In this dictionary I collected more than one hundred fifty of the most used terms in Japanese bondage.

Here you can find the explanation and the Japanese audio pronunciation of each expression. Japanese is very hard to correctly pronounce for a foreigner, both for accents, basically not present in this language, and for intonation. For example “kinbaku” is not pronounced [‘kinbaku] or [kinba’ku], not even [kin’baku], but a sort of [‘kin ba’ku], because it’s a word composed of “kin” and “baku”.

As for the transliteration I adopted the Hepburn system. Compound terms are written sometimes joined and sometimes separated (e.g. “batten dome” or “battendome”).

Please remember that in Japanese there’s a certain freedom in calling some ties and in some cases there aren’t either exact and widely used terms and they can be different for each style. Moreover some words can indicate different body parts, like “ashi” that indicates both leg and foot.

Nowadays also transliterations from English are used, like “tenshon” for “tension”, “sasupenshon” for “suspension”, “rūpu” for “loop”, etc.

Also remember that some words change when used in compound terms. E.g. tsuri becomes zuri, hishi becomes bishi, tome becomes dome, kata becomes gata, hashira becomes bashira, seme becomes zeme, etc.

 

Aibunawa (愛撫繩)
 “Caressing style” performed by Yukimura Haruki sensei. The difference with the “semenawa” (see) is not in feeling pain or not, but in the mental state. In the aibunawa ties aren’t too tight so the bottom could think they can escape. In semenawa instead the focus is the torment, ties are tight and there is nothing the bottom can do in order to “resist” to the tie itself. From “aibu”, to caress, and “nawa”, ropes.
Agura shibari (胡座縛り)
 		Tie with crossed legs. From “agura”, lit. “barbaric sitting”, term used to indicate the Western way to sit with crossed legs, and “shibari”, tie.
Amatta nawa (余った縄)
 It’s the leftover rope at the end of a tie, exhausted with non-structural or decorative passages. From “amatta”, exceeding, and “nawa”, rope.
Aomuke zuri (仰向け吊り)
  Face up suspension. From “aomuke”, face-up, and “tsuri”, suspension.
Aranawa (荒縄)
 Raw rope, generally made by rice straw. From “ara”, raw, and “nawa”, rope.
Asanawa (麻縄)
 Natural fiber rope. From “asa”, term for jute, hemp and linen fiber, and “nawa”, rope.
Ashi (足)
 Leg.
Bakushi (縛師)
 Abbreviation of “kinbakushi” (see).
Battendome (罰点留め)
 X shaped friction like the one that blocks the passages of the upper band of some gotes. From “batten”, the cross mark for something wrong, and “tome”, friction.
Bondage This word literally means “slavery” and includes all the techniques that cause restraint, from ropes to handcuffs, from spreader bars to mummification. The bondage done with ropes is properly called “rope bondage”. Two cents of etymological research. This term appears in English around 1300 to indicate a legal condition of a serf or a slave. The origin of this word dates back from Middle English (XII-XV c.) “bond”, the tenant farmer. We can find an older root in Old English (V-XII c.) “bonda”, related to the coeval Old Norse “boanda”, the free-born farmer. The Indo-European root of this word is *bheue-, “dwell, inhabit”, and it’s the same of the verb “to be”.
Bondager Wrong neologism used in the past to indicate the tying person. See “top”.
Bottom The tied person. This term doesn’t presume the existence of a submissive relationship with the partner.
Box tie See “gote shibari”.
Bunny See “rope bunny”.
Buranko (鞦韆)
 Jumping on a suspended person using them like a swing. From “buranko”, swing.
Cinch See “kannuki”.
Chokushin gote shibari (直進後手縛り)
 Tie with the arms tied straight behind the back. The so-called “strappado” (see). From “chokushin”, straight, “gote”, arms behind the back, and “shibari”, tie.
