{"id":30071,"date":"2024-09-08T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-08T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rainydaymagazine.com\/wp\/?p=30071"},"modified":"2024-09-08T10:36:04","modified_gmt":"2024-09-08T14:36:04","slug":"tameshigiri-series-rolling-the-mats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/rainydaymagazine.com\/wp\/2024\/09\/08\/tameshigiri-series-rolling-the-mats\/","title":{"rendered":"Tameshigiri Series: Rolling the mats"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the previous installment<\/a> of the Tameshigiri Series<\/a>, we showed how we made the post for holding a rolled-up tatami mat for cutting. In this installment, we will detail rolling the mat, binding of it, and preparing it for soaking prior to FirstCut<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Tatami<\/h2>\n

The tatami mats we got were new and came in a bundle of twenty five<\/a>. They have a pretty strong grassy-odor<\/a> to them, but that did eventually dissipate (yes…it smelled like a hay barn until it did). We found it best to put it in the basement or some out of the way place and let it air out for a few days.<\/p>\n

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Tatami omote is the layer<\/a> which is use for the outer most surface of the tatami mat.<\/a> As we will be using the mats<\/a> for cutting practice, price and not quality of the weave<\/a> was our main concern.<\/p>\n

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Rolling<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The idea of rolling up a mat for cutting is simple enough and it is not like the process is rocket science. Still, a bundle of mats unbundled<\/a> is not just in the way, but REALLY in the way \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

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There are videos online about how to do it, but we have developed our own method which we feel are superior. The steps are summarized here:<\/p>\n

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  1. Place a 1\/2″ PVC pipe<\/a> on one end;<\/li>\n
  2. Hold the edge of mat against the pipe and start rolling;<\/li>\n
  3. Take care to roll evenly so the edges line up as well as possible;<\/li>\n
  4. Keeping the roll tight on each revolution, roll until the end;<\/a><\/li>\n
  5. With the pipe still in, bind the roll with twine;<\/li>\n
  6. Pull out the PVC pipe when binding is complete.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    NOTE: T<\/strong>o even up the two ends after binding, we took the roll and dropped it on one edge onto a flat surface. There was just enough slack for the ends to shift and even up.<\/p>\n

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    Binding<\/h2>\n

    For binding the roll, we used twine made of jute<\/a>. Jute is low stretch, biodegradable, and compostable. This type of rope is ideal for all-weather outdoor use and will securely hold the tatami roll through storage, soaking, and cutting.<\/p>\n

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    Each roll required five twine rings in order to properly bind it. The first ring is placed in the middle of the roll,<\/a> then one at each end,<\/a> and finished with one in between the middle ring and the end ring. We didn’t precisely measured the placement but did them by eye, and found it sufficient.<\/p>\n

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    A properly rolled and bound tatami mat will stay together after being cut. With five bindings<\/a>, it is possible to cut a rolled up mat<\/a> four times without any of the cut bundles unraveling. We saved a piece from the first roll we had and it is still intact <\/a>thirteen years later \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

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    FinalThoughts<\/h2>\n

    Rolling up the twenty five mats<\/a> took about four hours when done by one person…roughly ten minutes per roll from start to finish. Binding and tying the knots took about 60-70% of the time. We could have used rubber bands, but jute twine just felt more “respectful.”<\/p>\n

    The next in the series will be about getting everything ready and taking the FirstCut!<\/p>\n

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    Links to items mentioned:<\/strong><\/p>\n