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 Japanese swords.[1] It continues to the present day, but has evolved into a martial art which focuses on demonstrating the practitioner's skill with a sword.
- ^ Kapp (1987), p.41