Aomuke zuri

Aomuke zuri (仰向け吊り), also written aomukezuri or aomuke tsuri, combines aomuke, lying face up, with zuri, the suffix form of tsuri (suspension). Shibari Study defines it simply as a suspension in which the person in rope faces upward. Kinbakuwiki, a German-language community wiki, calls it a general term for any suspension on the back rather than one fixed pattern.

Forms and lineages

Kinbakuwiki describes aomuke zuri as a fixed part of the Osada-ryū curriculum, taught there as one of the first suspensions. Its basic form rests on a takate kote with tasuki and a corset-like tie around the waist, and a hip harness can take the place of the corset. The corset is quicker to build, which the wiki says makes that version well suited to performance. A related face-up form in Shibari Study’s glossary is hashigata zuri, the bridge suspension, which commonly uses a hip harness and stresses the arch of the back. Wikipedia’s article on suspension bondage notes that horizontal suspensions are sometimes face up but more often face down.

Uses

The wiki describes aomuke zuri as a good base for transitions, for example into an upside-down sakasa zuri, and says it leaves time to plan the next step with more calm than other suspensions. It also notes an aesthetic drawback: with few diagonal lines, face-up suspensions can look somewhat stiff. Ropejam Studio in London teaches the face-up orientation in its full-suspension course alongside lateral, face-down and inverted ones.

Variations by teacher and school

Breadth of the name: Bob Roos of RopeMarks (Amsterdam) glosses aomuke zuri as a generalized term for any face-up suspension, and Peter Wettstein’s Shibaku glossary likewise calls it a general term for a suspension with the model face up. In both, the word names an orientation, not one pattern.
Osada-ryū: Harukumo-Juku’s article by Harukumo Katsumi describes aomuke zuri as a fixed part of Osada-ryū, taught among its first suspensions. It builds on a tasuki takate kote with a waist corset, names a hip harness as the alternative, and says the corset is quicker to build, which suits performance.

Difficulty and risk

Sources treat it as an entry point into suspension. Crash Restraint files a basic face-up suspension under introductory suspension, and Kinbakuwiki calls aomuke zuri one of the simplest and safest suspensions taught. As a full suspension it still carries the risks that the 2023 Cureus case series documented, including one shoulder-nerve injury in a face-up position. Kinbaku World lists it as advanced and high risk.