Kannuki

Japanese rope terminology

Kannuki (閂) literally means a door bolt or latch used to secure a gate. The kanji 閂 depicts a bar across a gate.

In rope contexts, kannuki refers to a structural element that blocks movement inside the tie. It helps prevent wraps from slipping or opening by creating a firm crossing or “bar” in the structure.

In a takatekote, the second wrap may function as a kannuki by creating a bar between the arms and the chest.

Japanese: 閂
Reading: kannuki
Literal meaning: door bolt or latch

The term is sometimes written kanuki in English-language rope discussions, but RopeMarks uses the romanization kannuki.

The word comes from an everyday Japanese object: a bar placed across a gate or door to stop it from opening. In kinbaku, the same idea is applied structurally.

A kannuki is not simply any wrap. Its defining function is to block movement within the rope structure.

Depending on the tie, that may mean preventing wraps from opening, stopping part of the structure from shifting, or creating a stable crossing point.

These terms form a small concept cluster: they are all related to securing rope in practice, but they describe different functions and are not interchangeable.

Kannuki
A structural solution. It blocks movement within the rope by creating a bar or locking element inside the tie.

Tome nawa (止め縄)
Literally “stopping rope” or “finishing rope.” It refers more broadly to rope used to secure or finish a structure so it does not loosen or come apart.

Cinch
An informal English term often used by Western practitioners for a wrap or mechanism that tightens under tension. It is not traditional Japanese rope vocabulary and does not have one strict technical definition in kinbaku.