We are excited to introduce you to:
KINSEI — an incredibly soft, medium-lay single-ply jute rope specifically designed for Shibari and Kinbaku bondage
NEW in October 2026 to the AMATSUNAWA Fine Rope Portfolio — KINSEI
We are delighted to introduce another new rope to the AMATSUNAWA portfolio.
Our new rope is called KINSEI. It is fresh and the new golden star of the AMATSUNAWA Shop — and the first batch of this rope ever made. KINSEI is a very flexible, skin-friendly jute rope with a beautiful golden colour and the natural odour of fresh jute. It sits between our existing qualities: softer than our KIYOMI ropes, and slightly firmer than our Mitsuki ropes.
KINSEI (金星) is the Japanese name for Venus — the golden star, morning star and evening star. The name was chosen for this rope: a new golden presence in the AMATSUNAWA portfolio, bright, warm and unmistakable in colour, and intended to become a fixed point you return to. Soft enough to sit close to the skin, present enough to hold its place between KIYOMI and Mitsuki.
KINSEI is a medium-wound, perfectly tensioned 3-strand, single-ply rope. It is JBO-free, VOT-batched with soybean oil, and supplied untreated / raw. Fibre abrasion is very low: the yarn was treated for fibre loss, and once conditioned there is only very little fibre loss. Impurities are almost none; there are no prickly fibres that can penetrate the skin.
KINSEI is very easy to condition. You can find step-by-step rope conditioning instructions here. We recommend our vegan rope butter to condition this rope.
It comes in three nominal diameters: ⌀ 6 mm, ⌀ 5.5 mm and ⌀ 5 mm. Because KINSEI is made by people on traditional machinery, individual spools can differ slightly in lay, twist and measured diameter. Typical measured ranges are:
- ⌀ 5 mm: 5.1–5.4 mm
- ⌀ 5.5 mm: 5.5–5.8 mm
- ⌀ 6 mm: 5.8–6.3 mm
KINSEI is handcrafted in small batches by people on traditional machinery. Minor differences in lay and twist between spools are therefore possible.
Rope Construction
KINSEI is a 3-strand rope made from single-ply yarn, Z-twist, medium-wound: very flexible and soft.
Production is a two-stage process. First the strands are made; then three strands are twisted into the finished rope. Strands leaving the first-stage machine are typically around 1,200 metres. They are not as long as the original yarn spools.
A critical point of construction that matters in practice: when yarn spools are changed, the individual yarns are usually knotted. Those knots sit inside the strands. They are an unwanted but, in conventional rope-making, unavoidable occurrence. With KINSEI this is handled differently. Yarn spools are not changed during strand making, so the yarns inside the strands are not knotted at those changeovers. Instead, entire strands are replaced and joined seamlessly: the ends of a strand are laid neatly side by side within the rope. In a typical 1,200-metre three-strand rope, only one strand may carry such an extension or renewal. That is why KINSEI has so few knots along its length. This is a clear advantage: far fewer annoying knots in the finished rope.
Because KINSEI has so few knots, waste when cutting the rope to length is considerably reduced. BUT it also makes it critical to locate and remove the seamless strand-join sections before use. Those joins can cause a critical failure if they remain in a working length. Each changeover section runs about 50 to 100 cm (20–40 in / 1.6–3.3 ft). Please inspect the rope, locate any such sections, and cut them out. When we find these transition sections during quality control, we occasionally remove them. That leaves a cut in the spool; we compensate with additional metres of rope on the same spool.
Spool lengths
Not every rope winds identically onto our cores. To keep the cores from overflowing, Midi and Maxi lengths for KINSEI have been adjusted as follows:
- Maxi spool ⌀ 6 mm — 290 m
- Maxi spool ⌀ 5.5 mm — 320 m
- Maxi spool
⌀
5 mm — 350 m
- Midi spool ⌀ 6 mm — 145 m
- Midi spool ⌀ 5.5 mm — 155 m
- Midi spool ⌀ 5 mm — 165 m
This change is reflected in the price.
Application
Intended for ground work, and the ⌀ 6 mm rope for suspension work, at your own risk. As this is a brand-new rope and the first batch ever made, we have no values from long-term experience yet. We will update this information as it becomes available.
Partnership with a new, experienced partner in Bangladesh
KINSEI is made in Bangladesh. Over the past eight months we have built a strong partnership there with a new, experienced partner who already knows our niche market. The company is run in the third generation and brings more than 80 years of experience in rope production. Together, on site, we spent a great deal of time on sampling to find the best possible variant of each rope diameter. We set up and adjusted the existing machinery together so that this rope could be manufactured for us. This partner developed KINSEI with us and has been producing it for us since. We are very happy about this partnership and look forward to expanding it — with further beautiful ropes and with follow-up batches of KINSEI.
