Rope bondage glossary

Definitions

Aftercare

The time and care given after a rope scene — water, warmth, food, company and conversation. Treated as part of the activity, not an optional extra.

Bamboo

A length of polished bamboo used as a rigid element in a tie, either as a spreader bar or as a component of a suspension frame.

Bottom

The person being tied. In rope contexts often written as rope bottom to distinguish it from other kinds of bottoming.

Box tie

English name for the takate kote — the upper-body harness that anchors most Japanese-style suspensions.

Bight

The middle part of a folded rope, as opposed to the two ends.

Carabiner

A metal clip used to connect the upline to a ring, hardpoint or hanger. Must be rated for the load; not all carabiners are.

Cow hitch

See lark’s head.

Double column tie

A tie that binds two limbs together without tightening under load — for example, two wrists or two ankles.

Drop

The emotional and physiological low that can follow an intense scene, sometimes delayed by hours or a day.

Friction

The resistance between rope surfaces that makes a tie hold. Good rope work relies on friction rather than tightness.

Futomomo

A thigh-and-calf tie that cinches the leg into a folded position, commonly used as a suspension point.

Gote

Japanese term for the rear torso harness; closely related to takate kote.

Half hitch

A simple knot used to lock off a line so it cannot slip back through earlier wraps.

Hanger

A rope or short line that connects the body harness to the ring or upline in a suspension.

Hardpoint

The structural anchor from which a suspension hangs. It must be part of the building’s structure and rated well above body weight.

Hemp

A traditional rope fibre: strong, heavy and softens with use.

Hojojutsu

The Edo-period Japanese martial art of restraining prisoners with rope. Historically distinct from modern erotic rope bondage.

Jute

A plant fibre widely used for Japanese-style rope. Firm, grippy and relatively light.

Kinbaku

Japanese for “tight binding”; used for erotic and aesthetic rope bondage, often interchangeably with shibari.

Lark's head

A simple hitch formed by passing a bight through a loop; the standard way to start many ties.

Nawashibari

A rope bondage practice or community term; also the name of a well-known rope resource referenced on this site’s links page.

Nerve compression

Pressure on a nerve from rope or limb position. Produces tingling, numbness or weakness and is a stop signal.

Partial suspension

A suspension in which part of the body still bears weight on the floor.

PRICK

Personal Responsibility, Informed, Consensual Kink — a consent framework.

RACK

Risk-Aware Consensual Kink — a consent framework that names risk explicitly.

Rigger

The person tying. Also called a rope top.

Ring

A metal ring used as a junction between the upline and the hangers.

Safety shears

Blunt-tipped scissors designed to cut rope or clothing against skin. Mandatory equipment for any rope scene.

Shibari

Japanese for “to tie”; in the West, the general term for Japanese-style rope bondage.

Single column tie

A cuff around a single limb that cannot tighten under load.

SSC

Safe, Sane, Consensual — the oldest of the common consent frameworks.

Subdrop

See drop.

Suspension

Lifting a person’s weight with rope. The highest-risk form of rope bondage.

Takate kote

The traditional Japanese upper-body harness; the foundation of most Japanese-style suspensions.

Top

The person doing the tying. See rigger.

Upline

The main load-bearing rope between the hardpoint and the ring in a suspension.

Ushiro takate kote

The rear version of the takate kote, with the arms bound behind the back.

Want the long version? Read the beginner’s guide to rope bondage or the safety and consent guide.