John Maki Evans by Kurikara: The Sword & the Serpent

Author:Kurikara: The Sword & the Serpent [Sword, Kurikara: The & Serpent, the]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Philosophy, Buddhist, Martial Arts & Self-Defense, Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 9781583944288
Publisher: North Atlantic Books
Published: 2011-06-30T05:00:00+00:00

Figure 12. Tsuki uchikomi

1. The fact that an oak weapon of these dimensions will stand up to full-force uchikomi for a considerable length of time may explain Musashi’s choice of a similar weapon on at least one occasion.

Tameshigiri—Cutting Targets

5

The heart pulls.

Trust the work of the blade.

Indeed, one is a living thing.

tamesu: test, experiment

kiri: cut, kill

Until the Meiji Period, tameshigiri was carried out by specialist swordsmen to test newly forged blades and ensure that they would stand up to the demands of combat. Tests were usually carried out on the bodies of criminals. According to the Yamada family, who were sword testers for the Tokugawa shoguns, there were eighteen standard cuts ranging from the most difficult, ryoguruma (a cut across the hips that entailed cutting through the pelvic bones and spine), to the easiest, hiji-tachi, the severing of the wrist. The best blades are recorded as having cut through the waists of seven bodies placed in a vertical pile. On the battlefield, swords would be used against armored opponents, and testing was carried out on both armor and helmets.

Tameshigiri or shizan is now more frequently performed to test the technique of the practitioner rather than the quality of the blade, and the targets are usually soaked rolls of rush matting or green bamboo. The spread of this practice is due largely to the efforts of Nakamura Taisaburo Sensei, who devoted many years to research through his own training and testing, the examination of written records, and through interviews with members of the Japanese armed forces who had used swords in combat.

While training officer cadets of the Yamashita Special Assault Force in Manchuria, he was surprised to find that men who had spent years practicing Kendo and other sword arts had great difficulty in cutting through targets. Out of fifty-two candidates, only fifteen were able to cut through a target of bundled straw. Of the others,

six men made mistakes in their distance, or cutting angle, and bent their swords. Twelve men cut only one-third to one-half of the target before coming to a stop, ten men cut only one-quarter of the target before coming to a stop, and eight men cut only one-fifth of the target before coming to a stop. One man misjudged his engagement distance; his sword tip barely touched the target and flew through the air.

Moreover, because his grip was poor, the sword’s inertia caused the handle to break away from his hand, cut his left knee, and flew about thirty-five feet away. The officer cadet held a third dan rank at his university Kendo club.1

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