Tameshigiri video guide Part III

[Czlowiekfala]

Hi,

After short pause tameshigiri videos are back. This time we are going to look at Daruma Otoshi. The technique conists of one single handed cut and several horizontal cuts. Due to mat length I performed 3 horizontal cuts.

The combination's name refers to Japanese game which purpose is to knock the center pieces out with the without causing the doll on top to fall over. The doll's name is Daruma (reference to Bodhidharma - founder of the Zen Buddhism)

Do not hestitate to ask questions or post comments. I will be happy to read it

Ps. Dear Mr. Moderator - I do not want to spam the forum with similar sounding post names so if you wish to consolidate them in one big thread - I have no obejctions

 

[jobo]

Hi,

After short pause tameshigiri videos are back. This time we are going to look at Daruma Otoshi. The technique conists of one single handed cut and several horizontal cuts. Due to mat length I performed 3 horizontal cuts.

The combination's name refers to Japanese game which purpose is to knock the center pieces out with the without causing the doll on top to fall over. The doll's name is Daruma (reference to Bodhidharma - founder of the Zen Buddhism)

Do not hestitate to ask questions or post comments. I will be happy to read it

Ps. Dear Mr. Moderator - I do not want to spam the forum with similar sounding post names so if you wish to consolidate them in one big thread - I have no obejctions

you appear to have pre cut wood held in place with blue tack, so no actual cuts at all

 

[Czlowiekfala]

you appear to have pre cut wood held in place with blue tack, so no actual cuts at all

Hi.

What do you mean exactly? The mat is being supported by wooden stake so it won't fall down after first cut - but that is all.

 

[Deleted member 39746]

you appear to have pre cut wood held in place with blue tack, so no actual cuts at all

Tatami mat and as above, the holders have a small wooden stake or else the mat wouldn't stand upright at all. they do a similar thing for all weapon arts now due to the cross pollination of technology and materials. Makes you wish you were in the Philippines though, bannana wood is apparently quite good for cutting practice given its soft so wouldn't mess up the edges as much.

Nor do i see any evidence of it being pre cut, given i have seen mats fray like that in tournaments on youtube* etc and circumstances where they wouldn't be cut. Nor would anything give you the impression its pre cut.

*Specifically a HEMA one, so a completely different style to this one and organization.

(i apprantly cant spell bannana, nor does my auto correct work for it)

 

[jobo]

Tatami mat and as above, the holders have a small wooden stake or else the mat wouldn't stand upright at all. they do a similar thing for all weapon arts now due to the cross pollination of technology and materials. Makes you wish you were in the Philippines though, bannana wood is apparently quite good for cutting practice given its soft so wouldn't mess up the edges as much.

Nor do i see any evidence of it being pre cut, given i have seen mats fray like that in tournaments on youtube* etc and circumstances where they wouldn't be cut. Nor would anything give you the impression its pre cut.

*Specifically a HEMA one, so a completely different style to this one and organization.

(i apprantly cant spell bannana, nor does my auto correct work for it)

don5 be so gullible, the obviously fake vid is obviously faked, if it looks like other vids then they must be faked as well

 

[Czlowiekfala]

don5 be so gullible, the obviously fake vid is obviously faked, if it looks like other vids then they must be faked as well

Well - if you think so - that is ok . I have no intention to change your opinion

 

[Czlowiekfala]

Tatami mat and as above, the holders have a small wooden stake or else the mat wouldn't stand upright at all. they do a similar thing for all weapon arts now due to the cross pollination of technology and materials. Makes you wish you were in the Philippines though, bannana wood is apparently quite good for cutting practice given its soft so wouldn't mess up the edges as much.

Nor do i see any evidence of it being pre cut, given i have seen mats fray like that in tournaments on youtube* etc and circumstances where they wouldn't be cut. Nor would anything give you the impression its pre cut.

*Specifically a HEMA one, so a completely different style to this one and organization.

(i apprantly cant spell bannana, nor does my auto correct work for it)

Thanks for the comment!

Rice mats are quite ok but indeed they can mess your blade a lot - especially when your hasuji (cutting angle) is incorrect. Not to mention water from the mat. However that be remedied with regular cleaning and maintenance of the blade.

