Studio Y7 (Louis Kordexe)
Private rope studio near Sasazuka Station, opened in 2021 by the Tokyo-based rigger and photographer Louis Kordexe, where he teaches appointment-only beginner and intermediate lessons, including suspension, in English, French and Japanese.
Studio Y7 is the private rope space of Louis Kordexe, a rope artist, photographer and instructor who has lived in Japan for about twenty years. His site says he opened it in 2021 in Sasazuka, a few minutes by train from Shinjuku, as a dedicated practice space, and that it later became the base for his private lessons and photoshoots.
Background
Kordexe was introduced to shibari in 2011 by his then partner and first studied it from books and DVDs by Arisue Go and Naka Akira; began photographing rope in 2018 and has trained with Hajime Kinoko since 2019. He describes himself as Kinoko’s apprentice and holds an Ichinawa instructor license at the semi-first grade; Ichinawakai’s own list names him among its quasi-first-class license holders. He began teaching in 2023, after people asked him for a beginner course.
Lessons
All teaching is private and by appointment; the studio does not run drop-in classes, open jams or events for spectators. A three-hour beginner workshop covers safety, rope handling, essential knots and basic ties. Intermediate sessions of three or five hours cover harnesses, load distribution and suspension, with partial or full suspension included when the student’s level allows. Groups of friends can book a joint session for up to three riggers and three partners. The lesson page states that these lessons are not the Ichinawa curriculum. Students have included beginners and intermediate riggers, couples, people learning alone and travelers passing through Tokyo; lessons are offered in English, French and Japanese, and Kordexe meets students at the station. Rope is provided, and jute rope can be bought on site. As listed in November 2026, a three-hour session cost ¥55,000 and a five-hour session ¥90,000, with partners free and a professional model available at extra cost.
Other work
Kordexe also does rope photoshoots and performs at Tokyo clubs and private events; his stage work began in 2022 at a club in Shibuya. He describes his aim as bridging Japanese and Western rope culture.