Rope Bondage Terms

Rope bondage has a lot of terms that do not fall under ties, knots and frictions, or positions.

Anchor Point/Hardpoint

A secure, load-bearing object or location used to attach rope, cuffs, or suspension equipment. This can be a ceiling beam, eye bolt, bondage frame, or heavy furniture. It has to be able to support the weight of the person being tied with a sufficient safety margin, especially for restraint or suspension. It must be strong enough to handle dynamic loads without shifting, breaking, or causing injury.

Bamboo

A sturdy length of bamboo is commonly used in Japanese-inspired rope bondage as an anchor point. In Japanese, this is known as Take (竹). Smaller lengths of bamboo are also used for floor ties.

Bight

A loop or fold in a rope where the sides do not cross each other. The center bight is the loop formed when a rope is folded in half. This is the part most commonly used to start tying with. In Japanese, this is known as Nawa gashira (縄頭) or Nawasaki (縄先).


Burning Rope

To use up rope left over when a tie is structurally complete. This can be done by wrapping the rope around, weaving it through the tie, tying it in a bundle, or using it as decorative accents.

Not to be confused with the singeing done to natural fiber rope during processing.

Cinch

A method to add tension in a tie by adding a line between two columns. In Japanese, this is known as Kannuki (閂).

Column Tie

A loop or multiple loops of rope wound around a body part or object. Even multiple loops are referred to as a single column as there is no cinching between the columns.

Dressing

The practice of evening tension between the ropes and laying them evenly on the tied surface. This is especially important in suspension bondage for safety and preventing unintentional discomfort.


Floorwork

The practice of tying on the floor or on a bed without any suspension elements. In Japanese, this is known as Yukawaza (床技).

Furoshiki (風呂敷)

A square cloth used in Japanese-inspired rope bondage to carry and transport ropes.


Handshake Tie

Tie done with a person when doing rope with them for the first time. Not a specific pattern; the act of tying for the first time with someone is the "handshake".

Hank

A single length of rope that is bundled or coiled for storage or transport.

Hashira (柱)

A solid pole that is mounted vertically and used as an attachment point for bondage, with the person bound to the pole. It can be used both for suspension as well as for semi-suspension.

High Stranding

When individual strands of a rope sit away from the rest of the rope rather than being smoothly twisted with them. This can be caused by manufacturing or use and can be resolved by evening out the tension in the rope manually.

Hishi Shibari (菱縛り)

A common pattern in Japanese-inspired bondage that creates a diamond shape in rope.

Kikkō Shibari (亀甲縛り)

A common pattern in Japanese-inspired bondage that creates a hexagonal shape, or tortoiseshell.


Kuzushi Nawa (崩し縄)

A common philosophy in Japanese-inspired bondage of breaking aesthetics, and using asymmetry and chaos to enhance the tie.

Lark’s Head

A knot made by passing a bight around or through an object (like a limb or ring) and pulling the ends through it to tighten.

Load

The force applied to the rope. Not only in suspension, but also within a harness or between body parts as they are attached to one another.

Lock-Off

The final knot or friction that ends the tie and makes it stable. The remaining rope can be non-structural from that point onward.


Main Lines

The ropes that hold the majority of the load in full or partial suspension bondage. Usually these are attached to harnesses on the torso and/or hips of the person in rope.

Reverse Tension

A method of applying rope tension against the direction it was originally pulled. It's often used to secure a tie, add structure, or redistribute pressure. Instead of always tightening rope in one direction (e.g., away from the body), you double back over previous wraps or friction points. This helps prevent slippage and can create a “locking” effect without using a knot. In Japanese, this is known as tomenawa (留め縄).

Rope Marks

The marks that rope leaves on the skin just after you have been tied in tight rope bondage. Also sometimes referred to as rope kisses. In Japanese, this is also known as Nawa gashira (縄頭). These can be just impressions of the rope texture on the skin or may involve small blood bruises known as petechiae, which can result from skin getting caught between two wraps that are meant to act as one. In some communities, they are known as a skin sandwich or pinchies.

Seme (責め)

In Japanese-inspired rope bondage, this term means something like “torture” or “torment.” But there is no direct translation for it outside of several interpretations that include “dutiful obligation to suffer.” This is used for several forms of torture related to Japanese inspired rope bondage.


Standing End

When the rope is already tied, the standing end is the end of the rope attached to the previously tied rope. It's the opposite of the working end.


Stem

A set of vertical lines between two or more horizontal wraps in a tie (depending on the orientation of the tie). The stem often functions as a spine to distribute forces over the tie, or even as an attachment point for an up-line

Tails or Working End

The active end of the rope, or the part currently being used to tie, wrap, or thread. In Japanese, it's known as Nawajiri (縄尻).

Taster/Tasting

Also referred to as a rope speed date. Often done when the person tying and the person being tied are doing rope together for the first time, but can also be done with multiple people as a warm-up during a rope conference or as part of a larger tasting event (also known as a bottoms buffet). Compared to rope scenes, these interactions are shorter, more casual, and involve more communication about consent and risk, both beforehand and during play. In Japanese these are known as Aisatsu (挨拶), which means “greeting”.

Tenugui (手ぬぐい)

A rectangular piece of cotton cloth, often used in Japan as a towel, employed in Japanese-inspired rope bondage as a gag, blindfold, or head support in suspension.

Upline (or Up-line)

A rope used to attach a harness or limb to an anchor point, often for suspension bondage. Because these lines are load bearing, more care is taken with these ropes. Some riggers use stronger synthetic fibers for these, others choose thicker ropes to increase strength.

Whipping

The stitching used at the end of the rope to prevent it from unraveling. Ends may also be finished with knots or be fused with heat (if the material allows).