Tameshigiri
Encyclopedia
Tameshigiri 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 sword
s and continues through the present day.
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. Some 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-giri), upward diagonal (Kiri-age or Gyaku-kesa), horizontal (Yoko or Tsuihei), and straight downward (Jodan-giri, Happonme, Makko-giri, Shinchoku-giri or Dotton-giri). 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").
"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.
Targets today are typically made from wara or goza, either bundled or rolled into a tubular shape. They may be soaked in water to add density to the material. This density is to approximate that of flesh. Green bamboo is used to approximate bone.
Once the goza target is in this tubular shape, it has a vertical grain pattern when stood vertically on a target stand, or horizontally when placed on a horizontal target stand (dotton or dodan). This direction of the grain affects the difficulty of the cut.
The difficulty of cuts is a combination of the target material hardness, the direction of the grain of the target (if any), the quality of the sword, the angle of the blade (hasuji) on impact, and the angle of the swing of the sword (tachisuji).
When cutting a straw target that is standing vertically, the easiest cut is the downward diagonal. This is due to a combination of the angle of impact of the cut against the grain (approximately 30-50 degrees from the surface), the downward diagonal angle of the swing, and the ability to use many of the major muscle groups and rotation of the body to aid in the cut.
Next in difficulty is the upward diagonal cut which has the same angle, but works against gravity and uses slightly different muscles and rotation. The third in difficulty is the straight downward cut, not in terms of the grain but in terms of the group of muscles involved. The most difficult cut of these four basic cuts is the horizontal direction (against a vertical target) which is directly perpendicular to the grain of the target.
There are a number of swordsmen who have recently set records in this field of tameshigiri, such as Russell McCartney of Ishi Yama-ryū, Saruta Mitsuhiro of Battodo-ryū 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. Toshishiro Obata holds the record for Kabuto Wari, or helmet cutting, for his cut on a steel Kabuto (helmet). Toshishiro Obata also 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.
Bruce Baldwin currently holds the world record for 25 tatami mats cut in a single cut. He set this record at the HOuston Japanese festival using a downward obilque cut and used a O No Daichi made by Angelsword.
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.
, of swordsmanship that incorporate tameshigiri. These schools include Ishi Yama-ryū, Shinkendo
, Battodo-ryū Sei Ken, Toyama-ryū
, Nakamura-ryū, Mugai-ryū
, MJER under the Jikishinkai, Sekiguchi-ryū, and others.
Haidong Gumdo
also places much emphasis on cutting.
Historical European Martial Arts
reconstructionists under the term "test cutting" (a loan translation of "tameshigiri") engage in similar exercises with various European swords. While tatami omote, meat and (though rarely used) green bamboo are the preferred cutting targets, other substances are commonly used due to being cheaper, and easier to obtain: pool noodle
s, various gourds (pumpkins, squash, etc.), water-filled plastic bottles, synthetic targets or wet clay.
Kanji
Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...
literally mean "test cut" (kun'yomi: ためし ぎり tameshi giri). This practice was popularized in the Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
(17th century) for testing the quality of sword
Sword
A sword is a bladed weapon used primarily for cutting or thrusting. The precise definition of the term varies with the historical epoch or the geographical region under consideration...
s and continues through the present day.
Origins
During the EdoEdo
, also romanized as Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868...
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. Some substances were wara (rice straw), goza (the top layer of tatami
Tatami
A is a type of mat used as a flooring material in traditional Japanese-style rooms. Traditionally made of rice straw to form the core , with a covering of woven soft rush straw, tatami are made in standard sizes, with the length exactly twice the width...
mats), bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
, 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
Tang (weaponry)
A tang or shank is the back portion of a tool where it extends into stock material or is connected to a handle as on a knife, sword, spear, arrowhead, chisel, screwdriver, etc...
) 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-giri), upward diagonal (Kiri-age or Gyaku-kesa), horizontal (Yoko or Tsuihei), and straight downward (Jodan-giri, Happonme, Makko-giri, Shinchoku-giri or Dotton-giri). 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").
Today
In modern times, the practice of tameshigiri has come to focus on testing the swordsman's abilities, rather than the sword's. Thus, swordsmen sometimes use the terms Shito (試刀, sword testing) and Shizan (試斬, test cutting, an alternate pronunciation of the characters for tameshigiri) to distinguish between the historical practice of testing swords and the contemporary practice of testing one's cutting ability. The target most often used at present is the goza or tatamiTatami
A is a type of mat used as a flooring material in traditional Japanese-style rooms. Traditionally made of rice straw to form the core , with a covering of woven soft rush straw, tatami are made in standard sizes, with the length exactly twice the width...
"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.
Targets today are typically made from wara or goza, either bundled or rolled into a tubular shape. They may be soaked in water to add density to the material. This density is to approximate that of flesh. Green bamboo is used to approximate bone.
Once the goza target is in this tubular shape, it has a vertical grain pattern when stood vertically on a target stand, or horizontally when placed on a horizontal target stand (dotton or dodan). This direction of the grain affects the difficulty of the cut.
