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) . This practice was popularized in the Edo period (17th century) for testing the quality of swords and continues through the present day. Japanese writing Kanji Kana Hiragana Katakana Hentaigana Manyōgana Uses Furigana Okurigana Rōmaji   ) are the Chinese characters that are used in the modern Japanese logographic writing system along with hiragana (平仮名), katakana (片仮名), and the Arabic numerals. ... The characters for Kanji, lit. ... The Edo period ), also called Tokugawa period, is a division of Japanese history running from 1603 to 1868. ...

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. Six-mat room with tatami flooring and shoji Tatami ) (originally meaning folded and piled) mats are a traditional Japanese flooring. ...

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. Russell McCartney recently set a new world record when he broke the record for Senbongiri (Lit. "1,000 cuts") with 1,181 consecutive cuts on igusa goza mat in 1 hour and 25 minutes.^[1] Saruta Mitsuhiro holds the record for Kabuto Wari, or helmet cutting, for his cut on a steel Kabuto (helmet).^[2] 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 respectivley.^[3] Six-mat room with tatami flooring and shoji Tatami ) (originally meaning folded and piled) mats are a traditional Japanese flooring. ...

Also, there are now specific cuts that can be performed on targets to test one's ability. An example is Mizu-Gaeshi, where one cuts a diagonal upward cut to the right and then cuts a horizontal cut on the cut piece before it has fallen.

Sword Schools (Ryu-Ha)

Today, there are a number of schools, or Ryu, of swordsmanship that incorporate tameshigiri. These schools include Ishi Yama Ryu, Shinkendo, Battodo Ryu Sei Ken, Toyama-ryu, Nakamura Ryu, Mugai-ryu, MJER under the Jikishinkai, Sekiguchi Ryu, and others. A Ryū (流) is any school of a Japanese martial art. ... Shinkendo is a Martial Art that teaches the way of armed samurai combat. ... Toyama-ryu is the sword technique used by the Japanese Imperial Army, circa 1945. ... Nakamura Ryu Happogiri Battodo is a modern iaijutsu form created by Nakamura Taizaburo Hanshi 10th dan Shodai Soke, Nakamura Ryu . ...

Cutting Patterns

Dotan- A single downward cut through multiple targets stacked horizontally.

Kasumi- Two consecutive horizontal cuts, the second cutting the first piece before it has fallen.

Mizu Gaeshi- A diagonal upward cut to the right and then a horizontal cut on the cut piece before it has fallen.

Yoko Narabi- A single cut through multiple targets set up vertically side by side. Either diagonal downward, diagonal upward, or horizontal.

Western martial arts

Historical European Martial Arts reconstructionists under the term "test cutting" (often mistaken as a loan translation of "tameshigiri") engage in similar exercises with various European swords. The preferred target substances are various gourds (pumpkins, squash, etc.), water-filled plastic bottles, synthetic targets, wet clay, and sometimes tatami "omote". The first page of the Codex Wallerstein shows the typical arms of 15th century fencing Historical European Martial Arts are martial arts of European origin which were formerly practiced, but have since died out or evolved into very different forms. ... Calque In linguistics, a calque ([kælk]) or loan translation (itself a calque of German Lehnübersetzung) consists of the borrowing of a phrase from one language into another, in the process of which individual words native to the borrowing language semantically match the individual words in the source language. ... Swiss longsword, 15th or 16th century Sword (from Old English sweord, cognate to Old High German swert, literally wounding tool from a Proto-Indo-European root *swer- to wound, to hurt) is a term for a long-edged, bladed weapon, consisting in its most fundamental design of a blade, usually...

References

1. ^ Senbongiri World Record
2. ^ Kabuto Wari Record
3. ^ Toshishiro Obata speed cutting record

Further Reading

• Obata, Toshishiro.Crimson Steel. Essex, UK: Dragon Books, 1987.
• Obata, Toshishiro.Naked Blade. Essex, UK: Dragon Books, 1985.

External links

• Official Ishi Yama Ryu website
• Official Shinkendo website
• Official International Ryuseiken website
• Official Toyama Ryu website