A native of Osaka and a regular event organizer in Tokyo, Kazami Ranki is a name that needs no introduction in Japanese shibari circles.
As the founder of Kazami-ryū (風見流), his school saw a significant period of international growth roughly a decade ago, with performances and workshops across North America, Europe, and Oceania.
Biography
Ranki Kazami (風見蘭喜) was born on May 23, 1962, in the Kansai region of Japan.
A professional kinbakushi and president of the group SM Circle M, his career has long been intertwined with the institution he created himself. In 1996, he opened Circle M's, a venue dedicated to kinbaku and SM culture that would remain central to his work for decades to come.
His role as an educator took shape in 2000, when he began a serialized column — M’s Monthly Report — in Mania Club Magazine, and launched his first bondage training sessions at Circle M's.
A year later, he expanded his teaching by offering classes at Nawa-ya in Tokyo, one of the most respected venues in Japan’s SM scene.
Throughout that same decade, he performed regularly at venues including SM Fetish Bar MISTRESS in Roppongi, Libido, LOFT/PLUS ONE, ARCADIA Tokyo, and DX Kabukicho.
From 2011 onward, his reach became global. He has since led workshops and demonstrations in Spain, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, France, and the United States, appearing at landmark events such as The London Festival of the Art of Japanese Bondage, Shibaricon Chicago, Bondage Expo Dallas, and the LB Shibari Dojo in Los Angeles, among many others.
In 2016, he co-authored the instructional manual Tie Right Now! How to Tie Manual 2 with Bingo Shigonawa. In 2022, he participated in Kinbaku GONIN, alongside Eve Himuro, Ren Yagami, Tesshin Doyama, and Akira Naka, with model Aya Shiomi.
He is widely recognized for his distinctive style and his unwavering commitment to training and supporting emerging kinbaku artists internationally — a mission he has pursued without interruption for nearly three decades.
The rest of this article, which analyzes his shibari style in detail, is reserved for students and subscribers.
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