A great deal of rope bondage is based on Japanese ties. Takate Kote is one of the most iconic ties. Much of Japanese rope bondage has its roots in military use, as early as the 1400s, both for binding prisoners and for torture.
More About Takate Kote
As Japanese bondage becomes more and more popular in the west, there is some confusion about language and terms. Some commonly used words have drifted from their Japanese meaning.
Although Takate Kote (commonly abbreviated TK) has come to simply mean “box tie.” There is some controversy about whether it more properly describes a style of box tie with “high hands.” So rather than simply having the hands crossed behind the back, the wrists are actually pulled upwards to rest between the shoulder blades. Some argue that what is commonly called a Takate Kote is more properly a Takate Gote.
By any name, the TK is one of the most commonly seen ties in rope bondage performances and in rope bondage erotica. It is easily recognizable by its seemingly basic form of tying the arms to the sides of the body with bands of rope above and below the breasts or chest.
There are, however, many variations. Rope bondage practitioners will spend their whole tying career practicing and perfecting this tie. Both two and three rope versions are common - the third rope adds shoulder straps to the tie, and sometimes other decorative features. Some riggers will tell you how many minutes it takes them to tie a TK as a sign of their proficiency with rope.
The risks of this form of rope bondage are the same as those listed for the box tie, and caution should be exercised to avoid nerve damage.
