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The Hojo rope was usually of good quality made from very strong softly entwined fibres that were then twisted three together into a thin rope. Furthermore it was considered very good to let the rope soak in blood. Such a blood soaked rope could be kept for years without rotting as long as it was also very good for extensive tying. Another method was to soak the finished rope in the astringent juice of unripe persimmons. This was a gentler tying rope but they tended to rot quickly and had a tendency to come apart. So this would have been used to secure the old or very young, or ladies. It would not have been left on for very long.

Silk was also used but although strong the fibres had a tendency to burst apart. During the Tokugawa Era (1600 - 1800) ropes manufactured by monks of the Sanshuhozo temple were highly prized.

NOJOJUTSU It is the feudal martial skill of restraining a prisoner with rope. It was practiced by the warrior class and in particular the samurai, who acted as police officers. The word hojo is made up of the character 'ho', which is also pronounced 'tori' and means to catch, seize or arrest someone, the character 'jo', which is also pronounced 'nawa' and means rope, and of course the word 'jutsu', meaning art or skill. The actual characters can then be read in English as either 'torinawa jutsu' or 'hojo jutsu'. However, both meanings remain the same. The main reason for tying someone up is because a need has arisen to keep them alive and take them captive, or prevent their escape. This was often the case during Japan's feudal period, particularly when the captured enemy was thought to be able to be persuaded to part with vital information, or be used in an ex-change deal for someone of importance who had been captured by the other side. There were various other reasons why rope tying was employed in Japan. One further purpose was to secure prisoners who were to be brought before a magistrate and tried for crimes they had committed.

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Simple knots

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Overhand knot: This simple knot is done simply by making a loop and drawing the end through.

Lark’s head: Make a bight in the rope, run the bight around whatever you are attaching to, and then run the running ends fo the rope through the loop and pull tight

Square Knot (reef knot): This is a simple knot that is used to tie two ropes or the ends o f one rope together.

Bowline: This knot can have several loops made to spread the weight more, and is useful for single limb ties.

Anchor Hitch: This is a complex hitch, but is much stronger than the half hitch. It is also more complicated to untie. This knot can be used for suspension. This hitch will not deform under stress. It should NOT be used on wrists and ankles or for that matter around the body at all.

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S e c u r in g p ris o n e rs In practically every country throughout the world the feudal era was littered with various means of securing prisoners. The techniques ranged from rope, to shackles or ball and chain. It would seem, however, that no other nation developed such a sophisticated system of rope tying as the Japanese. Hojojutsu was incorporated into the samurai's knowledge of fighting skills and used during the sanguineous era of the 'Sengoku Jidai' in particular. The lower class police officers, called 'okapiki', were taught very basic forms of Hojojutsu under the guidance of senior police officials from samurai stock. However, with the Meiji restoration (1887), the art of Hojojutsu began to fall into decline. When prisoners were held captive, they were tied in a specific manner, according to their rank and social status. Each method of tying denoted what class of society the prisoner came from, each was tied in a recognizable way. If a person had been found guilty of a particular offence he was tied in a manner denoting the offence he had committed. There were special techniques for people with strong arms or people capable of slipping out of the knots, even mad and extremely violent people were tied using special knots. Because the style of tying varied with both the crime and status of a prisoner, the length of rope used varied considerably. Some ropes were only a foot in length, while others reached well over 30 feet. Most of the Hojojutsu ropes were made of tightly twined linen that had been beaten until soft. Silk rope was not very popular because it was easy to slip the bonds. However, hemp rope did play a part in various styles of Hojojutsu. During the Edo period the use of colored rope to denote particular crimes and status became popular. White rope denoted someone who had only committed a minor crime, while a blue rope was used to secure offenders who had committed serious crimes. If a person was of high rank then a violet rope was sometimes used, bu t if they were of low rank then a black rope was used.

K / io t s The knots used for making the rope secure were many and varied. Some were employed to tighten as the prisoner struggled, while others simply held fast. When a number of prisoners were being conveyed somewhere together a long length of rope with hand loops secured each prisoner to the other. When the prisoner was conveyed alone the length of rope usually measured seven meters Even the retaining cord on the sword scabbard was used to secure the unexpected prisoner. There were many classical ryu (martial art schools) who employed the technique of rope tying in their repertoire. These included Fujiwara ryu, Chokuji Goden ryu, Sekieuchi Shin Shin ryu and many others. Apart from the actual tying skills, the ryu employed various techniques of throwing and restraining that complemented the art of Hojojutsu.

