Tameshigiri 試し切りis the Japanese art of “Live Sword Cutting”. In the Bujinkan we learn how to cut correctly with live swords.
This is a separate dedicated class due to the risks involved and is by invitation only to our dojo members.
The Japanese sword that we use for Tameshigiri is the Katana (long sword) which is part of the Daisho set consisting of two swords (both long and short) worn on the left-hand side of the body by the Samurai. These swords are curved, and the blades were worn upwards unlike the longer Tachi which was hung from the Belt (Obi) with the blade down.
During normal training we will use non-live (blunt) metal training blades, Bokken (wooden swords) and padded weapons to learn the correct movement and techniques that are part of the Bujinkan training syllabus.