Daruma shibari (達磨縛り)
 Tie with the legs tied on the sides of the torso and with the arms passing under the legs and tied on the hips. “Daruma” is the Japanese name of Bodhidharma, the Buddhist monk who started the Zen school. “Daruma” is also a Japanese rounded doll, depicting the monk with red dresses, big eyes and without arms and legs. A legend tells Bodhidharma meditated for such a long time and without moving that he lost arms and legs.
Deshi ( 弟子)
 Student. In Japanese this term is full of meanings and indicates a person following a teacher, a master (see “sensei”). The status of “deshi” isn’t implicit but is given by the teacher when they see a sort of devotion to their style and a continuation of their teachings. When a deshi becomes very experienced, they can receive a “menkyo”, an authorisation to teach. So a “deshi” is like a “disciple”. A student in general is called “gakusei”.
Dōjō (道場)
 Venue for martial arts. In Japan a dojo isn’t only a gymnasium. It’s a place where, through the zen practice, is possible to achieve a mind-body unit and a right  comprehension of the self and the world. Despite in the West some bondage schools are called “dojo”, in Japan this word isn’t related to kinbaku. From “dō”, way / path, and “jō”, place, so “place where you can follow the way”.
Dorei (奴隷)
 Slave. This term isn’t uses as synonym of bottom because it has a very strong meaning.
Double column tie It’s a double rope “cuff” closed with a knot and made by one or more passages that encircle two “columns”, or two elements with circular section, like two wrists, two legs, a wrist and an ankle, etc. This two elements are divided by a kannuki (see) or a cinch (see). See also “tejo shibari” and “kata tekubi shibari”.
Ebi shibari (海老縛り)
 Tie with the bottom sitting cross-legged (in “agura”, see) and with the chest bent forward. This tie origins as traditional torture in Japan (ebizeme). From “ebi”, shrimp, because of the curved shape of the bent body that reminds the shape of a shrimp, and “shibari”, tie, or “seme”, torture.
Ebizeme (海老責め)
 See “ebi shibari”.
Floorwork Tying on the floor without doing suspensions. See also “newaza” and “yukashibari”.
Fundoshi (褌)
 A fundoshi is a long rectangle of cloth (ab. 30×200 cm) used – today and in the past – as male underwear. There are many kinds of fundoshi such as the rokushaku fundoshi (a fundoshi six shaku long, about two meters) that is a sort of loincloth, and the ecchō fundoshi that on the front is like a little apron. Traditionally women didn’t wear underwear under their kimono, but they could wear a sort of fundoshi during menstruations. The fundoshi, as female garment, begins to be used in historical films during the ‘50s to avoid censorship problems. From that moment it became a sort of sexy and fetish garment for women, allowing to avoid censorship that in Japan forbids genitals exposure for photos.
Furoshiki (風呂敷)
 Square of cloth of variable dimension (about 70x70cm) used to wrap and carry things in Japan.
Fusion bondage Kind of Western bondage (see) that includes some ties from Japanese bondage, but with a different approach and aestetics. Synthetic and coloured ropes can be used, also for decorative ties, and the focus is more on the final outcome and on the use of the tie itself than on the “journey”.
Futomomo shibari (太もも縛り)
 Tie of a leg bent. From “futomomo”, thigh.
Goshujinsama (ご主人様)
 Master.
Gote shibari (後手縛り)
 Torso tie with hands behind the back. From “go”, behind (this kanji can be read also “ushiro”, so this tie can be called also “ushirote shibari”), “te”, arm, and “shibari”, tie. See also “takate kote shibari”. In English it’s called also “box tie” when the arms are tied behind the back with parallel forearms.
Gyaku ebi shibari (逆海老縛り)
 Face down tie or suspension with backward arched back. From “gyaku”, reverse, “ebi”, shrimp, because the curved shape of the bent body reminds the shape of a shrimp, and “shibari” or “tsuri”, tie or suspension, so literally “reverse shrimp tie / suspension”.
Gyaku ebi zuri (逆海老吊り)
 See  “gyaku ebi shibari”.
