Tameshigiri is the Japanese art of testing the quality of a katana by cutting a target. It was popularized in the Edo period (17th century) and is practiced today. There are a variety of targets that can be used for tameshigiri, including fruit, vegetables, milk jugs, bottles, and so on.





When I practice tameshigiri with my katana, I use milk jugs filled about half-way with water. I originally used plastic bottles but they sometimes are very thick and don't cut as well. I generally use the side stance and swing upward.

I've shown pictures of the result of my practice on milk jugs, but for the first time I have actual action photographs of my cuts.