In the bush, where you may have to make every inch of the cordage you need, lashing efficiently can be very important. A bad lashing can fail, and Murphy pretty much guarantees that if it does, it will fail at the worst possible time and place, and in the worst possible way, It's very easy to skimp out on a lashing when you come up three inches short and don't have any more cordage. One wrap less, or one knot instead of two--what could possibly go wrong? Japanese lashing beats Boy Scout lashing by a mile. It's faster, easier, stronger, and requires significantly less cordage. A Boy Scout square lashing starts and ends with a Clove Hitch--which I consider a waste of time and cordage.. But it's "traditional"! A Japanese square lashing doesn't even require a knot to start, and finishes up with a simple square knot. It's "traditional" too, but I think it's a more carefully evolved tradition. You'll notice it ties quite a bit faster, too. Try this link, and then explore for more;
When I first saw the thread header I thought it might have been about kinky Kabuki S&M techniques. japanese square lashing | Scoutmastercg.com http://www.slaattevik.com/jarle/tilhjemmesiden/japanese square lashing/japSQ.html
I prefer the more robust "Naval Lashing" that was commonly used in the era of sail, but the speed and efficient of materials used in the Japanese lashing has merits, some thing im going to try, see if a modification of the two techniques can be found to keep the speed and effency with the strengths of the other!
Would like to see some pictures of that...especially if you improve on the old technique. @Witch Doctor 01: Good point. A solid finish could be made by substituting a Constrictor Knot, I think. Especially good for lashing that are critical, as in rafts. See: Constrictor knot - Wikipedia
