Tameshigiri is an integeral part of Toyama Ryu Batto Jutsu. It is the importance of cutting that separates us from most of the other Japanese sword schools. I have found that we are often "looked down upon" by many of the other schools because we use the sword for the purpose it was created rather than as a tool to "refine our character" and "develope our samurai spirituality". And many times when I brign up the importance of tameshigiri to others there are always some who tell me "oh yeah, we use to cut, sometimes. See?" Then they would show me a scar as if it were a badge of honor, never seeming to realize that you are not supposed to use the sword to cut yourself. Because of the importance of cutting and the fact that we use it as a means to test our ability and training, we never do "spectactular show cuts" or give flashy theatrical demos. We do not cut fruit and vegetables like a gensu samurai, and we would never place a student in danger by placing a melon on his neck or abdomen and then cut it. Hataya Sensei has said we allowed 10% fluff as long as we have 90% solid foundation.
In these modern times we are limited in the use of the sword. Tatami mats and bamboo are our targets of choice. Yet the underlying knowledge that the sword was designed to cut through flesh and bone never goes away. The stories of swords being tested on the bodies of criminals are often a topic of conservation among sword collectors. Towards the end of WWII Nakamura Sensei, one of the original developers of Toyama Ryu Batto Jutsu, tells of using the sword to cut the heads of cattle to be used for food (Nakamura Article). Elder Sensei and two of his students, Hal Smith and Mike Soriero, have used the sword to decapitate pigs for a bar-b-que (the pigs were already dead). And Elder Sensei has written on the different mind sets that is required for the different levels of sword practice (Archives)
I had the opportunity to test my cutting ability on a target other than the usual tatami. My sister-in-law is a professor of anthropology at the University of Minnesota. Every year she gets an animal carcass for her students to experiment on. They make their own stone tools from flint and use them to cut up the animal for a better understanding of the way primitive humans processed their food. Well, this year she got a pig (last year was half a buffalo). I had seen the video of Tom and Mike cutting the heads off the pigs in Florida, so....... she checked with her students and I was given permision to perform the cut on their speciman. Unfortunately there was an abcess on the animal's jaw and the health inspector had the head removed before the carcass was shipped (the meat from the animals used are cooked and eaten by the students). I, of course was dissapointed. However, when the pig arrived I was a bit relieved. The pigs in Florida had been fairly small. This carcuss weighed 200 pounds...gutted! It was as big as me. The neck, as thick around as my waist, was all muscle and bone. Anyway, I recalled there were many other cuts used by the samurai to test their swords. So, I hung the pig up by its hind legs and prepared myself. |
