Steve Freeman

Steve Freeman is a Hong Kong-based nawashi in the Yagami-ryū.

Era: 2010s

NAWASHI · TEACHER · PHOTOGRAPHER

Hong Kong-based nawashi, shibari / kinbaku tutor and photographer, and the only official Yagami-ryu licensed instructor in Asia outside Japan. Began teaching shibari in 2015. Haru Kakeru / Nuit de Tokyo was his first sensei and direct apprenticeship; with Osada Steve, his training since 2016 has been a long-term apprenticeship through documentation work, class shadowing, direct mentorship and explicit teaching endorsement, apart from COVID-19 travel restrictions. His official site frames his current teaching as spanning Yagami-style and Yukimura-style material, and describes him as a full-time photographer who published the photo album "We Love Kabukicho" with Kano Hana and Yagami Ren. Known for an expressive, painterly style exploring intimacy and the human form. Performed alongside Hajime Kinoko at "The Shibari Connection: Love, Lust, and Beauty" showcase (Mondrian Hong Kong, 2024).

School: Yagami-ryū

Teachers / direct apprenticeship lineage: Nuit de Tokyo, Osada Steve.

Certifications / instructor licenses from: Yagami Ren.

Collaborators: Lylaaa_boo.

Associated venues, magazines, films and performances: BoundCon Munich 2020s, MeART Kinoko Live Hong Kong.