What are the two methods used to tie the men-himo?
The most common style of tieing the men has the himo attaching to the fourth bar from the bottom, then looping around the back, through the top and back again. This is called the Kanto style after the region where it is popular. The second style sometimes seen has the himo attached to the top, looping around the back, wrapping around the nodo, then back and through the top again before finally coming back to be tied. This is called the Kansai style after the region where it is popular. Kanto is the eastern, Tokyo side and Kansai is the western side including Kyoto, Osaka and Kyushu. I’ve used both styles: Kansai is stronger but takes longer to tie. Either works well.