Hafu hichizu Half hitch. Transliteration from the English term. Japanese doesn’t have an expression for this knot and generally uses “musubi” (see), knot.
Hakodome (箱留め)
 “Half moon” friction, like the one used to block the passages of the lower band in some kind of gotes. From “hako”, box, and “tome”, friction.
Haritsuke (磔)
 Crucifixion. This tie origins as torture used on Christians during Edo period.
Harness Tie supporting a part of the body (hip harness, calf harness, etc).
Hashigata zuri (橋型吊り)
 Face up suspension with arched back, generally with the body supported by a hip harness. From “hashi”, bridge, “kata”, form, and “tsuri”, suspension, so “bridge shaped suspension”.
Hashira (柱)
 Vertical wooden beam used as support in Japanese traditional houses. It can be used as support for ties (hashira shibari). The horizontal beam is called yokobashira.
Hashira shibari (柱縛り)
 See “hashira”.
Hazukashii (恥ずかしい)
 The feeling of embarrassment that a bottom can feel playing with ropes. From “hazukashii”, embarrassing, shameful.
Hentai (変態)
 This adjective indicates something not conventional, erotic and bizarre, more specifically referred to adult animes and mangas. In Japanese this term has a negative connotation, like “abnormal / perverted” in English.
Hibari musubi (雲雀結び)
 Lark’s head knot. From “hibari”, lark, and “musubi”, knot.
Hikyaku zuri (飛脚吊り)
 Suspension where the bottom is suspended vertically with a leg forward and the other one back, like a postman running to deliver mail. From “hikyaku”, postman, and “tsuri”, suspension. It’s also called “running man suspension”.
Hishi shibari (菱縛り)
 Tie with passages that create diamond shapes. From “hishi”, diamond shape, and “shibari”, tie.
Hogtie Facedown tie with wrists and ankles tied together. See also “utsubuse shibari”. This word is also used transliterated in Japanese (ホッグタイ,“hoggutai”).
Hojo cuff See “hojo tie”.
Hojo tie Neologism that indicates the modern shibari ties inspired by those traditional ones of hojojutsu, e.g. “hojo cuffs”, a sort of tensioned single column tie (see).
Hōjōjutsu (捕縄術)
 Japanese martial art of defense or restraining a person using rope. Also called “nawajutso” or “torinawajutso”. From “ho”, capture, “jo”, rope, and “jutsu”, art / technique.
Hon musubi (本結び)
 Square knot. From “hon”, main, and “musubi”, knot.
Ichinawa Wrong term for “ippon nawa” (see). The counter for a single rope actually isn’t “ichi” but “ippon”.
Ippon nawa shibari (一本縄縛り)
 Tie done with a single rope. From “ippon”, one, and “nawa”, rope.
Ishidaki (石抱き)
 Tie with the bottom sitting on the knee on a board with triangular wedges, called “soroban” (see). Its origins as torture in which, besides this position, some stones were placed on the legs and then they were tied to the prisoner. From “ishi”, stone, and “daku”, to embrace, so “embracing the stones”.
Jiai shibari (自愛縛り)
 Tie with hands in front of the chest like the tied person embrace themself. From “ji”, themself, “ai”, love, and “shibari”, tie.
Jibaku (自縛)
 Self bondage. From “ji”, themself, and “baku”, an abbreviation for “kinbaku”.
Jō o-sama (女王様)
 Mistress. From “jō”, queen.
Kaikyaku kani shibari (開脚蟹縛り)
 Tie with the bottom sitting with open legs and the forearms tied to calves. From “kai”, open, “kyaku”, leg, “kani”, crab, and “shibari”, tie, so “tie like a crab with open legs”.
Kami shibari (髪縛り)
 Hair tie. From “kami”, hair, and “shibari”, tie.
Kannuki (閂)
 Passage that hooks a rope band passing through two “columns”, like in a double column tie (see). From “kannuki”, latch. It’s called “cinch” (see) in English.
Karada Wrong term for “hishi shibari” (see). From “karada”, body.
