Fritz (JuteJitsu)
San Francisco rope artist who runs San Francisco Shibari, trains with Hajime Kinoko in Tokyo, is a certified Ichinawa-kai instructor and teaches Kinoko's curriculum in weekly workshops and private lessons in the Mission district.
Fritz, who works under the name JuteJitsu, is a rope artist and teacher in San Francisco and runs San Francisco Shibari, which offers private lessons, group workshops, private rope sessions, photo shoots and performances. Its classes take place at SF Shibari Studio, a rope studio in the city’s Mission district.
Training
The San Francisco Shibari site says Fritz trains in kinbaku in Tokyo with Hajime Kinoko and is a certified instructor of Ichinawa-kai, Kinoko’s school. It also mentions several years of professional experience and teaching or performing in Los Angeles, New York, Boston, Tokyo and San Francisco.
Teaching
The workshops are presented as following the same curriculum and attention to detail as Kinoko’s Tokyo dojo. The site sets out an eight-day Ichinawa sequence: an introduction to kinbaku and rope basics with aesthetic patterns for new riggers, leg wraps and a bunny tie, a two-rope chest harness for floor play and partial suspension, a three-rope chest harness for suspension, waist harnesses, Kinoko’s diamond-shaped hishi karada, the gyaku ebi as intermediate floor play, and mermaid ties that can be suspended. Kinoko-style Ichinawa workshops run every Thursday, and a recurring workshop for couples, which the site calls its most popular, is generally held on Tuesday evenings. Private lessons range from fundamentals to advanced suspension, and advanced suspension techniques are generally kept for private teaching; rope communities can request advanced suspension workshops.
Approach
The site describes rope as a path to deep trust, beauty and a rare kind of platonic intimacy, and states the mission as sharing authentic, meditative Japanese rope bondage in an approachable, inclusive way. Its FAQ says that, to obtain a meditative mindset, a rigger can apply just enough pressure to craft a blissful experience for the partner; it also compares rope shared with the community to a professional massage, and tailors ties to the individual body rather than to flexibility or strength. Enthusiastic consent is described as central, with the person being tied deciding what they experience, and pain as optional. The FAQ also says rope carries real risks to circulation, nerves and emotional well-being and should never be considered completely safe. Fritz ties kinbaku exclusively with jute but will tie and teach with other materials, and usually supplies rope for lessons.