Lovers of action video games set in East Asia, Japan and China mainly, are in luck in 2024. We have two installments in sight with a release date, Rise of the Ronin (March 22) and Black Myth Wukong (20 August), and another that its specific date remains a mystery: Phantom Blade Zero. All three look sublime.
In this context, I have remembered one of the most beautiful jewels of PlayStation: Ghost of Tsushima, one of those exclusives that has not yet broken the barriers of PS4 and PS5… although it should. I played for a couple of hours and then checked out a few live streams.
One of the streamers asked what the bamboo cutting minigame and if it is true that it serves to improve the katanas, at least for the process. His question piqued my curiosity. Somehow I know it’s a Japanese tradition related to swords, but I’ve never bothered to actively educate myself.
A Japanese art that dates back from the 17th century to the present day
I wasn’t wrong. The minigame of cutting bamboos with the katana in Ghost of Tsushima is taken from a Japanese art called Tameshigiri. Its function in the game is far from the original tradition and closer to the version currently practiced. Before we get into it, let me do a quick review.
The Bamboo Stalls in Ghost of Tsushima They are a series of collectibles or points of interest spread across 16 locations across the map. You have to press a quick sequence of buttons in the indicated order to achieve a clean cut. There is one button for each bamboo to be cut. The more bamboos, the more complicated to execute correctly.
The reward that the video game gives us when completing all these positions is to acquire the maximum of the attribute Determination and ultimately a mask called Messenger of the Holy Mountain. Now that we have all remembered, let’s see the contrast with reality.
Tameshigiri is a Japanese art related to katanas. Historical evidence shows that it was used in the Edo Period, between the 17th and 19th centuries, and is currently still practiced for a slightly different purpose. The original tradition did not hide any mystery: it was a cutting test to test the quality of the katanas.
The process was simple, although with a barbaric touch. The teacher or warrior with the most skill was the only one who could test the katanas, in this way it was not questioned that the lack of quality was due to whoever made the cut.
Imagen de OnoRey
This cut was executed in the same way as in Ghost of Tsushima, although bamboo was not always used. Others registered are rice straw, thin metal sheets and even goza (tatami layer), among others. Currently, it is preferred to use goza and bamboo. And here comes the dark part of the tradition: humans were also used to perform Tameshigiri.
The issue of Tameshigiri on human bodies is extensive and somewhat unpleasant, so I will summarize: criminals and convicts were used to make cuts on the ankles (among other areas), either horizontally or vertically, going up from the same to the hip. When finished, whatever material was used, it was recorded in the upper area of the katana as a certificate of quality.
In short: this practice was used to test the quality of katanas. Nowadays, humans have been dispensed with and the motivation for executing it is completely opposite: the skill of the wielder is tested and it is assumed that the katana is of the highest quality.
Although the purpose of the minigame in Ghost of Tsushima It doesn’t have much to do with the original tradition, it is close to what we currently know. And it’s no wonder there is such a good similarity. Sucker Punch Productions worked closely with historians, archaeologists and many other experts to deliver a setting of sublime quality.
The study’s studies and investigations led them to consult very specialized experts, such as ornithologists. They even wanted to know what exact fauna (birds, in this case) inhabited the place to accurately represent them in the game. And so with everything: weapons, armor, architecture, art…
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