Kata ashi sakasa zuri (片足逆さ吊り)
 Upsidedown suspension for a single ankle. From “kata”, one (of a pair), “ashi”, leg, “sakasa”, upsidedown, and “tsuri”, suspension.
Kata ashi zuri (片足吊り)
 Partial suspension with only a leg lifted. From “kata”, one (of a pair), “ashi”, leg, and “tsuri”, suspension.
Kata tekubi shibari (片手首縛り)
 Single wrist tie. From “kata”, one (of a pair), “tekubi”, wrist, and “shibari”, tie. See also “tejo shibari”.
Kazari nawa (飾り縄)
 Decorative rope. This term is used to indicate non- structural passages that can be made to exaust a rope at the end of a tie. From “kazari”, decoration, and “nawa”, rope.
Kemono shibari (獣縛り)
 See “tanuki shibari”. From “kemono”, beast, and “shibari”, tie.
Kikkō shibari (亀甲縛り)
 Tie with a pattern looking like a turtle shell, for example with a rope exagon on the chest. From “kikkō”, tortoiseshell, and “shibari”, tie.
Kinbaku (緊縛)
 Shibari synonym. This word is related only to erotic bondage. From “kin”, tight / strong, and “baku”, tie (“baku” is a different reading of the kanji used in the word “shibari”).
Kinbakubi (緊縛美)
 The beauty of kinbaku, or the beauty emanated by a tied body. From “kinbaku”, erotic bondage, and “bi”, beauty.
Kinbakushi (緊縛師)
 Kinbaku teacher. Called also “nawashi”. From “kinbaku”, erotic bondage, and “shi”, teacher.
Kokoro (心)
 Japanese term for mind, heart and spirit harmony and will and feelings union.
Koshi nawa (腰縄)
 Rope around hips. From “koshi”, waist / hips, and “nawa”, rope. “Do nawa” is instead a rope around the upper part of the waist, under the rib cage.
Kotobazeme (言葉責め)
 Torture with words, telling something humiliating to the bottom in order to arouse them and making them feel ashamed. From “kotoba”, word, and “seme”, torture / torment.
Kōtōbu ryō tekubi shibari (後頭部両手首縛り)
 See “usagi shibari”. From “kōtōbu”, nape, “ryō”, two (of a pair), “tekubi”, wrist, and “shibari”, tie, so “two wrists tied on the nape”.
Kuzushi nawa (崩し縄)
 Ties or passages breaking the symmetry and the precision of a tie, up to be intentionally caotic. It may refer to a small particular or to a whole tie. It’s a term coming from calligraphy art. From “kuzushi”, messy / destructured.
Ma (間)
 Space or time between two elements. In bondage it’s the time between two ties or two passages of a tie. During those moments you can give a meaning to what you are doing, clarify an intention, take your time to live your session. From “ma”, between.
Macramé Decorative ties or passages. Macramé is a form of textile produced using knotting techniques.
Mae te shibari (前手縛り)
 Tie with hands on the chest. From “mae”, in front, “te”, arm, and “shibari”, tie.
Main line The rope that supports most of the weight in a suspension.
Matanawa (股縄)
 Crotch tie. From “mata”, crotch, and “nawa”, rope.
Matazuri (股吊り)
 Suspension from a crotch rope. From “mata”, crotch, and “tsuri”, suspension.
M-ji shibari (M-字縛り)
 Tie with the legs bent and open in front of the chest, creating an M shape. From “M” and “ji”, shape, so “M shaped”, and “shibari”, tie.
M-jō (M-嬢)
 Masochist woman. From “M”, abbreviation of “masochist”, and “jō”, woman.
M-otoko (M-男)
 Masochist man. From “M”, abbreviation of “masochist”, and “otoko”, man.
Moderu (モデル)
 Model. Transliteration of the English word.
Moyai musubi (舫うい結び)
 Bowline knot. From “moyau”, to moor, and “musubi”, knot. This knot is called also “būrin notto” in Japanese, using an English transliteration.
