13 December 2008 22:15
Tameshi Giri
by TakwannWhat is tameshigiri? And what's the point of it?
Tameshigiri translates from the Japanese as "test cutting." In the past Japanese sword makers or sword owners sometimes had their swords tested for sharpness. They would give their sword to a skilled sword tester who would chop something up – frequently human bodies – and then record the results on the tang of the blade.
Today tameshigiri is a less bloody affair. Simply put, you're testing your skill and you're testing your sword by cutting a specially prepared target.
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