sword testing; trying out a new blade
Historically, testing a sword's sharpness on a person or corpse; in modern contexts, it refers to cutting soaked straw targets (畳表) or bamboo to evaluate a blade.
The swordsmith performed a test cutting with the newly forged sword.
In modern sword testing, rolled tatami mats are often cut.
Standard kanji spelling; 斬り emphasizes cutting with a blade.
Variant using the more general 切る kanji; less specific to sword testing but still used.
Compound of 試し (test) and 斬り (cutting with a blade). The practice dates back to the Edo period when swords were tested on condemned criminals or corpses.