Hojojutsu is the martial art of using a rope to capture, restrain, transport and display suspects and criminals in Japan during the Middle Ages periods. There were very specific ways of using ropes for law enforcement and to communicate information for different crimes and social rank as a matter of protocol and honour.

Extremely intricate patterns, the complexity of the binding and speed were essential to not let the people understand the techniques and untie themselves. Even at this stage, attention was still paid to visual and aesthetic concerns in the tying methods as well as to the cultural needs of Japanese society.