TATAMI FAQ
What is Tatami Omote?
Many of the homes in Japan still have a tatami room. Though the rooms vary in size and furnishings, all of them have one thing in common. They all use the traditional rice straw floormats, which are about two inches thick, called tatami mats. Tatami omote is the thin outer covering, made of a soft rush material, that is sewn onto the thick rice straw base of the tatami mat. When the cover wears out it is replaced with new tatami omote. Tatami omote is divided by quality into four grades. The highest grade is tokutokujo, next is tokujo, then jo, and lastly the nami grade. The tokutokujo mats are most frequently used in shrines, temples, government buildings, and homes of the very wealthy. The tokujo and jo grade mats are the ones most commonly found in everyday use.
The used tatami omote has become the target of choice for tameshigiri in Japan, and the United States. Tatami omote is not made of rice straw as many people think. It is made from the stems of a soft rush (juncus effusus) that grows in wetland areas. The stems are collected, cleaned, dried, and tightly woven to make a thin, soft mat. The choice of this traditional material over other materials to make targets for tameshigiri offers an important benefit. Mats made from other, more coarse materials, can scratch the polish on a sword or dull the cutting edge. The ground-in dirt that is found in used mats can also act as a fine abrasive when cutting. Mugen Dachi mats are brand new, have never been used, and do not pose an increased risk for scratching your sword.
Most people who have done tameshigiri with rolled tatami omote have probably used the worn out pieces of the tokujo and jo grades. One problem with the used tatami is that you never know what grade of mat you will get, or whether or not you will get mats that are lightly used or ones that are almost worn through. The bigger problem with used tatami is the leftover grit which can scratch your sword or dull the edge. The tatami omote we provide is the nami grade. The quality of the new nami mats we offer is very similar in cutting density to the majority of the lightly worn used mats we have practiced with over the years. One big advantage in using our tatami omote is that the targets will consistently cut the same, because the quality of the mats does not vary. The mats are very clean to work with when rolling targets and they soak up water very quickly. Our nami grade mats provide an excellent combination of high quality, low cost, and good availability.
What Makes Good Tatami Omote?
The two things that have the greatest impact on whether or not tatami omote will be any good for tameshigiri targets are the quality of the rush that is used, and how tightly the reeds are woven together. The higher quality mats are made from rush that is more mature and is thicker. The thicker reeds will take the constant abuse of being walked on for a much longer period of time. The lower quality mats are made from the younger, thinner, plants. This type of mat is ideal for tameshigiri because the reeds are thick enough to give the target good density and stiffness, but not so thick that they pose an increased risk of scratching a sword's polish or prematurely dulling the edge.
After the crop is harvested all of the rush is divided into different "grades" based on criteria such as thickness, color, and condition. The thickest and most consistent rush is woven into the tokutokujo grade mats. The next highest quality rush is woven into the tokujo grade mats, and so on down the line. Some manufacturer's lay the reed side-by-side. Other manufacturer's will overlap the reeds slightly to make a thicker, more robust mat. This second method produces a nice quality mat even with the lower grade rush.
The tightness of the stitching is very important. If the stitching is loose then the mat will be too flexible. This is not so bad if the tatami omote will be used on a tatami mat where it is bound on the edges. However, if the tatami omote will be used for tameshigiri it will not be stiff enough and will usually bend over when a cut is attempted.
The mats that are made for the Mugen Dachi Company are made and assembled to our requirements. We only use the rush material that is young and soft, and poses no increased risk of scratching your sword. Our supplier then uses an overlapping construction and tight weaving to produce the best quality tatami omote at the lowest possible prices.
Know What You Are Getting! Some Important Definitions.
Several different types of mats are on the market now and the terms used to describe them are usually less than helpful and are sometimes rather confusing. Always ask what kind of mat and cutting material you are getting before you buy. If you want Traditional Tatami Omote then buy from Mugen Dachi with confidence.
Tatami Mat: refers to a 2 inch thick mat that measures roughly 1 meter by 2 meters, and is used as a special flooring in Japanese homes, shrines, etc.
Tatami Omote: means "tatami exterior" and is any woven mat that is actually USED as the covering on a tatami mat. Beach mats are not tatami omote because they were never designed to be used as the cover on a tatami mat.
Goza: literally means "reed carpet, or mat" and generically refers to any of the woven mats that are made from reeds, grass or straw materials. Tatami omote is goza, so are beach mats, so are some woven placemats, floormats, and window coverings.
Igusa: the common word for juncus effusus, the rush material that is used to make traditional tatami omote. The word "igusa" is also used to describe mats that are made from rush materials.
Wara: means straw.
The table below lists some of the common types of mats that are available and how they compare to each other. It is not a comprehensive list of all mats. The information shown is based on our experience doing tameshigiri over the years and from working with our supplier in Japan.
