sword tester (Edo period); executioner
Historical term for an official who tested swords on condemned criminals or corpses during the Edo period, sometimes also acting as an executioner.
In the Edo period, the sword tester tested the sharpness of swords on the bodies of criminals.
The sword tester also had the role of verifying the performance of swords.
The term is composed of 御様 (おためし, 'trial' or 'test') and 御用 (ごよう, 'official business'), referring to the official duty of testing swords.