Munenawa (胸縄)
 Chest tie. From “mune”, chest, and “nawa”, rope.
Muneshita (胸下)
 Rope band under the chest in a chest harness, like a gote. From “mune”, chest, and “shita”, lower.
Muneue (胸上)
 Rope band on the top of the chest in a chest harness, like a gote. From “mune”, chest, and “ue”, upper.
Musubi (結び)
 Knot. See also “hafu hichizu”.
Nawa (縄)
 Rope. In Japanese the term “ロープ”, “rōpu” is also used to indicate a rope in general.
Nawa ato (縄跡)
 Marks left by the rope pressure on the skin. From “nawa”, corda, and “ato”, mark.
Nawa gashira (縄頭)
 Bight. From “nawa”, rope, and “kashira”, beginning.
Nawa jiri (縄尻)
 The ending part of a rope. From “nawa”, rope, and “jiri”, end.
Nawa kai (縄会)
 In Japanese this term indicates both a rope jam and an event organised by a master where attendees can see the kinbakushi tying and then chat with them. From “nawa”, rope, and “kai”, meeting.
Nawashi (縄師)
 See “kinbakushi”.
Neokinbaku (ネオ緊縛) Japanese neologism for a more decorative and less traditional bondage or for art forms the mix shibari with other performing arts, like UV reactive ropes (cyber rope, in Japanese “サイバー ロープ”, “saibā rōpu”), body paint, zentai, animegao kigurumi, etc. Some artist realize also artistic installations with ropes and objects (in Japanese “アート  ロープ  インスタレーション”, “āto rōpu insutarēshon”, transliteration of “art rope installation”).
Newaza (寝技)
 Tying on the floor without doing suspensions. This term comes from martial arts and it isn’t universally used in the bondage field.  From “ne”, ground, and “waza”, technique. See also “yuka shibari”.
Nodome (の留め)
 “No” (の) shaped friction. In English this knot is called “mounter hitch”. From “no”, a Japanese syllable, and “tome”, friction.
Partial suspension Tie with some parts of the body suspended but with other parts still on the floor. It’s called also “half suspension” or “floor suspension”.
Peer rope Bondage meeting where practitioners can study together like in a “study group”. Indeed “peer” refers back to the idea of “peer education”. This term is sometimes incorrectly used as a synonym for “rope jam” (see).
Predicament bondage Tie where the bottom is in a very uncomfortable or painful position, but changing the position to have relief the other position is as much uncomfortable.
Rigger Synonym for top (see), a more internationally used term.
Rope bunny Synonym for bottom (see), a more internationally used term. It is an American slang term to indicate a girl enthusiastic about some activity, for example “gym bunny” or “disco bunny”.
Rope jam Informal meeting to play with ropes together. This term comes from “jam session”, a musical meeting where musicians play together improvising. In Japan they are called also “salon”.
Ryō ashi zuri (両足吊り)
 Suspension with both legs lifted. From “ryō”, both, “ashi”, leg, and “tsuri”, suspension.
Ryō tekubi shibari (両手首縛り)
 Two wrists tie. From “ryō”, both, “tekubi”, wrist, and “shibari”, tie. See also “tejo shibari”.
Ryū (流)
 Style of a Japanese master (as Osada ryū, Naka ryū, Yukimura ryū, ecc).
Sabaki (捌き)
 Dexterity. It’s used in various fields, from martial arts to cooking. In Japanese bondage the sabaki is the ability to make the ropes flow with agility, smoothly, without creating frictions or messy knots.
Sakasa zuri (逆さ吊り)
 Upsidedown suspension. From “sakasa”, upsidedown, and “tsuri”, suspension.
Sakuranbo Wrong term used in the West for a crotch rope. The right term is “matanawa” (see). From “sakuranbo”, cherry.
Salon See “rope jam”.
Sarugutsuwa (猿轡)
 Gag. When it’s made of rope it’s called also “nawakutsuwa” (縄轡).
Seiza (正座)
 Sit on the knee, in a typical Japanese way.
