Unleashing the Mystery of Sword Testing in Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku

Sagiri Yamada Asaemon, a member of the Yamada clan, plays a significant role in Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku. As an executioner tasked with monitoring the protagonist, Gabimaru, she belongs to a clan that has a unique job description - that of sword testers. This practice is a traditional Japanese art form known as Tameshigiri, which involves testing the sharpness of a blade against various targets. Although the art form has evolved over time, it remains an integral part of the Yamada clan's identity in the Edo period, where the story is set.

A Violent Art

The art of sword testing was reserved for the most skilled swordsmen, as tameshigiri was a means of determining a blade's effectiveness. The hand that wielded the sword had to possess great skill in order to ensure a fair assessment. Typically, swords were tested on materials like bamboo or goza found in tatami mats. However, in more gruesome instances, swords were tested on cadavers to determine how well they could cut through flesh. These cadavers were often posed in various positions to test different types of cuts, particularly those made on limbs such as legs. The most challenging and rigorous tests involved diagonal or horizontal cuts through the body, and were considered the best way to evaluate a blade's worth.

However, in Jigokuraku, swords were used to execute living criminals after being tested on them. Author John Man recounts an old tale in his novel Samurai, where a criminal wishes they had swallowed rocks prior to their execution to damage the blade. The results of these tests were sometimes recorded on the sword's tang, documenting the number of bodies cut and the locations.

Today, Tameshigiri is still practiced as a martial art, but with a different objective than in the past. Rather than testing the sword itself, the focus is on demonstrating the wielder's skill. Practitioners showcase their cutting techniques on goza, a suitable material for sword testing that presents varying difficulty levels based on the angle of attack. The Tsubamegaeshi cutting pattern reveals that vertical slices are easier than horizontal ones, which require cutting perpendicular to the grain. This art is even featured in the bamboo-cutting mini-game in Ghost of Tsushima.

Tameshigiri in Jigokuraku

The Yamada clan, being ronin, operates independently from the government and engages in various trades, including the study of corpses and production of medicines. Despite the inevitability of death surrounding her within the clan, Sagiri's desire to become an executioner goes beyond this. Jigokuraku's depiction of the Yamada clan's sword testing as a method of delivering a swift and painless death is intriguing. In Episode 2, Sagiri's father demonstrated this skill when executing a prisoner who requested to perform rakugo. The prisoner's story was finished even after being beheaded due to the flawlessness of the cut. Sagiri aims to replicate this technique.

The presentation of the decapitations in the show highlights the distinction between Kichiji's perfect cut and Sagiri's own, which is hindered by her fear. The sound effects play a crucial role in this portrayal, with Kichiji's cut being light and swift, accompanied only by the whoosh of the blade through the air, while Sagiri's cut is accompanied by the sound of flesh splitting, almost wet in its execution. Additionally, the Yamada clan's reputation as sword testers not only provides historical context to the story, but also sets up each clan member's unique skills. The show's explanation of the clan's anatomical understanding and discipline demonstrates how their sword techniques can penetrate even the toughest defenses. As the season approaches its close, it will be fascinating to see more of Sagiri and the other executioners' techniques.

Source: John Man, Samurai (pg. 55)