Trial cut - Trial cut

Japanese: 様斬 - ためしぎり

During the Edo period, a sword was tested for its sharpness by actually cutting a person. It is also called tameshimono. In the case of the shogun's sword, the corpse of a person sentenced to death was used, and the test was carried out in a test room in the prison. For generations, the ronin Yamada Asaemon was in charge of the otameshigoyo, and in the presence of the magistrates, they would perform the suemonogiri on the executed corpse laid on the platform and report on the sharpness of the sword. Asaemon also sometimes acted as the beheader in cases of beheading on behalf of the magistrate's officers, and on those occasions, he would test swords requested by daimyo, hatamoto, and subordinate vassals.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

江戸時代，人を実際に斬って刀剣の利鈍をためしたこと。様者（ためしもの）ともいう。将軍の佩刀（はいとう）の場合，死罪の刑に処せられた者の死体を用い，牢屋内の様場（ためしば）において執り行った。浪人山田朝右衛門が代々御様御用（おためしごよう）の任にあたり，腰物奉行（こしものぶぎよう）らの立会いの下で，土壇に横たえられた刑屍を据物斬（すえものぎり）して斬れ味などを報告する。朝右衛門はまた，町奉行同心に代わって斬首刑の首打役（くびうちやく）を務めることがあり，その際に大名，旗本，陪臣から依頼された刀をためした。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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