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Cutting Patterns
Tameshigiri (試し斬り, 試し切り, 試斬, 試切) is the Japanese art of target test cutting. The kanji literally mean "test cut" (kun'yomi: ためし ぎり tameshi giri). more...
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This practice was popularized in the Edo period (17th century) for testing the quality of swords and continues through the present day.
Origins
During the Edo period, only the most skilled swordsmen were chosen to test swords, so that the swordsman's skill was not a variable in how well the sword cut. The materials used to test swords varied greatly, but the generally preferred targets were condemned criminals and cadavers. The other substances were wara (rice straw), goza (the top layer of tatami mats), bamboo, and thin steel sheets.
In addition, there were a wide variety of cuts used on the cadavers, from tabi-gata (ankle cut) to O-kesa (diagonal cut from shoulder to opposite hip). The names of the types of cuts on cadavers show exactly where on the body the cut was made. Older swords can still be found today that have inscriptions on their nakago (tang) that say things such as, "5 bodies with Ryu Guruma (hip cut)".
Aside from specific cuts made on cadavers, there were the normal cuts of Japanese swordsmanship, i.e. downward diagonal (Kesa), upward diagonal (Kiri-age), horizontal (Yoko), and straight downward (Jodan-giri, Happonme, or Dotan). These cuts would then be cut on the cadavers (ex: A swordsman would do a Jodan-giri cut on 3 bodies at the hips. The inscription would then be, "3 bodies Ryu Guruma"). The easiest cut is the downward diagonal, followed by the upward diagonal, followed by the straight downward cut, and finally the hardest cut, the horizontal.
Today
In modern times, the practice of tameshigiri has come to focus on testing the swordsman's abilities, rather than the sword's. The target most often used at present is the goza or tatami "omote" rush mat. To be able to cut consecutive times on one target, or to cut multiple targets while moving, requires that one be a very skilled swordsman. There are a number of swordsmen who have recently set records in this field of tameshigiri, such as Russell McCartney of Ishi Yama Ryu, Saruta Mitsuhiro of Battodo Ryu Sei Ken, and Toshishiro Obata. In 2000 Russell McCartney set a new world record when he broke the record for Senbongiri (千本斬り, Lit. "1,000 cuts") with 1,181 consecutive cuts on igusa goza mat in 1 hour and 25 minutes. Saruta Mitsuhiro holds the record for Kabuto Wari, or helmet cutting, for his cut on a steel Kabuto (helmet). Toshishiro Obata has also performed Kabuto Wari and holds the Ioriken Battojutsu speed cutting record for 10 cuts on 10 targets over three rounds. His times are 6.4, 6.4, and 6.7 seconds respectively.
Read more at Wikipedia.org
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