Preface

(Translation)

A long time ago, when Japan was in political turmoil and not yet united under one
government, members of the warrior class considered it as their noble duty to
bring honor to their name by taking prisoners on the battlefield. Together with the
other martial arts the art of capturing (Hobakujutsu, 捕縛術) und immobilizing
(Hojojutsu, 捕縄術) with rope was intensively trained.
After the country became peaceful, the tying arts were exclusively used as
techniques for arrest, and those tasks were delegated to low-ranked
samurai. Under the Tokugawa shogunate of the Edo period hobakujutsu /
hojojutsu was only practiced by police holding the rank of torikata-doshin (捕方同心)
and below, not by samurai of the rank of yoriki (与力) or above.

From the Meiji period (1868 to 1912), people who had not been specifically
designated for such tasks were prohibited from using nawajutsu/jojutsu (縄術), i.e.
use rope to carry out arrests, even of alleged criminals. Accordingly the number of
those who practiced the tying arts declined. Some of the bujutsuka (武術家), those
who were trained in martial arts, and those who were in charge of arresting and
transporting prisoners now only learned the basics, such as techniques required
for initial arrests and temporary bondage (hoshu hayanawa, 捕手早縄) and rope
techniques useful for prisoner transport (gosoyo nawa, 護送用縄).