Shibari (しばり, Shibari) is a Japanese word that literally means "to tie" or "to bind". It is used in Japan to describe the artful use of twine to tie objects or packages. Kinbaku (緊縛, Kinbaku?) is the word for "bondage" or Kinbaku-bi which means "beautiful bondage". Kinbaku (also Sokubaku) is a Japanese style of sexual bondage or BDSM which involves tying up the bottom using simple yet visually intricate patterns, usually with several pieces of thin rope usually hemp or jute (generally 6mm or 8mm in diameter). The word Shibari came into common use in the west at some point in the 1990s to describe the bondage art Kinbaku.