Time to tie: 9 - 11 minutes
Rope used: One 30 ft rope
"Hishi" means diamond in Japanese, and "Karada" translates to body. The Hishi Karada Tie offers a descriptive definition of a full-body diamond-pattern tie. Diverging from a chest harness that focuses on the upper chest, a full-body tie incorporates the abdomen as well and is anchored in place by threading the ropes through the legs, using the crotch as a support point.
The diamond pattern is a hallmark in Shibari, stemming from the ropes' natural flow that lends itself to forming diamond shapes. However, there's a rich variety in the ways these diamond patterns can be crafted, resulting in diamonds of differing sizes and visual impact. This Hishi Karada is one of three distinctive diamond full-body ties:
In this Hishi Karada, the diamond pattern emerges by starting with an overhand knot tied loosely around the neck. You then continue to tie evenly-spaced overhand knots along the torso, ending with one at the crotch. The remainder of the tie involves wrapping the ropes around the body, passing them through the spaces between the overhand knots, and reversing the direction to create the characteristic diamonds. While tying, pay make sure the overhand knots are evenly spaced from each other, ensuring each diamond is as symmetrical as possible.
The experience of feeling the ropes wrapped around the entire body while having a full range of motion provides the wearer with a sense of safety and security. The way the ropes accentuate the natural curves of the body makes this tie quite sensual, gifting the person being tied with a heightened sense of body awareness. I invite you to ask your partner to take this tie for a spin around your home, giving their mind time to understand how it feels like to be wearing this Hishi Karada. Remember that Shibari is more about ties, it is about the emotions that are experienced because of them and the connection created between partners.
Have fun tying!
Eve