Darkness Workshop

This is a class based on the vision and the way Kurogami developed his style, practicing kinbaku with Shiawase through years. This workshop is designed to let the students explore their dark sides and facilitate their journey through the discovery or enrichment of their own styles.

• We will talk about the importance of our fetishes and how they are often the main driver that pushes us to do bondage in the way we like. This class takes the concepts of our class “Shadow” and moves them to another level.

• We will delve into aesthetics—not just as a mere condition that our ties have to comply with to fit into a traditional style, but as a mood, as a fetish generator. Aesthetics can be a strong, powerful driver for excitement.

• We will approach it in a deliberate way, splitting it into key concepts that can be understood, studied, and implemented in our ties. We will work on the key points to establish, maintain, and reinforce a mood during a session, both from the rigger’s and the model’s side.

• We will navigate through history, looking at the evolution of the style through the times of the teachers’ major inspirations (Nureki Sensei, Naka Akira Sensei, Riccardo Wildties) and focus on how they changed their way of tying and how a style evolves over time.

• The workshop will be hands-on; the majority of the exercises are designed to give concepts to the students in order to guide them towards freestyle tying. At the end of each day, there will be a moment to compare the results of each student’s achievements.

The workshop will cover:

• 3-rope gote and variations – as adapted by Wildties from Naka-style to improve safety without losing the spirit

• Advanced suspensions of the style, as per Kurogami’s interpretation

• Aesthetics as a mood for sessions

• Improvisation and freestyle

• Communication through ropes

• Evolution of traditional semenawa

Class requirements:

Riggers must have attended Class #1 with Kurogami, Kinbaku LuXuria, or Peter Soptik. We will admit people who haven’t studied with the aforementioned instructors only if they can prove they have achieved an equivalent level.

Riggers must have a solid knowledge of Kinbaku LuXuria’s gote and all the basic patterns and suspensions of the style.

Models should be confident with TK/Gote and with being suspended for a long time.

Having attended Kinkyphilia’s workshop “Shadow” is a plus, but not mandatory.

Registrations are approved according to level of participants.

Bring with you

15 ropes (natural fibre) will be required. Suggested size: 5-6mm diameter and 7-7.5m length.

Venue is well equipped with futons, blankets, kitchen, shower, etc.

Photo/Video

Students may take any pictures they want of the teachers during the demos. Video or any kind of recording of the demo are strongly forbidden. It is possible to take picture of the respective partner, but it is mandatory to respect the privacy of the other participants, especially if you intend to post any pictures online.

About Kurogami and Shiawase

Andrea Kurogami, 37 years old. In 2014 he met Shiawase and they became partners in life.

Together, they started to study Japanese bondage at the end of 2016, with Riccardo and Red Sabbath. From that moment on, their way of living bondage changed. In 2017 Kurogami and Shiawase gave life to Kinkyphilia, a project for sharing their way of living alternative sexuality and especially the way in which they live kinbaku. In February 2018 Kurogami became a Kinbaku LuXuria’s certified educator, definitely matching Riccardo’s educational values. In December 2019 Kurogami and Shiawase performed at the 25th Nawa Naka Kai in Tokyo, together with Riccardo and Naka-san. In November 2022 he has been certified by Riccardo to teach level #1 of the style together with Soptik, making them the only 2 people officially authorised to teach Riccardo’s style to an intermediate level.

Kinbaku

Kinbaku LuXuria is a traditional style, which directly descends from Naka-ryu. Riccardo introduced a technical re-engineering in order to make the style fit with Western body types that didn’t undermine the original spirit of the style. Semenawa, the tormenting rope, is the word that better resume the mood of this style. Riccardo is Naka-sa’s Ichi-ban deshii and according to the will of his sensei he is the one who is designated to convey the style. In addition to several workshops and shows that Riccardo held in Europe and North America with his partner Red Sabbath, he performed several times in very important Japanese events in Tokyo, such as Maniac Festival and Nawa Naka Kai.