On April 28, 2002, NY Budokai offered a tameshigiri (target cutting) seminar for members. New York Budokai does not practice cutting for competition; rather tameshigiri practice acts as a check for technique. Though, as Founder Otani Yoshiteru says, "Iaido is philosophy," good technique is important. Chief Instructor Phil Ortiz supervised the seminar.

We handled a variety of targets. First, as a warm-up, we cut pieces of newspaper. Newspaper can be cut with iaito or even bokuto, if there is proper hasuji, so it is therefore a relatively inexpensive and safe check of technique.

Next, using a Chen blade purchased specifically for this kind of exercise, we practiced cutting some cardboard tubes, the kind at the center of bolts of fabric. These are difficult to cut, but who can resist a free target? It is important to heavily oil the blade before each cut, as this kind of target will mark the blade. Members had variable success with cutting the tubes, and I would not recommend it for someone with little experience, as the blade can get caught in the tube if it does not cut through and can become bent if not handled properly. Lastly, we cut rolled mats (which seemed really easy after the cardboard).

Everyone enjoyed the seminar, and learned a lot about their technique. The Chen blade worked well and suffered no evident wear as a result. However, it is important to point out that the tameshigiri seminar was conducted as a formal exercise for members only, supervised by Mr. Ortiz, who has over 30 years' experience. All equipment was checked for safety before use. We strongly recommend against trying this at home!

	Deborah Klens-Bigman
	Eduardo Pereira