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A c c e s s o rie s There were many subtle appendages to the rope used in capturing an escaping prisoner. One included a barbed hook. This special hook was thrown as the criminal ran away. However, as soon as it ensnared the clothing the criminal was brought to the ground and secured before he could free himself. The prisoner would then be subjected to an intricate web of rope which would make him completely immobile. In modem Japan there are very few masters of the martial arts who are skilled in the traditional art of Hojojutsu. The art of Hojojutsu has not yet died out in Japan. The modem police force still carry special rope with which to secure their prisoners (of course handcuffs are also carried). The rope is also used by the police in Japan to cordon off areas and keep the public back during times of disaster, so its use is not restricted simply to the tying of prisoners. O b sc u re Hojojutsu is an obscure but interesting part of the cultural history of martial arts. It reflects the ingenuity of the samurai class and the manner in which the essence of this martial skill has been passed down, even to today's modem Japanese police force. Takagi Yoshin Ryu is a Jujutsu school which began in the 17th century. It was regarded as a 'Body Guard' school. Most of the formal techniques in the school end with the attacker being held in a position to facilitate the art of Hojojutsu. The way you were tied depended very much upon your social position as well as that of the social position of the person tying you. Hojojutsu was hardly ever practiced as an art by itself but was seen as a complement to arts such as Jujutsu. It was used by Japanese 'policemen' after the Meiji restoration along with the Jutte, Bo and Kusarifundo as an arresting device for the Samurai who resisted the disarming of them. The JNP (Japanese National Police) use the 2 meter rope on the most violent (drunk or drugged) or in situations where there are multiple suspects—riots especially—and yes, these do occur even in the mostly law abiding Japan. Take it one step beyond the single suspect. Suspects can be tied up as well as to one another making it difficult to escape. Imagine trying to escape while dragging one or more people with you. Even if you got your legs free (which is possible but not likely) you would have to make a series of additional movements to free yourself from the other people.

(jio s s a r y Havanawa: "fast rope" a shorter rope used for the initial restraint hiro; a unit of traditional measure for lengths roughly equivalent to the old English fathom, that is, the distance between a man's two outstretched hands (roughly 1.8 m). Units of traditional measure were not standardized in old Japan, but varied from province to province; the lengths given in the text below seem to be based on a somewhat shorter hiro. Hiro: a unit of traditional measure for lengths. Roughly equivalent to the old English fathom, that is, the distance between a man's two outstretched hands (roughly 1.8 m). Units of traditional measure were not standardized in old Japan, but varied from province to province; the lengths given in the text belows seem to be based on a somewhat shorter hiro. Hoioiutsu: the art of using a rope to capture, restrain and transport suspects and criminals in Japan during the Middle Ages and Early Modem periods; practiced by torimono.

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Hon-nawa: "main rope" the long rope used for restraining and transporting a suspect securely. Jakuguchi: a small loop worked into one end of a torinawa. Kaginawa: "hooked rope;" a rope with a metal hook or barb fastened to one end, used to capture a fleeing suspect. Torimono: specially-trained constables attached to various shogunal or domain offices and holding various ranks, usually just below samurai status. Torinawa: any rope used in hojojutsu.

*]~~he length o f the rape Rope lengths depended on which ryu the techniques came from. Each school had different methods. It was not until the advent of Shinobuka (Ninja Police) of the tokugawa that methods began to be standardised. However a basic rope was between 6.5 and 20.0 metres. Whilst a quick rope ranged from 4.5 to 6.5 metres. Some of the ropes had hook on the end of them. This is a general guide some schools used considerably shorter ropes as well. The hooked ends could be single, multiple or be fashioned for climbing walls. Finally there were ropes of 9. 15 and 21 metres.

raditions and techniques of hojojutsu The following information is summarized from Nawa (1964). We don't ordinarily think of the Edo period (1600 - 1868) in Japan as one in which human rights were accorded much respect. Nevertheless, during this period binding a person was regarded as a grave matter, not to be undertaken lightly. People felt that the shame of having a rope around their necks and knots on their person was disgraceful in the extreme. Some considered it worse than death itself. If the proper forms of restraining suspects were not followed, the person who applied the restraints could be impeached. If, however, the restraints contained no knots, they were not considered "bondage" and thus were not disgraceful. In these cases, euphemisms like "wrapping" were used. Samurai regarded this work as beneath them and never applied restraints themselves, leaving it to their servants or to constables whose job it was. Even within the police, higher ranks, which were filled by men of full samurai class, left this task to the lower ranks, which were not. The hon-nawa came in lengths of 13, 11, 9, 7, and 5 fathoms. The hayanawa was 2 and a half fathoms. The length of the kaginawa was not fixed (Nawa 1964 - 101)." The length of one kaginawa in Nawa's collection is given as 13 shaku; a shaku is almost exactly one English foot. The ropes came in four colors, the significance of which changed over time. According to the earliest tradition, which lasted into the Edo period, the four colors were associated with a wellestablished set of correspondences between seasons, directions, and the four Chinese guardian creatures of the four directions. [Trans, note: These were also used in the layout of houses, gardens, and cities in China, Japan and Korea.]

