A guide to getting started with rope, by brian huang Last updated April 2026
Traditionally, shibari rope is made from jute. Rope can be made from many different types of materials, from synthetic (e.g. polyester) to natural fibres (e.g. jute, hemp, or cotton). Synthetic ropes are smooth and more slick, while natural fiber ropes will have more bite and friction when tying. Whatever you use, make sure it feels good against your skin and you don’t have allergies to it!
Natural fiber ropes can be dyed to achieve any color you want. Just acquire raw rope and your choice of fabric or natural plant dyes. Please note that if you buy untreated, raw jute rope, you are supposed to oil/wax the rope before use (though not strictly required). Oil lubricates the rope and protects it from excessive wear, plus you can add essential oils to scent your rope! Instructions for oiling your rope can be found in the Essence of Shibari book.
For suspensions, POSH rope should be used for uplines because of its greater breaking strength compared to jute. It is a synthetic material. More info about POSH on The Twisted Monk website: https://www.twistedmonk.com/blogs/news/the-joy-of-posh
Check out the Essence of Shibari ebook or this blog post by The Twisted Monk for a guide on how to clean and maintain your ropes: https://www.twistedmonk.com/pages/rope-care-updated-2-2025
6 x 8 meters long, 6mm diameter jute rope
1 x 6mm diameter bamboo silk rope (super soft artificial silk rope)
Shin Nawakari, Piez Jeng - Essence of Shibari (2017).epub
Shin Nawakiri is a shibari master based in Taiwan. His book, originally published in Chinese, goes super in-depth into the fundamentals of shibari. I highly recommend it for anyone getting into shibari! The .epub ebook file can be opened with the Books app on Apple devices or Calibre on a Windows computer.