was so interested in shibari, I went to various libraries and museums looking for information on the use of rope as a weapon. In a very specialized book on martial arts — I forget the name — I found diagrams for three examples and I studied those carefully. I learned some good techniques in this way, but rearranged them when I used them in my own work. The remaining hojojutsu schools closely guard the ancient techniques and I didn’t think they’d tolerate their techniques appearing in SM magazines.In the Sengoku era (about 1478-1605), warriors carried rope as a weapon. If you lost your sword, you could grab your rope and use it to deflect your enemy’s sword. You could toss your rope like a lasso to catch your enemy’s sword or put weights on both ends of a rope and throw it so it wrapped itself around your enemy’s body to immobilize him. Or around his neck to strangle him. I’m afraid much of that knowledge isn’t being passed on.But some modern police and military forces use similar techniques. The Italian and US special forces use rope for securing prisoners, tying it around the waist and then securing both thumbs. It’s simple but very effective and cheaper than handcuffs. I’ve heard that they learned this technique from traditional Japanese martial arts, and that the rope they use is very good.I also researched the techniques of the Edo period police force. The constables had different ties depending on the status of the person they were holding, and they developed different ways of tying prisoners depending on how they were to be transported. For example, if prisoners were being sent by boat to the penal islands, they wanted to leave the legs free so prisoners could get to the side of the boat if they became seasick.What I really appreciate is that you are always so supportive and positive. I’ve come to you to learn certain ties and even when my efforts came out terrible you praised me. You’re like that with everyone. You never say, “Oh, that guy can’t tie at all.” You obviously just love rope and love to see people doing shibari.
I think that’s why you’re so well-liked and respected in the SM world. I remember what it was like when I was just starting out.One last question: there are very few professional nawashi, and each has a distinctive style. Your style is very intricate and beautiful.
How did this develop? For me, the most important thing is that the rope work look good. My style developed in the course of stage shows, at a time when there weren’t yet videos. I felt it was important that I give the customers something unique, something they hadn’t seen before. So I had to develop my own style; the ideas had to come from within me. And my goal, my driving principle, is never to do the same tie twice. Of course, sometimes I do end up repeating myself but in my mind, I’m always trying to do something completely new. So even now, my style is still changing and developing.
When I get on stage at the beginning of a show, I don’t have any ideas about what I’m going to do. I empty my mind. Then the ideas just come to me, from within or from the partner I’m working with. Sometimes the ropes move on their own and my hands just follow, and that is always an amazing experience. I just disappear. The shibari is always very beautiful when that happens.
Authors: Osada Steve
Evento online en memoria del maestro Akechi Denki 2020 (Organizado oi Marie 3rd)
En memoria del maestro Akechi Denki, fallecido el 17 de Julio de 2005 tras una vida dedicada al desarrollo y difusión del bondage en Japón.
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Organiza: Aoi Marie 3rd 三代目葵マリ
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Invitados: Kanna 神凪 & Kagura 神楽
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Fecha: Domingo 26 de Julio 2020
Programa
- Conversación con los invitados, quienes tuvieron una estrecha relación con Akechi-sensei.
- Breve demo del ""estilo Akechi"" por parte de Kanna y Kagura
- Preguntas y respuestas y charla
Texto facilitado por la organización del evento
Este año se cumplen 15 desde el fallecimento de Akechi Denki. Cada mes de Julio, en su Memorial se organiza en Tokio un ""Phantom Show"" en su honor y memoria.
(Phanton Show es un espectáculo SM undergroun que Akechi-sensei mantuvo durante una década (87-97) y que desde 2017 es continuado por Kanna)
Debido a las condiciones generadas por el COVID-19, este año la organización del Memorial toma la dolorosa decisión de no programar dicho evento. La salud del comunidad hentai amantes de los enemas, el kinbaku y admiradores del maestro Akechi es lo mas importante.
Por lo tanto, para transmitir a todo el mundo el legado de Akechi Denki, este año se programa un evento especial on-line.
En memoria de Akechi-sensei
11 Septiembre, 1940 － 17 Julio, 2005 〜 POR SIEMPRE
Genial maestro del shibari kinbaku que destacó en su época por sus actuaciones en vivo en las que volcaba toda su personalidad.
En la intra historia del SM japones, Akechi Denki fue un actor clave en la popularización del shibari desde final de la era Showa (80's) hasta principios de la era Heisei (2000)
Nació y vivió con un completo pervertido, en una época en la que la única forma de disfrutar del sado masoquismo era ocultándose de la vista del publico general
Fue durante la eclosión de las revistas SM de los años 70's y de las compañías de espectáculos SM de los 80's cuando emergió la figura de Akechi Denki como director de escena, dando pronto el paso al cine para adultos.
En la década de los 90 y hasta principio de 2000 fue frecuente su participación en programas de televisión y eventos, siendo clave su figura en la ""época dorada"" del SM Japonés. Siendo ya entonces reconocido como uno de los grandes Nawashi (maestros de la cuerda) .
Era un verdadero pervertido que disfrutaba no sólo con las cuerdas, sino también con toda la parafernalia SM, lo que le acercó al corazón de los entusiastas de la obscenidad.
Dentro del shibari estableció técnicas innovadoras en su época, caracterizándose por su búsqueda de la belleza y la dureza de sus ataduras que modificaron los estándares estéticos y técnicos de las escenas de bondage
Muchos de los actuales Kinbakushi están influenciados por su estilo, desde Kanna hasta Hajime Kinoko pasando por Osada Steve y ayudaron a difundir por el mundo entero las artes del Akechi-ryû Kinbaku-jutsu y las formas propias de su sistema de enseñanza y aprendizaje
El kinbaku no tiene un estándar único que englobe todo y se ajuste a todos. Ninguna respuesta es correcta. Kinbaku nace del sentimiento.
Podríamos decir que Akechi-sensei fue la encarnación de esta máxima cambiando la forma en que ataba y torturaba dependiendo de sus parejas y estado de ánimo.
El kinbaku se está modernizando, sigue creciendo técnica y artísticamente, pero apreciamos que puede estar perdiendo parte de su sensibilidad.
Esperamos que este evento sea una oportunidad para mirar hacia el corazón de las cosas, no sólo a su parte racional.