Seme (責め)
 Termine che indica sia tortura che tormento. È il termine che veniva utilizzato anche per indicare le attività sadomasochistiche.
Seme-e (責め絵)
 This term means both torture and torment. It was used to indicate sadomasochistic activities in general.
Semenawa (責め縄)
 Literally “rope of torture / torment”. This word was coined by a producer of a Japanese video production company watching Naka Akira’s style and it ended up indicating the style of this rope master. From “seme”, torture / torment, and “nawa”, rope. See also “aibunawa”.
Semerarete (責められて)
 Bottom (see). Literally “tortured person”.
Semete (責め手)
 Top (see). Literally “torturing person”.
Sensei (先生)
 Teacher / master. This term, although it can be used also in a generic acceptation, can have a strong meaning, indicating a person with authority and experience, a teacher of life, as well of a practice. A sensei shows their way in an art (the “ryū” (see), style) to their disciples ( “deshi”, see). “Sensei” literally means “born before”.
Shibari (縛り)
 This term indicates a “tie” in general, not only for erotic purposes. See also “kinbaku”.
Shibarite(縛り手)
 The tying person, top.
Shinju A wrong term for a breast tie. The correct Japanese term is “munenawa” (see). From “shinju”, pearl.
Shiten (支点)
 Suspension point, generally a wooden beam or some structure. From “shiten”,  support.
Shuronawa (棕櫚縄)
 Palm rope, also incorrectly called “coconut rope”. From “shuro”, palm, and “nawa”, rope.
Shūchi nawa (羞恥縄)
 Tie or passage realized to make the tied person embarrassed. From “shūchi”, embarrassment, and “nawa”, rope.
Single column tie It’s a rope “cuff” closed with a knot and made by one or more passages that encircle a “column”, or an element with a circular section, like a limb, the torso, a bamboo, etc. See also “tejo shibari” and “ryō tekubi shibari”.
S-jō (S-嬢)
 Sadistic woman, mistress. From “S”, an abbreviation for “sadistic”, and “jō”, woman.
Somerville bowline A very stable version of a bowline knot. This knot was created by Topologist in 2009, based on the knot n. 1445 of the Asley Book of Knots. It works well also in tension and is very compact. It can be used to close a tie, like in a single or double tie. “Somerville” is a city in Massachusetts where this knot was developed.
Soroban (算盤)
 Wooden table with triangular wedges, used for ishidaki (see). From “soroban”, abacus, for the resemblance with the Japanese traditional bead abacus.
S-otoko (S-男)
 Sadistic man, master. From “S”, abbreviation for “sadistic”, and “otoko”, man.
Strappado Tie with both hands tied behind the back and suspended upwards with straight arms. By extension, strappado refers also to the tie where the arms are tied straight behind the back. Strappado origins as torture. In Japanese there isn’t a specific term for this torture called generally “tsuri zeme”, or “torture with suspension”. It can be called “ryōte zuri”, or “suspension by both hands”. The tie with the arms tied straight behind the back is called “chokushin gote shibari” (see).
Suruga doi (駿河問い)
 Suspension by wrists and ankles tied together behind the back. Suruga doi origins as torture in Suruga province. Weights may be added to the body to intensify the effect and increase the pain. From “Suruga”, a Japanese province, and “toi”, interrogatory.
Takate kote shibari (高手小手縛り)
 Torso tie with arms crossed upwards behind the back. The translation of this term is uncertain because the same kanji can have different meanings; probably 高  (“taka”, high) refers to arms 手  (“te”, arm) are crossed upwards. See also “gote shibari”.
Take (竹)
 Bamboo.
Take shibari (竹縛り)
 Ties that incorporate bamboo canes. From “take”, bamboo, and “shibari”, tie.
Tanuki shibari (狸縛り)
 Tie where the bottom has hands and feet tied together. This tie can be done in various forms, both on the floor or in suspension: it can be a hogtie with hands and feet tied in front of the chest or behind the back or also with wrists tied behind the legs, face up or face down, . It’s also called “kemono shibari” (see). From “tanuki”, raccoon, and “shibari”, tie.
