Most Japanese professional rope masters who I have met said this ;

‘100% credit should go to the model in the show, not to me’

Almost everyone has said the same.
I think post is spot-on. That’s the traditional Japanese concept for the Kinbaku show(or photo shoots, whatever).
To me it seems that a lot of Japanese riggers purely want to be a humble craftsman in the show whereas many Western ones want to be an artist in their own right.
(no one should say meaningless things like, which way is better/true, etc. Nothing is better. Both are good)

Even if people don’t come to the riggers and don’t compliment them in their face, I am sure people appreciate the rope work somehow. Appreciations don’t always have to be visible and direct.

Maybe there is a big (cultural) difference between the Japanese way of thinking and the Western way of it? I don’t know… But I personally think that in general Western people want appreciation and compliment a lot more than we do.
(e.g. The reaction after you compliment someone is quite distinctive. As far as I have seen, in the West, most people would reply ‘thank you’. But in Japan, people often would say ‘oh no, it is not like that, you don’t have to compliment, but thanks anyway…’ etc, etc)

I liken a great rope top/artist to a great painter: The paints, i.e., ropes, get layered onto the canvas, i.e., rope bottom, and the evolving/finished product is the painting itself, which is to be admired, appreciated, &c. As for the painter, the glory is in the work itself, not the one who ‘worked’ it, albeit that shouldn’t stop people from giving feedback and/or kudos even.
For me personally, the best shows have been where the rope bottom has gone on a specific journey, from A to Z, and come out of it in a different space/place. That usually happens when the connection with the rigger is is solid, deep and true. And therein lies the magic.

To me it sounds like a lot of riggers have never created any other kind of art. I am a photographer, a writer, and even a bad painter. The person in the rope is part of your art. When they compliment her or him they are complimenting your work, your art, your skill. The rope bottom is just as much part of the art as your rope. It is no different then a person whispering at the painting on the wall. Those that come to you to stroke your ego are not interested in your art but in what they can get from you. There is not greater joy then to observe someone discussing the complexity of a shot and the skills in my photographs. It is also nice when they notice the subjects in them as I thought they where worth placing with my art.