---
title: "Ippon Bakumyo (壱本縛妙)"
date: 2026-10-22
author: "Sr. Interior (流庵殿)"
categories:
  - name: "Glossary"
    url: "https://shibari-dojo.online/gls-en.md"
tags:
  - name: "Jutsu (術)"
    url: "https://shibari-dojo.online/tags/jutsu-en.md"
---

# Ippon Bakumyo (壱本縛妙)

This term is used when, following Japanese aesthetic patterns (minimalism, appreciation of nature, emptiness, contrast...), we develop single-rope ties in which beauty comes first.

 
### Breakdown of the kanji

 
- 壱 (*ichi*): old or formal form of “one”.
- 本 (*hon*): counter for long objects, such as a rope; after 壱 it is read *pon*, hence *ippon*, “one rope” or “a single tie”.
- 縛 (*baku*): “to tie”, “tied”.
- 妙 (*myo*): “subtle beauty”.

 This term adds a nuance of aesthetic purpose that other expressions for single-rope ties, such as *ippon* or *ippon nawa*, do not specify.

 The term *ichinawa* (一縄) is another way of naming a single rope: *ippon* (壱本) is used to count ropes, “one rope”, whereas *ichinawa* is the name by which, above all in the West, techniques that use a single rope are known. In a sense, both terms are synonyms.

 *Ichinawa* is also the name of **Ichinawa-kai** (一縄会), the school of **Hajime Kinoko**, with a play on words in how it is read: the kanji 一 is read *ichi*, “one”, but also *hajime*, like its founder.


## Custom Fields

**Content Type — The formal and communicative nature of a piece of content, based on its documentary function.:** Glossary

**Knowledge Type — The nature of knowledge according to its role within practice.:** Technique

**Field of Study — The specific area of practice that the content focuses on.:** Rope

**Corpus — A structured body of reference knowledge that underpins the content.:** Ties

**Criteria — A cross-cutting perspective that defines the emphasis or intent from which the content is approached.:** Application

**Summary — A brief synthesis of the content that presents its main topics, purpose, or most relevant aspects.:** The subtle beauty of a single rope: one-rope ties that prioritize Japanese aesthetics.