Japanese Rope is a broad Western descriptor for rope practices whose vocabulary, aesthetic and lineage derive from Japanese sources, whether historical martial arts, twentieth-century Kinbaku, or contemporary teaching lineages. It is used loosely and can encompass Shibari, Kinbaku, and their many modern derivatives.

The label emerged as non-Japanese communities began distinguishing rope practices influenced by Japanese lineages from other rope bondage traditions.

Because the term is a Western category, its scope varies. Some speakers use it narrowly for practices with a direct lineage to Japanese teachers; others use it broadly for any rope work with a recognisably Japanese aesthetic.