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The color of the rope changed with the season, and the prisoner was restrained facing the direction appropriate to the color and season. The correspondences are as follows:

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2. Red summer south front phoenix I

3. White autumn west right tiger

4. Black winter north back tortoise

During the dog days of late July and early August, a yellow rope was used. By the end of the Edo period, the colours had been reduced to two, white and indigo, and their use corresponded not to seasons or directions but to the branch of the constabulary using the ropes. Hemp was used for the real ropes, but silk was used for practice, which was done with dummies made of straw or heavy Japanese paper. The kaginawa was used to apprehend suspects by hooking the barb in the person's sash, collar, or if need be in the topknot, and then wrapping it around and around the body. The hayanawa was also used to prevent escape. Unlike the kaginawa, it had a small loop at one end, or sometimes a small metal ring. The plain end could be passed through this loop. For proper use it required the constable to be behind the suspect, or on horseback.

There were four rules of hojojutsu: 1. Not to allow the prisoner to slip his bonds. 2. Not to cause any physical or mental injury. 3. Not to allow others to see the techniques. 4. To make the result beautiful to look at.

The aim of Rule 3 was not so much secrecy for its own sake as it was preventing criminals from learning the techniques and figuring out ways to defeat them. However, the schools and techniques varied from one feudal domain to another. When a person was being transported cross-country, the binding would be allowed to come loose a bit just before turning him over to 7

the next domain's officers, so the latter would not be able to learn the techniques either. Each set of officers numbered at least four, and the new team would stand around the prisoner while one of their number bound him, not only to prevent escape but to foil prying eyes. In addition to the three ropes named above, there was a short rope about 14 inches long (one shaku, two sun). This was used in the following way: the suspect was made to sit in seiza (the formal sitting position, kneeling and with the weight on the heels) while both arms were pulled behind. Then the two thumbs and two big toes were tied together in a bundle. Alternatively, the two thumbs alone could be tied to the topknot or to a hole made in the collar. The following information is summarized from Nawa 1985. There were over 150 different ryu, or schools, of hojojutsu, each with its own techniques for using the hon-nawa and other torinawa. (The illustration at the top shows the variety used by one ryu alone.) The earliest dates from the middle 1500s, and the latest from the late nineteenth century.

L o o p s and h o o k s

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A casual knot

A folded rope A rope with a ring (The ring helps the rope run easily)

Ropes with weights, quick handcuffs

A rope with a spike (this would be inserted into armour or clothing)

Quick ropes

The Methods of Winding up the Quick Rope The loop is wound around the left thumb once, then the rope is brought around the little finger and then around the thumb again. This is continued until about 1.5 metres are left. The remainder is wound around the bundle to tie it into a hank. The ring, hook, etc, is left out to facilitate withdrawal.

Another method, if you have a large loop, is to slip the loop over your wrist and wind the rope over your hand. When there is an arm’s length left, wind this around the bundle as before. This method would be used for the shorter ropes.

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Examples of Wrist Control using the Rope

Kamosage (Duck knot)

Tied loop

Looped loop

Hitosuji Kanai Musubi Hitosuji Gogyo Musubi (Straight forward five-element knot)

Hibari musubi (Skylark knot) If you catch an opponent’s fingers with skylark knot it is difficult for them to free themselves.

Folded rope

Hibari

M usubi

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(skylark

knot)

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Rope with Ring

Quick Handcuffs From Hardw ood you make tw o grips with a length of 6cm and connect these with a rope of 50-55cm. As with the quick rope you wind around the wrists, make space between the hands, and having tightened the rope you wind it around itself a few times before tucking in the grips between the wrists.

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From brass or bamboo you make a pair of cylinders with a length of 6.5-7cm with a diameter of 9mm. These are connected to a piece of rope 19-20cm long. This is passed around the wrists as shown, then the captive can be marched off.

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