About Gote

Gote TK Box tie semenawa rope bondage

A couple of weeks ago we had (very inspiring, and thought-stimulating <3) private students over and there was a whole day nerding about Gote. There is indeed so much to learn – just on a technical level, not even touching upon the impact and communication. We dealt with placement and tension, knots, rope flow, and god knows how many other things. 

There is a strive for perfection. But at the same time – we need to accept that it will never be perfect… because we are human. We are tied by people with a different state of mind at that moment. They might be distracted, nervous, forceful, horny… non-present. 

There is a striving for perfection, but it will never be just perfect. 

I feel there is so much beauty in this. The beauty of being human, really. My partner does not correct the tension of the first layer after he tied it. This is how we like it. It’s a ritual. He did his best at that moment and the ink dropped on paper. It’s not just “first time right”. It’s revealing. It’s precious in its imperfection. I love to feel his state of mind at that moment. The piece of communication is more important to me than the “perfect” harness. 

I trust the readers to understand the context – it is not about “everything goes”. We are not beginners and it is performed on a level where it does not become a safety issue. 

I remember a story a while ago about some known Japanese rope producer. The quality was inconsistent. You could get lucky but could get unlucky with the bundle you get. Complaints reached a known Japanese master, he scolded his rope producer friends… After that, in the rope bundle coming from Japan, a little card appeared… informing the customer that this is a handmade product and the quality might be inconsistent. I know I had it in my hands, but I could not find this card at home anymore. And probably these ropes are not an entirely handmade product either. But it is a cute story… 

…it is like Gote. It’s a handmade product. The quality will not be consistent. It will hold what was there in the mind of the person, tying you.