Tejō shibari (手錠縛り)
 A generic term for single and double column tie. From “tejo”, cuff, and “shibari”, tie. See also “ryō tekubi shibari” and “kata tekubi shibari”.
Tengu shibari (天狗縛り)
 Chest tie with arms bent laterally. This tie comes from “tengu”, a winged Japanese demon, whose wings are represented by the bent arms.
Tensioned single column tie This kind of single column tie (see) isn’t close by a knot but works only if the tie is in tension. See also “hojo cuffs”.
Tenugui (手ぬぐい)
 Cloth rectangle (about 90×30 cm) used in Japan as a bath towel, washcloth or just as interior decoration. In shibari it can be used as blindfold or gag.
Teppō shibari (鉄砲縛り)
 Tie with both arms bent, one behind the head and the other one behind the back. This position reminds of a rifle ( “teppō” in Japanese) worn on the shoulder.
TK Abbreviation used in the West for “takate kote shibari” (see).
Tome (留め)
 Friction, or passage that blocks a part of the tie without using knots.
Tome musubi (留め結び)
 Simple knot.
Top The tying person. This term doesn’t presume the existence of a dominant relationship with the partner.
Tsuginawa (次縄)
 Rope joined to a previous one. From “tsugi”, following, and “nawa”, rope.
Tsukamaki (柄巻)
 Tight spiral wrapping made with a rope around another one, done for example to use a leftover rope. From “tsuka”, hilt, and “maki”, wrapping.
Tsuri (吊り)
 Suspension.
Tsuri nawa (吊り縄)
 Suspension rope / line. From “tsuri”, suspension, and “nawa”, rope.
Uke (受け) or ukete (受け手)
 Bottom. This term is borrowed by martial arts and literally means “who is receiving (a technique or a strike)”.
Uranodome (うらの止め)
 A kind of nodome done on the contrary, passing under the rope that we hook. In English it’s called “reverse mounter hitch”. From “urano”, inverted, “no”, Japanese syllable with a shape like this knot, and “tome”, friction. See also “nodome”.
Usagi shibari (兎縛り)
 Tie with wrists tied behind the nape; the bent arms remind of a rabbit’s ears. This tie is called also “waki sarashi shibari” (tie with exposed axillae). See also “kōtōbu ryō tekubi shibari”. From “usagi”, rabbit, and “shibari”, tie.
Ushirote gasshō shibari (後手合掌縛り)
 Tie with hands in praying position behind the back. From “ushiro”, behind, “te”, arm, “gasshō”, praying position, and “shibari”, tie.
Ushirote shibari (後手縛り)
 See “gote shibari”.
Utsubuse shibari (うつ伏せ縛り)
 Facedown tie or suspension. From “utsubuse”, face down, and “shibari” or “tsuri”, tie or suspension.
Utsubuse zuri (うつ伏せ吊り)
 See “utsubuse shibari”.
Western bondage A kind of bondage used in the West with different techniques, aesthetics and approach to rope play than Japanese bondage. See also “fusion bondage”.
Yokozuwari (横座り)
 Sitting on the knee with hips to the side of the legs, used in Japan in informal settings and less tiring than seiza (see).
Yokozuri (横吊り)
 Lateral suspension. From “yoko”, lateral, and “tsuri”, suspension.
Yubi shibari (指縛り)
 Hand’s fingers tie. From “yubi”, finger, and “shibari”, tie.
Yuka shibari (床縛り)
 Floorwork (see). From “yuka”, floor, and “shibari”, tie.
Yuki knot Neologism born in the West to indicate a knot used by Yukimura sensei in shibari. It’s actually a knot widely used in Japan and used also in hojojutsu. It’s a kind of slipknot. Some artist call this knot with the English transliteration “ダブルループ”, dabururūpu, double rope. From “yuki”, an abbreviation of “Yukimura”.