Ushirote gasshō 後ろ手合掌

Japanese for palms joined behind the back; ushirote gasshō shibari, the reverse prayer tie, presses the palms together behind the back, a position the sources reserve for very flexible people.

Gasshō (合掌) is the gesture of pressing the palms together in prayer (Jisho). Ushirote gasshō shibari (後ろ手合掌縛り) holds the hands in that gesture behind the back, palms together and fingers pointing up (Shibari Study, Rope365). Japanese Wikipedia notes that it requires flexibility, and Andrea Ropes says it is only for very flexible people. Names vary. Rope365 gives ushirote kannon shibari (後手観音縛り), and SMpedia files the tie under 背面合掌縛り, listing kannon shibari, gote kannon and 後手合掌縛り among its aliases and pointing to lessons on it by Nureki Chimuo and Arisue Gō. Shibari Mallorca uses gote gasshō for a different position, in which the wrists rest behind the head and the elbows are raised.

Sources

  1. 合掌 — Jisho.org
  2. Glossary — Shibari Study
  3. Vocabulary — Rope365
  4. 緊縛 — Wikipedia (Japanese)
  5. 背面合掌縛り — SMpedia (Wayback Machine snapshot, 2025-01-20)
  6. Glossary — Andrea Ropes
  7. Japanese Rope Bondage Terms — Shibari Mallorca