Japanese: 閂 (かんぬき)
Kannuki Literally means a door bolt or latch used to secure a gate.
The kanji 閂 depicts a bar across a gate (門).
In rope contexts, kannuki is a structural element that blocks movement. It is used to prevent wraps from slipping or opening by creating a firm crossing or “bar” in the structure.
For a takatekote’s second wrap this is the rope between arms and chest.
Securing rope in practice
Rope structures are secured in different ways. These are related, but not interchangeable:
Kannuki
A structural solution. It blocks movement within the rope.
Tome Nawa: 止め縄
Literally “stopping rope” or “finishing rope.”
Refers to rope used to secure or finish a structure so it does not loosen or come apart.
Cinch
An informal (not part of traditional vocabulary) English term used by Western practitioners for a wrap or mechanism that tightens under tension.
It is not a traditional Japanese term and has no strict technical definition in kinbaku.
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