Many of the homes in Japan still have a tatami room. Though the rooms vary in size and furnishings, all of them have one thing in common. They all use the traditional rice straw floormats, which are about two inches thick, called tatami mats. Tatami omote is the thin outer covering, made of a soft rush material, that is sewn onto the thick rice straw base of the tatami mat. When the cover wears out it is replaced with new tatami omote. Tatami omote is divided by quality into four grades. The highest grade is tokutokujo, next is tokujo, then jo, and lastly the nami grade. The tokutokujo mats are most frequently used in shrines, temples, government buildings, and homes of the very wealthy. The tokujo and jo grade mats are the ones most commonly found in everyday use.
The used tatami omote has become the target of choice for tameshigiri in Japan, and the United States. Tatami omote is not made of rice straw as many people think. It is made from the stems of a soft rush (juncus effusus) that grows in wetland areas. The stems are collected, cleaned, dried, and tightly woven to make a thin, soft mat. The choice of this traditional material over other materials to make targets for tameshigiri offers an important benefit. Mats made from other, more coarse materials, can scratch the polish on a sword or dull the cutting edge. The ground-in dirt that is found in used mats can also act as a fine abrasive when cutting. Mugen Dachi mats are brand new, have never been used, and do not pose an increased risk for scratching your sword.
Most people who have done tameshigiri with rolled tatami omote have probably used the worn out pieces of the tokujo and jo grades. One problem with the used tatami is that you never know what grade of mat you will get, or whether or not you will get mats that are lightly used or ones that are almost worn through. The bigger problem with used tatami is the leftover grit which can scratch your sword or dull the edge. The tatami omote we provide is the nami grade. The quality of the new nami mats we offer is very similar in cutting density to the majority of the lightly worn used mats we have practiced with over the years. One big advantage in using our tatami omote is that the targets will consistently cut the same, because the quality of the mats does not vary. The mats are very clean to work with when rolling targets and they soak up water very quickly. Our nami grade mats provide an excellent combination of high quality, low cost, and good availability.
What Makes Good Tatami Omote?
The two things that have the greatest impact on whether or not tatami omote will be any good for tameshigiri targets are the quality of the rush that is used, and how tightly the reeds are woven together. The higher quality mats are made from rush that is more mature and is thicker. The thicker reeds will take the constant abuse of being walked on for a much longer period of time. The lower quality mats are made from the younger, thinner, plants. This type of mat is ideal for tameshigiri because the reeds are thick enough to give the target good density and stiffness, but not so thick that they pose an increased risk of scratching a sword's polish or prematurely dulling the edge.
After the crop is harvested all of the rush is divided into different "grades" based on criteria such as thickness, color, and condition. The thickest and most consistent rush is woven into the tokutokujo grade mats. The next highest quality rush is woven into the tokujo grade mats, and so on down the line. Some manufacturer's lay the reed side-by-side. Other manufacturer's will overlap the reeds slightly to make a thicker, more robust mat. This second method produces a nice quality mat even with the lower grade rush.
The tightness of the stitching is very important. If the stitching is loose then the mat will be too flexible. This is not so bad if the tatami omote will be used on a tatami mat where it is bound on the edges. However, if the tatami omote will be used for tameshigiri it will not be stiff enough and will usually bend over when a cut is attempted.
The mats that are made for the Mugen Dachi Company are made and assembled to our requirements. We only use the rush material that is young and soft, and poses no increased risk of scratching your sword. Our supplier then uses an overlapping construction and tight weaving to produce the best quality tatami omote at the lowest possible prices.
Know What You Are Getting! Some Important Definitions.
Several different types of mats are on the market now and the terms used to describe them are usually less than helpful and are sometimes rather confusing. Always ask what kind of mat and cutting material you are getting before you buy. If you want Traditional Tatami Omote then buy from Mugen Dachi with confidence.
Tatami Mat: refers to a 2 inch thick mat that measures roughly 1 meter by 2 meters, and is used as a special flooring in Japanese homes, shrines, etc.
Tatami Omote: means "tatami exterior" and is any woven mat that is actually USED as the covering on a tatami mat. Beach mats are not tatami omote because they were never designed to be used as the cover on a tatami mat.
Goza: literally means "reed carpet, or mat" and generically refers to any of the woven mats that are made from reeds, grass or straw materials. Tatami omote is goza, so are beach mats, so are some woven placemats, floormats, and window coverings.
Igusa: the common word for juncus effusus, the rush material that is used to make traditional tatami omote. The word "igusa" is also used to describe mats that are made from rush materials.
Wara: means straw.
The table below lists some of the common types of mats that are available and how they compare to each other. It is not a comprehensive list of all mats. The information shown is based on our experience doing tameshigiri over the years and from working with our supplier in Japan.
As a reference for people who are familiar with beach mat makiwara; a target made from three or four beach mats is similar in size but not density to a target made from one Mugen Dachi mat, a target made from four or five beach mats is similar in size but not density to a target made from one piece of lightly used tokujo or jo grade tatami.