The Basic Munenawa

The munenawa is a very basic chest harness that is very quick to learn and has a lot of different uses. It can be a simple way to accent the breasts or it can be used as the basis for a suspension (by adding a second wrap of rope above and below the breasts). This form is so very useful that we thought it would be great to have here on the blog for folks to see how it is tied and so that we can use it for a reference in future posts. Don't be surprised to see a link back to this page in a post down the road!

This post is just how to do the basic harness. The rope used for this was a 25 foot piece of 6mm hemp. There was a fair amount of rope left over with when completing this form so there are three options provided in succeeding posts to help you use up the excess rope. Of course your mileage may vary; you may find that a longer or shorter rope will do the trick for you and your partner. If you need to add rope at any point it is pretty easy to do and please refer to this post Joining Rope Lux-uriously if you need help with that. 

Start with the mid point of the rope (the bight)  in the middle of the back

Bring the rope around the front of your partner under the breasts. This tie does work well for
male bodied persons as well.

Pull the working end of the rope through the bight all the way. 

Once the rope is fully through the bight then reverse the direction of the rope.

Bring the rope to the front of your partner going over the breasts. 

Return the rope to the back and pull it through the bight formed when the rope reversed direction.

Pull the rope up toward the shoulder. It does not matter which side to bring it over. 

Bring the rope down in between the breasts going over the upper and lower ropes. 

Reverse the rope and go underneath the lower breast rope. Pull all the rope through. 

Cross the rope over itself and direct it toward the shoulder opposite of where the rope came from the back. 

Pull the rope underneath the upper rope and continue the rope over the shoulder.

Pull a bight down through the first reversal bight.

Form a bight inside of that bight (yes a little confusing but the images should help) which forms a lock knot.
Pull all the rope through this. The munenawa is now complete! 

This is how it should look from the front. 

Depending on the person you are tying and the length of rope you used you may have excess rope when you are done. There are lots of options in this situation. Here are three different options for you to try out!

The Herringbone 

The Wrist Lock

The Breast Cinch