Miura Takumi 神浦匠

Miura Takumi (神浦匠) was a kinbakushi, rope teacher and magazine editor who formed and led the rope circle Bakuyukai (縛友会). Nawapedia records Miura’s birth year as 1964 and the date of death as November 1, 2021. Miura’s official site, Kinbakudō, introduced Miura as a kinbakushi carrying on classical kinbaku and as a researcher of historical capture-rope techniques (古典緊縛継承緊縛師・捕縄捕縛研究).

Lineage

The profile on the site said that Miura’s interest in tying grew out of eroticism, that Miura met Akechi Denki, then active, and learned the craft while working behind the scenes under Akechi. Nawapedia records that Miura learned Akechi-style basics from Akechi Enka and studied Randa-style with Randa Mai. Nawapedia adds that Miura found a way into SM in the 1980s through an online forum.

Editing

The official profile said that Miura later served as editor-in-chief of an SM magazine and then worked as rope director and kinbakushi for photo, video and stage work.

Bakuyukai

The profile described Bakuyukai as a circle Miura formed for rope enthusiasts, professionals and amateurs alike, which invited Akechi Denki as its first sōdai (総代, head) while Miura held the post of shudai (主代). It set out two aims: to hand on the tying passed down in Japan since old times, and to practice those old forms as technique rather than as performance, under the name classical kinbaku (古典緊縛). Nawapedia dates the start of Bakuyukai to 1996. Nawapedia lists four Bakuyukai instructional videos, the first two credited to Akechi and Miura in 2005 and the other two to Miura in 2006. Kinbaku Today notes that in 2005 Miura organized an afternoon of performances honoring Akechi, who had just died.

Teaching

In a 2008 interview with Osada Steve for Tokyo Bound, reprinted by Kinbaku Today, Miura named the work of a professional nawashi as live shows, videos for Miura’s own label and for outside producers, rope for magazine photos, a rope salon meeting twice a month, and research and teaching aimed at safe tying and at keeping historical techniques alive. Miura described the monthly dojo as built on practice, like a karate or judo dojo: no more than ten students, with five to seven models, two-hour sessions, and a test before a student moved to harder ties, with a card for every level passed. Miura said asanawa’s fibers kept knots tight and explained the common seven-meter length by reference to the circumference of a tsubo and an adult’s arm span. Shows, Miura said, call for bold and acrobatic rope, work for photographers follows their needs, and given a free hand Miura chose semenawa. Miura was also studying the few surviving texts and drawings of hojōjutsu and hoped to write a book on them, offering any reconstruction only as a best guess.

Later events

Nawapedia records a 2014 photo exhibition at the Sugamo Station Studio, a 2015 art exhibition Miura organized at the same venue, and a 2019 festival held with Kamui Jūbei. Nawapedia lists a July 2021 party at Ability Studio billed as Miura’s 33rd activity anniversary and Bakuyukai’s 30th anniversary, although it dates the circle’s start to 1996.