At AMATSUNAWA, our mission is to offer a diverse range of exceptional ropes tailored to the needs of the Shibari niche market. With KINSEI, we are proud to take another important step in expanding our portfolio: a new golden rope developed together with our partner in Bangladesh, sitting softly between KIYOMI and Mitsuki. KINSEI is not a limited edition — it is here to stay as a staple in our product range, with follow-up batches to come.
Until 12 November 2026 inclusive, there is a 15% introductory discount on KINSEI Maxi and Midi spools. Enter the code KINSEI15 in the cart. The discount does not apply to the sample pack, cannot be combined with other vouchers or promotions, and can be redeemed only once per person.
Want to see and feel a sample first? Order our sample box here.
Technical product data:
- Available true diameters: ⌀ 6 mm, ⌀ 5.5 mm, ⌀ 5 mm
- Construction: 3 strands, single-ply yarn
- Lay: medium-wound, very flexible and soft rope; softer than our KIYOMI ropes, slightly firmer than our Mitsuki ropes
- Rope twist: Z-twist
- Breaking load [reference value daN]:* 113 / ⌀ 5 mm, 137 / ⌀ 5.5 mm, 162 / ⌀ 6 mm
- Fibre: 100% Premium Tossa jute
- Fibre abrasion: very low; yarn was treated for fibre loss; very little fibre loss once conditioned
- Impurities: almost none; no prickly fibres that can penetrate the skin
- Knots: very few; entire strands are changed within the rope — it is crucial to remove those sections (see text above)
- Colour: golden
- Smell: natural odour of fresh jute
- Chemicals: JBO-free
- Batching oil: VOT-batched with soybean oil
- Processing: untreated / raw
- Application: ground work, and ⌀ 6 mm rope for suspension work, at your own risk. As this is a brand-new rope and the first batch ever made, we have no values from long-term experience yet. We will update this information as it becomes available.
- Spool sizes: Maxi-Roll (290 m / ⌀ 6 mm, 320 m / ⌀ 5.5 mm, 350 m / ⌀ 5 mm), Midi-Roll (150 m / ⌀ 6 mm, 165 m / ⌀ 5.5 mm, 180 m / ⌀ 5 mm)
- Quality control: Yes
*Disclaimer regarding breaking load:
The stated breaking load is a reference value based on a tested section of the product. As jute is a natural material, it is subject to variations in structure and strength. Therefore, the breaking load cannot be guaranteed for the entire product. Differences in fiber alignment, density, and processing may result in varying load-bearing capacities across different sections.
AMATSUNAWA Rope Butters:
250 g / 8.8 oz traditional rope butter for the ongoing care and conditioning of jute ropes for bondage, Shibari and Kinbaku. Our rope butter is handmade by us. This recipe has been used by us for many years and is a balanced mixture of Jojoba oil and beeswax. It comes in a practical plastic jar with screw cap lid that contains a generous 250 g / 8.8 oz of rope butter. You will also receive a booklet with tested instructions on how to apply this butter during the conditioning process to your ropes. So, you have easy-to-follow step by step instructions to achieve the best possible results and end up with amazing ropes. The feel of a rope is crucial. Conditioning also improves the handling of the rope, reduces wear, and tends to reduce fibre loss. It also gives a lovely patina to the rope. The rope butter can be worked into a rope whenever needed e.g. after extensive use, or if it becomes dry. Dosage: For conditioning an 8m rope, we recommend using approximately 3g of butter (about a hazelnut-sized amount). 250 g of rope butter is therefore sufficient to condition roughly 80 pieces of 8m jute rope. Care well for your ropes and enjoy them for longer! Further detailed product safety and usage guidelines for our products can be found here.
250 g / 8.8 oz vegan rope butter for the ongoing care and conditioning of jute ropes for bondage, Shibari and Kinbaku. This rope butter is handmade by us following a self-developed and widely tested recipe and is a balanced mixture of Jojoba oil and Mokurō wax. Compared to the traditional rope butter with beeswax, the vegan rope butter gives your rope significantly more shine than the rope butter with beeswax, whose finish is fairly matte. It comes in a practical plastic jar with screw cap lid that contains a generous 250 g / 8.8 oz of rope butter. You will also receive a booklet with tested instructions on how to apply this butter during the conditioning process to your ropes. So, you have easy-to-follow step by step instructions to achieve the best possible results and end up with amazing ropes. The feel of a rope is crucial. Conditioning also improves the handling of the rope, reduces wear, and tends to reduce fibre loss. It also gives a lovely patina to the rope. The rope butter can be worked into a rope whenever needed e.g. after extensive use, or if it becomes dry. Dosage: For conditioning an 8m rope, we recommend using approximately 3g of butter (about a hazelnut-sized amount). 250 g of rope butter is therefore sufficient to condition roughly 80 pieces of 8m jute rope. Care well for your ropes and enjoy them for longer! Further detailed product safety and usage guidelines for our products can be found here.