Hishi 菱

A hishi is a tie whose rope lays out a pattern of diamonds, or lozenges, across the body; Shibari Study and Rope365 both use the name this way. 菱 is the Japanese name of the water caltrop, and the dictionary Daijisen also uses it for diamond-shaped patterns and family crests and as a short form of hishigata, the rhombus. This page describes the tie; it does not teach it.

Hishi and kikkō

Japanese Wikipedia writes the tie 菱縄縛り (hishinawa shibari) and draws a strict line against kikkō: rope forming hexagons is kikkō, rope forming diamonds is hishi. It adds that some people count diamond ties as a kind of kikkō anyway, because the finished body looks like a shell. Its main article on kinbaku describes the hishi as similar to the kikkō, with the front pattern made of diamonds instead of hexagons. English Wikipedia lists hishi nawa shibari, says manga made it popular and mentions a full-body “hishi-kikkou”, all without citations. In Western rope circles the diamond body harness is often called a karada (body); Rope365 notes that the open diamond harness on the chest often goes by that name, while Shibari Study regards the label as inaccurate.

Origins and forms

Origin claims differ. The glossary of the rope educator Andrea Ropes traces the tie back to early hojōjutsu, but gives no source, and Japanese Wikipedia’s kinbaku article calls the wider idea that shibari descends from Edo-period capture rope a popular myth. The diamond appears in many forms: Crash Restraint’s tie index lists several hishi karada under decorative tying and a hishi takate kote among its miscellaneous ties. A Karada House workshop taught by Ceci Ferox covered a hishi chest harness and a hishi box tie, and described diagonal lines as fitting the body better and spreading pressure more evenly than vertical ones. Voudou Ropes also describes a nodome and half-hitch variation.

Before you tie

• Rope. Voudou Ropes suggests a single 8 metre jute rope for its one-rope diamond body harness. TheDuchy’s rope dress (a body harness without the arms) lists one 30-foot rope of 6 mm hemp (about 9 metres; the page rounds this to 10), and its teacher Lazarus Redmayne says he used about 30 to 35 feet (9 to 11 metres) on a petite model about 1.60 m tall. In the tutorial’s video he adds that a partner of a different build may need more or less rope, and shows how to add a second rope. Rope365 and Magpie KINK give no length.
• Skills first. Magpie KINK builds its hishi chest harness on a reverse-tension single column, a cow hitch and half hitches (single column tie). Karada House expected workshop participants to know several frictions beforehand.
• Body areas at risk. The ribcage and diaphragm, the neck and collarbones, and, when the arms are tied, the upper arm (see the safety notes above). Rope365 notes that opening the diamonds progressively tightens the tie, so keep watching the person’s breathing, and that pressure can build on the neck and collarbones as diamonds are added. Agree beforehand where the ropes will run, including any rope between the legs, and how tight they may be.
• What to check while tying. Rope365 closes its page with a self-check. In short: the knots sit small and tidy, the rope lies flat with the same tension throughout, the two sides of the pattern match, and the tie holds its shape when tugged from several sides. Rope365’s safety page adds checking that the hands can open and close, touching the skin for early numbness, and not relying on skin colour alone.
• Breathing with a waist wrap. TheDuchy warns that its rope dress combines a tight chest harness with tight waist wraps, so the tied person’s breathing must not be hindered; it points to its own safety page on that combination. In the video Redmayne says the wraps can be made quite tight, within the tied person’s comfort.
• Shears. Keep safety shears within reach, ideally on your body (Rope365).
• Read safety before you start, and find in-person teaching on the places pages.

Where to see it tied

These are free public tutorials by the teachers named below. Kinbaku World has not tested them. In-person teaching is linked under “Before you tie”.

• Ebi McKnotty, Rope365: Day 17: Diamonds shows three ways to build the pattern (opening diamonds, drawing diamonds with half hitches and crossing hitches, and two opposed spirals) in photos, plus an 8:28 video of the open diamond harness with English subtitles. English. The text notes that opening the diamonds tightens the tie step by step and that the ropes can press on the neck and collarbones.
• Lazarus Redmayne, TheDuchy: Hishi Karada is an English photo-and-text tutorial for a rope dress made from a folded rope. The article opens with a breathing warning about combining a tight chest harness with tight waist wraps.
• Rory’s Brainworks: Hishi Karada Tutorial is a 10:28 video in English with spoken explanation (automatic English captions). Its description presents it as an easy first tutorial. The video ties a two-colour version from two ropes joined together, which the teacher calls a variant of the usual one-rope tie.
• XoAdonis: Shibari 101: Hishi Karada / Diamond Harness Tutorial is a 10:17 video in English with spoken explanation (automatic English captions). Its description says the harness needs only one rope.

Variations by teacher and school

• Three ways to build the pattern (Rope365). Opening diamonds: the bight sits behind the neck, knots are tied in the front, and the ropes between the knots are opened into diamonds. Drawing diamonds: half hitches and crossing hitches lay out the diamonds, which Rope365 says places the rope more precisely and keeps the tension steadier. Spiral diamonds: one spiral, then a second in the opposite direction on top, with diamonds where they cross.
• A rope dress from a folded rope (TheDuchy, Lazarus Redmayne). Redmayne’s hishi karada is a harness for the whole torso: a knotted line runs down the front, between the legs and up the back, and bands around the body draw the front line open into diamonds. The front line is made of four overhand knots tied in a folded rope, with a possible fifth for a taller person or a long torso. At the back he shows the bands simply crossing as well as several ways to lock them, among them a square knot tied around the back line (a “cored” square knot). The tutorial also shows several endings for leftover rope, how to add a second rope, and an optional decorative twist in each diamond. TheDuchy advises cleaning rope after it has touched the genital or anal area.
• A column-based chest version (Magpie KINK). Its hishi chest harness starts from a reverse-tension single column at the waist, reverses direction with a cow hitch, and uses half hitches and full moon frictions to hold the diamond bands. It differs from TheDuchy’s in how the front line is made: half hitches on a rope that runs over the shoulder, not overhand knots tied in a folded rope. The lesson ends with an optional adjustment that moves the bands near the neck off the collarbones for comfort.
• One rope or two (Voudou Ropes). Its one-rope diamond body harness uses a single 8 metre rope. A two-rope version adds decoration such as double coin knots, and a further version uses nodome and half hitches. Voudou Ropes also describes a variation of that design.
• Chest harness and box tie (Karada House). Ceci Ferox taught both a hishi chest harness and a hishi box tie, saying diagonal lines fit the body better and spread pressure more evenly than vertical ones.
• Where the diamonds go (Rope365). Upper chest only or the whole upper body, the diamond on the back like a turtle shell, or diamonds on both sides.

Difficulty and risk

Sources disagree on difficulty. Voudou Ropes presents a one-rope diamond body harness as a good starting point for beginners, while the Karada House workshop expected participants to know several frictions beforehand. Kinbaku World chooses the more cautious intermediate level, and moderate risk because the tie wraps the torso.