 

[jobo]

Well - if you think so - that is ok . I have no intention to change your opinion

ok let's pretend that it isn't fake, difficult I know, but I watch game of thrones so its possible, just

in what way is attacking a piece of wood with a sharp blade anymore interesting or indicative of ma ability 5han me chopping logs with an axe. I could put my suit on and bow first, then it's almost 3xactly the same

 

[Deleted member 39746]

don5 be so gullible, the obviously fake vid is obviously faked, if it looks like other vids then they must be faked as well

Thats not banter or joking thats just a blatant claim of fraud.

Thanks for the comment!

Rice mats are quite ok but indeed they can mess your blade a lot - especially when your hasuji (cutting angle) is incorrect. Not to mention water from the mat. However that be remedied with regular cleaning and maintenance of the blade.

Bottles are the cheapest thing to use usually, given their quantity across the globe, mats might be cheaper in japan given thats where they originate and are used as furniture in their houses etc and have some traditional stay in the country. But not everyone is in japan, and obviously you use what you can get and the Katana is Japanese so they use Japanese material traditionally.

Actually i think folded steel might have a issue with edge retention/quality when in contact with dense/hard objects. Unless that was just the quality of make by the company and not a reflection of the method of forging. there is a lot to consider when you want to cut things economically.

 

[Blindside]

don5 be so gullible, the obviously fake vid is obviously faked, if it looks like other vids then they must be faked as well

You clearly have no idea what you are talking about. This is a traditional method of sword practice, and looking at the cuts are clearly not faked.

And when you blow a cut this medium (tatami) clearly lets you know.

 

[pgsmith]

Tatami is used for tameshigiri because of the amount of knowledge that can be gained through cutting it. It requires significant tip speed and blade alignment in order to cut through, and the angle of the cuts as well as where the cut pieces fall can tell a lot about the practitioner. Cutting things like bottles doesn't really provide enough feedback.

For example, in the OP video, the cut pieces fell forward of the cutting stand, which indicates that the hands on the tsuka are too far in front of the blade. The cut pieces for that particular cut series should ideally land directly to the sides of the cutting stand.

Another interesting indicator in the video is the fact that the target leans to the side with each cut, even though the cuts are good with nice straight angles. This indicates that the tip speed is slower than it should be, which is to be expected given that the OP uses his arms and upper body strength to perform the cuts rather than engaging his hips and center.

All in all, an interesting video nicely done. Would have been better to have someone more experienced to point out what nuances of the cutting pattern should be kept in mind when performing this cut. The point of tameshigiri is not to simply cut the target, but to cut the target in the correct manner to instill the proper muscle memory.

 

[Czlowiekfala]

Tatami is used for tameshigiri because of the amount of knowledge that can be gained through cutting it. It requires significant tip speed and blade alignment in order to cut through, and the angle of the cuts as well as where the cut pieces fall can tell a lot about the practitioner. Cutting things like bottles doesn't really provide enough feedback.

For example, in the OP video, the cut pieces fell forward of the cutting stand, which indicates that the hands on the tsuka are too far in front of the blade. The cut pieces for that particular cut series should ideally land directly to the sides of the cutting stand.

Another interesting indicator in the video is the fact that the target leans to the side with each cut, even though the cuts are good with nice straight angles. This indicates that the tip speed is slower than it should be, which is to be expected given that the OP uses his arms and upper body strength to perform the cuts rather than engaging his hips and center.

All in all, an interesting video nicely done. Would have been better to have someone more experienced to point out what nuances of the cutting pattern should be kept in mind when performing this cut. The point of tameshigiri is not to simply cut the target, but to cut the target in the correct manner to instill the proper muscle memory.

Hi!

Thanks for the great comment and insight.

I agree that I use too much arms strength instead of body movements. I will try to improve that in the future. When other sword practioners look at Toyama- Ryu style (a style that has military origins) they often point out that the style relies too much on strength and power cuts. Of course that can be explained. Officers that were taught the style during WW II had learn how to cut targets with effciency. Thus the style was sometimes omiting things like intricate body movements (that can best seen in Gunto - Soho Battoho katas.) I fully agree that correct body movements can much more benefit the cuts than just sole usage of arm strength.

Of course some other styles that incorportate Toyama Ryu in their teaching curriculum amends this by focusing on full body usage while performing the cuts (for example Toshishiro Obata's Shinkendo or Tozan Ryu - by Sensei Nakagawa Kinji).

Regards