I feel like this is a complicated question, and one's answer to it may change depending what sort of stage/mood they're in. I've even studied under someone who changed the way they determined the initial tension years down the line. It's something I think about a lot, though, because I think it's a very important part of the initial setup, and I would really like to get to a point where I can more or less do it smoothly and evenly, especially in a performance environment.
So, how does everyone prefer to determine the initial tension with mune-nawa? I provided some examples, and I think each has a pro and con. It feel like visual beauty and functional beauty are tough to balance with this particular tie.
I personally use more the wrap back method as Milla mentioned but as you all said especially depends on the person you tie and how they feel more confortable with.
Thank you so much for the detailed and informative reply! It taught me small tidbits about both methods that I hadn't thought of before. Currently my preference is the first method, the two wraps and then lock off. It's at least the one I feel most comfortable doing, and the one where I feel I can better keep my rope fluid. However, I always try to keep my rope centered beforehand to mitigate the "tying it off center" issue, which in my experience easily creates further issues such as unbalanced pressure during suspending, etc. So I always try to prep things so that as little adjustment is necessary. Of course this takes a lot of consideration and attention to detail throughout. I definitely need to practice more at it. The twisting of the skin on the surface is a definite concern for that method. I was taught to 'carefully' press the rope into the skin when wrapping, not tightly, but just to make sure the rope sits in the skin in order to hopefully avoid the twisting. The biggest challenge comes with tightening after both wraps, especially when tying different kinds of people and different body types - I feel like it takes at least a few times to find the perfect level of pressure. I agree that a lot of subtle handling is necessary to do the second method properly. I certainly need a lot more practice myself in order to get better at it. I feel like it's very easy for me to accidentally loosen the tension when wrapping back, or to accidentally wrap the second time at a different pressure than the first. But like anything I suppose it comes with practice. I would definitely be interested in hearing what other people think as well. I feel like it's such an integral part of setting the right "mood" during the initial stage of mune-nawa.
This is something that I have discussed with many people in the kinbaku world here in Japan, and yet have to find a decisive answer. So, I am really glad you asked this question. My conclusion, based on my interpretation of these conversations and my own observation and experience, is that they are structurally on par with each other, provided the tension is even across the entire chest area and on the left and right sides. The key differences are areas of difficulty in tying and how it feels for the person being tied. So it really comes down to preference I think.
1. Two wraps and then lock-off This one requires you to tie the first wrap very loosely and then tie the second-wrap tighter in order to achieve even tension and get the knot to finish in the center of the back in one movement. This requires lot of practice and finesse to get right. Many people are taught to tie it off center and then adjust afterwards. I advise against this for following three key reasons. 1) When you adjust back to center the stem (rope connecting wrists to upper wraps vertically) loosens, changing the tension on the wrists and allowing them to drop too low 2) There is higher risk of slight twisting of the skin on the surface which is uncomfortable 3) Can feel rough for the being tied.
Based on discussions with people, as the ropes start somewhat loose and are pulled tight in one swift fluid movement it feels more spontaneous and bounding for the person being tied. Of course this is subjective. Some people prefer the continuous direction of this method. *Note: There will always be slightly more tension on the side that you begin tying on. When adjusting the tensions (after locking off) always start from the opposite side. i.e. adjust from left to right. And, then adjust again on both sides from the center.
2. Wrap back method
This requires wrapping in one direction, achieving the tension with a semi-lock off (wrap-back), then wrapping the second-wrap at the same tension as the first, and then locking off in the center. A lot of people find this easier to achieve even tension while also getting the knot in the center. While it appears a lot easier to tie, and is in many aspects, the rope can tend to sit on the skin rather than sit into or sink into the skin if your rope handling with your wraps hasn't been refined. There are some very subtle movements when wrapping the ropes that can help the rope to sit into the skin. This helps to prevent the rope from slipping which in turn mitigates any slight changes in the tension throughout the session. The tension is also decided on the first wrap so there is less of a sense of spontaneity. Like you said visual beauty and functionality are difficult to balance here. My suggestion is to tie what feels good for you. But remember that there is more to the second wrap-back method than is often taught or meets the eye. I hope this helps. Also I would love to hear some other peoples' thoughts and opinions on this matter as well. Opinions from the people who enjoy being tied would also be interesting to hear. Which one feels better to you? And why?