The difficulty of cuts is a combination of the target material hardness, the direction of the grain of the target (if any), the quality of the sword, the angle of the blade (hasuji) on impact, and the angle of the swing of the sword (tachisuji).
When cutting a straw target that is standing vertically, the easiest cut is the downward diagonal. This is due to a combination of the angle of impact of the cut against the grain (approximately 30-50 degrees from the surface), the downward diagonal angle of the swing, and the ability to use many of the major muscle groups and rotation of the body to aid in the cut.
Next in difficulty is the upward diagonal cut which has the same angle, but works against gravity and uses slightly different muscles and rotation. The third in difficulty is the straight downward cut, not in terms of the grain but in terms of the group of muscles involved. The most difficult cut of these four basic cuts is the horizontal direction (against a vertical target) which is directly perpendicular to the grain of the target.
There are a number of swordsmen who have recently set records in this field of tameshigiri, such as Russell McCartney of Ishi Yama-ryū, Saruta Mitsuhiro of Battodo-ryū 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. Toshishiro Obata holds the record for Kabuto Wari, or helmet cutting, for his cut on a steel Kabuto (helmet). Toshishiro Obata also 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.
Bruce Baldwin currently holds the world record for 25 tatami mats cut in a single cut. He set this record at the HOuston Japanese festival using a downward obilque cut and used a O No Daichi made by Angelsword.
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 RyuRyu (school)
A Ryū , or ryūha , is a Japanese word referring to a school of thought in any discipline...
, of swordsmanship that incorporate tameshigiri. These schools include Ishi Yama-ryū, Shinkendo
Shinkendo
is a martial art that teaches the way of samurai swordsmanship. The meaning of the name Shinkendo can be interpreted multiple ways. Literally, "Shin" can be translated as 'real', "ken" as 'sword', and "do" as 'way', thus one English translation of the art's name is "Way of the Real Sword". ...
, Battodo-ryū Sei Ken, Toyama-ryū
Toyama-ryu
is Battōjutsu which refer to a combination of Iaijutsu, kata, and tameshigiri created by the Imperial Japanese Army. It is based on Gunto Soho forms developed in 1925 at the Rikugun Toyama Gakko, or "Toyama Army Academy" in Toyama, Tokyo, Japan. The original training and forms were established by...
, Nakamura-ryū, Mugai-ryū
Mugai-ryu
is a Japanese koryū martial art school founded by in 23rd June 1680.- History :The founder of Mugai ryu, Tsuji Gettan Sukemochi 辻月丹資茂 was born to Tsuji Yadayū descendant of Sasaki Takadzuna, in the second year of Keihan ,in the Miya-mura-aza village area 宮村字 of Masugi 馬杉, in the Kōka-gun district...
, MJER under the Jikishinkai, Sekiguchi-ryū, and others.
Haidong Gumdo
Haidong Gumdo
Haedong Kumdo, also spelled Haidong Gumdo, is a name coined around 1982 and used for several Korean martial arts organizations that use swords. Spelling varies between certain organizations...
also places much emphasis on cutting.
Other martial arts
Chinese swordsmen would engage in test cutting called shizhan, practicing their skills on targets known as caoren, or "grass men". Such targets were made from bamboo, rice straw, or saplings. This practice was not formalized to the extent that tameshigiri was.Historical European Martial Arts
Historical European martial arts
Historical European martial arts is a neologism describing martial arts of European origin, used particularly to refer to arts formerly practised, but having since died out or evolved into very different forms...
reconstructionists under the term "test cutting" (a loan translation of "tameshigiri") engage in similar exercises with various European swords. While tatami omote, meat and (though rarely used) green bamboo are the preferred cutting targets, other substances are commonly used due to being cheaper, and easier to obtain: pool noodle
Pool noodle
A pool noodle is a cylindrical piece of polyethylene foam, sometimes hollow. Pool noodles are used by people of all ages while swimming. They are useful when learning to swim, for floating, for rescue reaching, in various forms of water play, and for aquatic exercise...
s, various gourds (pumpkins, squash, etc.), water-filled plastic bottles, synthetic targets or wet clay.
Further reading
- Obata, Toshishiro. "Shinkendo Tameshigiri: Samurai Swordsmanship & Test-Cutting". Los Angeles, CA: ISF Publishing, 2005. ISBN 978-0966867756
- Obata, Toshishiro. Crimson Steel. Essex, UK: Dragon Books, 1987. ISBN 9780946062195
- Obata, Toshishiro. Naked Blade. Essex, UK: Dragon Books, 1985. ISBN 9780946062188
External links
- Official Ishi Yama Ryu website
- Official Shinkendo website
- Official Ryuseiken website
- Official Toyama Ryu website
- Kenshinkan Dojo (Nakamura-ryū Batto-Do)
- SeiDoKan Dojo (Nakamura Ryu Batto-do)
- Australian Battodo Association Inc.