Osada Kinbaku Dojo
Non-profit association that teaches shibari like a martial-arts dojo, following its own reading of classic Osada Ryu: graded Kyu training in pairs on up to six days a week, open after a one-day introductory workshop. It also holds open training Saturdays and arranges private lessons.
The Osada Kinbaku Dojo is a registered non-profit association (e.V.) whose stated aims are to bring together people interested in shibari and to train them in dexterity and technique, safety and consent, movement and aesthetics. It teaches its own interpretation of classic Osada Ryu and says a European reading of the Japanese origins plays an important part. Basic anatomy and physiology are taught in exchange with practicing physicians.
Training like a sports club
The dojo compares its teaching to a martial-arts club: students progress through grades at their own pace instead of following lecture-style lessons, and move on only once a technique is internalized. Repetition is meant to build muscle memory so that riggers stay calm and safe in difficult moments. The basic level (kyu 9–7) covers rope handling and care, fundamental ties, an introduction to semi-suspension, Japanese aesthetics and the different intentions behind tying. The middle level (kyu 6–4) adds extended ties, suspensions, progressions and transitions in suspension, and the advanced level (kyu 3–1) refines complex ties and revisits all the basics. Training is in pairs only, in close-fitting sports clothing and barefoot or in socks, and the dojo stresses that its sessions are not a play space. It ties only with jute or hemp and lends rope to beginners.
How to join
Anyone who wants to learn to tie first attends a one-day introductory workshop (eight hours, €40 as listed for autumn 2026) on safety and consent, medical topics, materials, the association’s rules and first ties; partners who only come to be tied do not need it. After that, students can join any basic-level session, with up to six training slots a week. A single training costs €20 as a day membership, usually paid by the person tying, and the dojo recommends day memberships until training becomes regular. Open Training Saturdays (five hours, €45) offer unstructured, individually supported practice for couples who find the weekly kyu training too sporty or travel from far away, and do not require the introduction. Private lessons can be arranged by email.