VASTA EDITIONS Eros Series #011 / The Latest!

KINBAKU-BI 2: ART OF THE ROPE

In the 11th volume of the Vasta Editions Eros series, we return to the subject of Kinbaku-Bi: the beauty of tight binding. The invention of kinbaku's modern iteration is widely credited to Seiyu Ito (1882-1961), an artist who combined kabuki theater and erotic woodcuts with hojojutsu, the binding of prisoners of war with thin, strong rope. This new interpretation of the artform proved popular due to the success of magazines like, and others featured in this book. Inspired by western artists like John Willie as well as the photographs of Charles Guyette and the Irving Klaw Studio, these magazines rose to prominence in the 1950s and '60s. They built a unique aesthetic out of its complex relationship between the ancient and the contemporary, the theatrical and the realistic, the artistic and the tawdry. Soon, western audiences were influenced right back, and the art of tight binding became a worldwide phenomenon.

40 pages + covers, b&w and color illustrations digital offset, Edition of 100, 5.5 x 8.25". Copyright @ Vasta Editions, LLC. New York City, 2026. $18.00

Click here to purchase from our bigcartel store.

vasta@earthlink.net