Hojōjutsu / Nawajutsu - Hidden Rope Art
Type: Other (encompasses Taijutsu, Kenjutsu and Fuuinjutsu as well)
Background: Hojōjutsu or Nawajutsu, is the traditional Japanese martial art of restraining a person using cord/rope/chain. Encompassing many different materials, techniques and methods from many different schools, Hojojutsu is a quintessentially Japanese art that is a unique product of Japanese history and culture.
Description on the Abilities and Inner Workings of the Style: Hojojutsu can be divided into
four broad categories.
1. The first category is the capture and restraint of a prisoner that was effected with strong, thin cord (usually 3-4 millimeters) called a hayanawa or “fast rope”, and sometimes the sageo carried by samurai on the sword-sheaths. In law-enforcement, this cord was carried by constables who secreted the rope in a small bundle that fed cord from one end. This torinawa ("capture-rope") was coiled so that the cord would pay out from one end as the bundled cord was passed around the prisoner’s body, neck and arms as he or she was tied. This was usually accomplished by one constable in the course of performing an arrest while the prisoner was actively resisting and had to be accomplished quickly.
Even at this stage, attention was still paid to visual and aesthetic concerns in the tying method as well as to the cultural needs of Japanese society. According to experts, an accused but not convicted prisoner would be tied using methods which allowed the prisoner to be securely restrained but which contained no knots to save the prisoner the shame of being publicly bound. Instead of securing the tie with knots, the constable held on to the free end of the rope and walked behind the prisoner to keep him or her under control as the prisoner was taken for an interrogation which could involve the application of one or more forms of judicial torture to elicit a confession.
2. The second category was effected with one or more “main ropes” or “honnawa” which like the torinawa could be any one of many different lengths, but was a proper hemp rope, possibly six or more millimeters in diameter and as much as eighty feet long—which was used to provide a more secure, long-term binding than is possible with the torinawa for transportation to a place of incarceration, restraint at legal proceedings, and—in the case of particularly severe crimes—for the public display of the prisoner prior to execution by such methods as beheading, crucifixion (i.e., the prisoner was displayed tied to a cross before spears were driven through the body), or, in arson convictions, death by fire.
Honnawa ties were applied by a group of people, usually not less than four, whose presence allowed the use of more intricate and ornate patterns than was the case with the torinawa. Both forms combined effective restraint with a distinct visual aesthetic.
In either form, the hojojutsu ties known today display a shrewd understanding of human anatomy through several recurrent themes. This can include leverage-removal (tying limbs in positions that decrease the force they can generate), rope-placement to discourage struggling or to make it less effective by placing one or more loops of rope around the neck and constricting restraint around points on the upper arms where determined struggle put pressure on blood vessels and nerves numbing the extremities.
3.Hojojutsu/Nawajutsu is extremely efficient when fighting in hand to hand (taijutsu) combat. Capable of subduing the opponents hands and feet rendering them unable to move. The free use of the Hidden rope arts simply using the chakra to manipulate the ropes to do the user's bidding is the best use of rendering taijutsu users immobile. However there is also the Knots-in-hands style, which is used purely as a strike based taijutsu. The knots are thick and deliver quick, powerful blows to the body of the opponent. Even blocking an opponent's blow causes the opponent pain. Enough blocking in one particular area can immobilize an area rendering it numb and unusable. Another adaptation was for Hojojutsu users through the use of chakra, separate unwound their ropes and form smaller ropes, hence the reason that it looks like there is soo many ropes instead of just 3 or 4, and can easily force them to make nets and other objects.
4.Having been experienced with opponents using sharp weapons to battle, masters of Hojojutsu had to come up with a better way to defend themselves. Their ropes were too inefficient as the blades would easily cut through them. The masters decided that they made two decisions. The first was to use Hojojutsu with chakra chain metal. The second was to line the rope with multiple lines of chakra metal to advance with the times. The lining of the very flexible chakra metal enable them to use chakra just like others could with the blades, and kept their ropes from fully being cut through unless by a powerful technique capable of cutting metal. This is what makes the ropes heavier. The heavier the ropes the more chakra metal it is lined with. This enables the users to deal heavier blows with extended rope, capable of fighting at a safe distance from the blades as well as still allowing them to bind their opponent as well, making it even easier for them to subdue their opponent and impossible to escape from, making the breaking of the ropes physically impossible (Steel release, other metal CE exception).
Additional effects and Restrictions:
-This style encompasses the raw strength of the user and requires finesse in its use. The cords/ropes/chains are constantly feed chakra from the user and hidden under the clothes of the user in such a way that they are still capable of maintaining their full bodily movement without any restriction even though it is wrapped around the arms, torso, and legs of the user.
-Constant placement of the user's chakra in the cords/ropes grants the user complete control and freeform manipulation of the ropes.
- The cords/ropes//chains are made up of/laced with lines of chakra flexible/malleable metal capable of channeling chakra especially in the bulb ends of the cords/rope that are great conductors of electricity. The metal keeps the rope from being easily ignited via techniques of the user or the opponent. The most skilled users are capable of tying kunai to the ropes to attack with as well and still keep them hidden under their clothes without hurting themselves. They have scars under their clothing proving how difficult this was to master.
-Master's of this technique are capable tying knots in the rope/cord/chain with a mere wiggle of the rope, that are incapable of being undone unless the user of the rope, who has their own specific way of undoing the knot, or by having the rope destroyed physically. Only the originator of Hojōjutsu is capable of undoing every knot, having mastered the technique beyond any other.
-The user is capable of using their chakra to cut part of the ropes/cords or even retract them back into their body with a movement of their arms/legs.
Soke Hojōjutsu - Hidden Grandmaster Rope Art Technique
Kumo Hojōjutsu - Hidden Thunder Rope Art Technique
Iwa Hojōjutsu- Hidden Stone Rope Art Technique
Suna Hojōjutsu - Hidden Erosion Rope Art Technique
Konoha Hojōjutsu - Hidden Flame Rope Art Technique
Kiri Hojōjutsu- Hidden Wave Rope Art Technique
-The Grandmaster is able to use any and all Hojōjutsu techniques.
-Each Master in the village is limited to their element and those that do not require any element. The village that the Grandmaster resides in can have 1 additional person know and use Hojōjutsu, but are limited to the restriction based upon that village.
- There can only be 1 Grandmaster per village.
- To become a Grandmaster, after having Mastered Hidden Rope Arts for at least 3 months, must have beaten 2 opponents in a Taijutsu/Kenjtusu only fight with Hidden Rope Arts, then challenge and defeat the original or another Grandmaster.
- Moving the ropes to deal basic damage or deflect basic weapon attacks (Kunais, Shurikens, etc) is possible in free form, although lacking real damage capabilities.
Spoiler
- There is nothing in bold as you wanted me to take things out to get it approved. Thank you for checking the submissions. ^_^
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P a t e n t C e r t i f i c a t e
Hazama, our loyal member, gave on the 16th of June, 2012 a request for a Patent on custom fighting style Hojōjutsu / Nawajutsu - Hidden Rope Art. I, Scorps of the Custom Fighting Style Bureau, by the power invested in me by Nexus, after reading the submission, have decided that the submitted style satisfies all requirements, and am therefore giving him rightfully earned patent on this style by the following;
Hojōjutsu / Nawajutsu - Hidden Rope Art
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