The Hishi Gote

 One of the first harnesses that many folks first learn when doing shibari is the karada. It is a fairly fun and simple chest harness that gives a nice diamond pattern in the front of the person being tied. Riggers love to tie the many incarnations of the takate kote (or box tie) when doing suspensions. I fell in love with this combination of the two forms when I came across it and now I tie it very frequently. I initially went with the first name I had heard for it- the karada kote until I later found out that the correct name is actually the hishi gote. 

I find it is a bit more fun to tie than a standard TK and is a bit more decorative as well. When tied properly it is also very stable. At first glance it might seem unsafe because there is rope going over the floating ribs. That would be an issue if those ropes were being used as a tie in point to support the person in the rope during a suspension. That rope should not be used as such and all weight should be born by the two arm bands. 

For the model I used here I used a 30' followed by a 25' and a 22' length of rope. That was about perfect for her. Of course your mileage will vary with the person you are working with. The rope used was 6 mm hemp. 

This is a lengthy tutorial but it is very detailed. Stick with it, it is totally worth it! This is a great tie to have in your bag of tricks for sure!

Step 1: Place the mid rope bight behind the wrists in the back. Please note the position of the model's wrists
here. As with any TK wrist position will really be dependent on the model and their flexibility and musculature. 

Step 2: Wrap the rope around the wrists twice leaving the  bight (working end) with about a hand's length left  to work with (seen on the right). Take the rope on the left and form a loop with it as seen on the left in the photo. This is the start of the Wyk'd Dave Wyk'd Fast Bowline. Please note that the wrists are not tightly bound. This is intentional; with any style of box tie the wrists really only serve as a platform to start the stem that goes up the back of the person tied. Allowing that person the ability to slip their wrists out of the loop formed here can let them stay in the tie longer. 

Step 3: Cross the bight over the two wrist wraps and the doubled over loop as shown. 

Step 4: Bring the bight underneath all the wraps and the loop. 

Step 5: Pass the bight through the loop formed by the doubled over rope. 

Step 6: Pull on the standing end of the rope to tighten this knot. Dress the knot for neatness. Please note how loose this is around the wrists again. 

Step 7: Pass the rope over the shoulder. It doesn't matter which side.

Step 8: Bring the rope to just below the sternum.Use your thumb to hold the rope in place, forming a 90 degree bend. Pass the rope behind the model, going behind the arms (i.e. do not capture the arms with the rope as it passes behind them)

Step 9: Bring the rope back to the front bend and pass behind and turn 180 degrees and follow back where it came from. 

Step 10: Bring the rope back around front to the bight formed at the 90 degree bend. 

Step 11: Tie off with a simple lock here (form a bight within the original bight and pass the remaining rope through it).  Parallel the line running in the middle of the chest with the rope as shown.

Step 12: Make a Half Hitch near the bottom of the breasts.

Step 13: Form a second Half Hitch just above the breasts then pass the rope back over the opposite shoulder from where you began. Note that both loops formed by the half hitches are about the same size. This is also a good point to dress the ropes passing around the person tied. Check to make sure that they are even and have no gaps or twists. 

Step 14: Pass the rope through the wrist loop. 

Step 15: Bring the rope up paralleling the two "stem" ropes already in place. At a point in the middle of the back between the point where the arms join the shoulder form a half hitch and run the rope at a 90 degree angle from the stem as shown. 

Step 16. This photo gives you an idea of how it should look at this point. I needed to add rope here. You may have had to add in earlier or will need to do so later depending on your partner.

Step 17: Bring the rope around the upper arm. This photo gives you a good idea of placement of this first band. It should be right where the arm meets the shoulder, near the top part of that crease.
Note: you can see the sheet bend that I used to lengthen my rope.

Step 18: Pass the rope through the loop formed by the upper half hitch in the front of your partner and redirect back toward the stem in the back keeping the two ropes parallel. 

Step 19: Cross the stem in the back and continue on to the opposite arm in the same location as the first. 

Step 20: Mirror what you did in the upper half hitch loop on the other side. Do not pull too tightly; there should be a little bit of slack in the half hitches in the front to allow the second half hitch loop to pull open. Return the rope parallel to itself to the back stem. 

Step 21: Cross the rope over the stem then redirect 180 degrees underneath the stem as shown. 

Step 22: Lift the rope up over the upper arm band.

Step 23: Pass the rope behind the stem. 

Step 24: Run the rope back down over the upper arm bands then back down behind the stem as shown. This is a good point to run your fingers underneath the upper arm bands to dress them. Dressing rope at this point is very important; doing so helps to smooth out the muscle tissue underneath the rope which can reduce pressure on nerve conduits under the rope preventing damage. A very good idea indeed!

Step 25: Redirect the rope 180 degrees and pass under the arm in that direction. 

Step 26: Pull the rope behind the upper arm band. Use caution here. That is a very sensitive location and it is very easy to pinch. Also do not pull the rope too quickly (especially if using synthetic rope) because of the danger of rope burn. 

Step 27: Return the rope from whence it came- bring the rope back between the arm and the body. This lock is called a kannuki or cinch. This prevents the upper arm band from slipping up over the shoulder. 

Step 28: Pass the rope behind the stem in the back. It is important to have the rope behind the stem as shown. 

Step 29: Form a kannuki (cinch) on the opposite upper arm band and return the rope back to the stem.

Step 30: Pass the rope under the stem and redirect 180 degrees. Bring the rope forward to the front of your partner. 

Step 31: Pull the rope through the lower  half hitch loop in the front and redirect it back toward the stem.
Please note the placement of the second wrap here. It is about 4 finger widths (approximately 3 inches) below the upper arm band. There is a nerve, the radial nerve, that passes through the upper arm in a Y. It is typically where the deltoid meets the bicep. Rope placed over the radial nerve can cause nerve damage fairly quickly if not addressed so it is best to avoid putting rope over it.
Also note: you can see where I added in my next rope here using a sheet bend. 

Step 32: Pass the rope across the back above the stem. 

Step 33: Pass the rope through the opposite side of the lower half hitch loop and redirect it toward the back. 

Step 34: Pass the rope back over the stem and redirect it 180 degrees back under the stem as shown. 

Step 35: Redirect the rope 90 degrees up across the lower arm band. 

Step 36: Pass the rope behind the stem, then back in front of the lower arm band and finally behind the stem a second time. This is forming an identical friction to the one on the upper arm band. 

Step 37: Pass the rope between the arm and the body in over the lower arm band. 

Step 38: This forms the kannuki (cinch) on that side of the lower arm band. Pass the rope back behind the stem.

Step 39: Form a kannuki (cinch) on the opposite side of the lower arm band.  Return the rope to the stem in the back. 

Step 40: Return the rope back behind the stem. You can tie off here. I had extra rope so I continued for the next few steps to make it look a little bit more decorative. 

Step 41: Wrap the lower stem above the arms in a "vine". 

Step 42: When the vine reaches the wrist loop split the tails and pass them through opposite sides of the loop. 

Step 43: Finish off with a square knot. 

Step 44: NEVER show the back! Actually, I think it looks pretty good overall. If possible it is really nice to have a perfectly straight stem but that can be tough to accomplish with so many ropes passing around the stem. Overall if tied well the hishi gote looks very good from the front or the back. 

The finished product from the front! It looks very nice and really accentuates the breasts very well. This is a great tie to have in your bag of tricks!