LA Rope Dojo
Founded in 2011, this dojo teaches traditional Japanese rope based on the style of Yukimura Haruki, with an emphasis on communication and connection between partners.
LA Rope Dojo (also called LA Rope) has taught Japanese rope in Los Angeles since 2011. It describes its teaching as traditional training in kinbaku and bases its classes on the style of Yukimura Haruki, which it calls Yukimura-ryū. The dojo has brought Yukimura and Naka Akira to Los Angeles for seminars. Its site also carries a memorial article on Yukimura dated March 2026.
Teachers. The dojo lists Zetsu as its founder and head instructor. According to the instructors page, he has studied Japanese rope since 2006, became a student of Yukimura in 2010 under the student name Haru Yutaka, and received a menkyo teaching license in 2013. Hedera Helix teaches the dojo’s classes for rope bottoms, which center on communication, consent and the bottom’s agency.
Approach. The dojo presents Yukimura-ryū as an approach built on communication rather than on a catalog of patterns. Rope is used to listen, provoke and respond. Simple ties can carry a complex experience, and the teaching pays close attention to breath, posture, hesitation and the distance between partners. Nawajiri, the use of the rope’s loose end to communicate, is a recurring theme.
Classes. The entry point is Rope Curious, a two-hour introduction for complete beginners that needs no partner and provides rope. Next come beginner workshops on hands-behind ties, which the dojo calls the heart of the Yukimura style (see gote), and on hands-in-front ties. Further classes include:
- an Active Rope Bottoming class
- a comparative workshop on aibunawa and semenawa for couples
- a Yukimura Intermediate Study Series, starting in January 2027 with nawajiri
In the late-2026 listings, most classes cost $25 per person and the paired workshops $75 to $125 per couple. The dojo also gives private one-on-one lessons.
Practice and community. An open practice night on the third Thursday of the month is a practice space, not a class. It is aimed at current and former students and others who know basic ties and safety, and participants bring their own partner and rope. A social Rope Lounge evening also appears on the calendar. The dojo’s site lists rope work for music and fashion productions, including Lana Del Rey for Italian Vogue, SZA’s “Kill Bill” and Megan Thee Stallion’s “Hiss”.