Esinem Osaka Japanese Style Jute Rope Sets, 6mm, 1 x 8m

Osaka is a new product, without a doubt my favourite rope to date, which is destined to be a best seller. It is the closest so far to Japanese jute (asanawa) which is the 'gold standard' of serious riggers but come with a champagne price tag. The lay (twist), weight and density is almost identical which gives it superb flexibility and handling right off the reel. For this reason, we only recommend dry treatment. I advise against wet treatment as there is no benefit and it is all to easy to damage loose laid rope such as this. Each ply is made from 9 yarns to give a fine and consistent rope. This combined with the lower density will make your ties, knots and frictions look very clean and sharp. At 12g per metre for the 5mm and 15.7g for the 6mm, this is fast, flickable rope. The fibre is a pale golden brown and clean with minimal impurities. It's so soft that it can be used as is, just like the best Japanese rope. If you are really fussy, just singe off the fuzzies, which are minimal, and treat it with oil or wax, e.g. NaWaX. However, it will break in and mature beautifully with just a bit of use. Apart from Tossa Lite, Osaka is my lightest, most flexible and least dense rope. Why jute? It simply flies in your hands. Once you have used this jute, you won't go back to hemp, which feels leaden and lifeless by comparison. It is strong, light and holds knots very well. It has little stretch, unlike cotton and most synthetics. The softness of this loose laid rope ensures neat, unobtrusive knots and sharp, clean rope work. What's more, it is less likely to cause rope burn as natural fibre does not heat up so quickly when drawn across skin. Japan's top nawashi almost exclusively chose jute and I'd trust their judgment.