Chiburi

Chiburui
Japanese name
Kanji	血振るい
Hiragana	ちぶるい
Transcriptions Revised Hepburn chiburui Kunrei-shiki tiburui

Chiburui (血振るい), also called chiburi,^[1] is the process by which one symbolically removes blood from a sword blade. The term chiburui can thus be translated as "shaking off the blood". In the Japanese martial art of iaidō, this is done before nōtō or placing the blade back into the scabbard (known as saya).^[2]

In Popular Culture

In Films set in Feudal Japan, such as Zatoichi, Chiburi is usually performed by swordsmen after the killing of an opponent. However, Chiburi is incorrectly portrayed as a simple swipe that completely removes all of the blood. In reality, the sword needs to be thoroughly wiped with a cloth as there would still be enough blood on the blade to cause rusting.

Notes

1. Please note, however, that chiburi is a slang pronunciation and as such is not found in any Japanese dictionary. See Iwata.
2. Yamatsuta, p. 36.

References

• Iwata, Norikazu. "Chiburui". The Eishin Ryu of Tosa. Retrieved 9 August 2009.
• Yamatsuta, Shigeyoshi (2005). Iaido Hongi. Tokyo: Airyudo. ISBN 4-7502-0272-X.