Futomomo (太腿)

Japanese rope terminology

Futomomo (太腿) means the thigh or upper leg in Japanese. In kinbaku, the term is commonly encountered in names for ties that bind the lower leg against the thigh.

Japanese: 太腿
Reading: futomomo
Momo (腿): thigh
Futo (太): thick, large or broad

Futomomo is first of all a body-part term. It refers to the upper leg or thigh.

Within rope terminology, the word becomes part of several compound expressions describing ties or suspensions involving the thigh.

The term itself does not describe one specific rope pattern. Its exact meaning depends on the compound in which it is used.

These terms form a small concept cluster: they all relate to the thigh and folded-leg rope structures, but they describe different things.

Futomomo
The body part: the thigh or upper leg.

Futomomo shibari (太腿縛り)
Generally refers to a tie in which the lower leg is bound against the upper leg or thigh.

Futomomo zuri (太腿吊り)
A suspension in which the person is suspended from, or with significant support from, a futomomo tie.