It was reportedly used in East and South Asian countries such as China, India, and especially Japan, but claims of its usage lack reliable evidence.
A "Madras civilian", in his travel description from 1820s India, referred to this use of bamboo as a well-known punishment in Ceylon.
[2][3][4] After World War II, stories circulated of Japanese soldiers inflicting "bamboo torture" upon Allied prisoners of war, securely tying the victim in place above a young bamboo shoot.
[5] Over several days, the sharp, fast-growing shoot would first puncture, then completely penetrate the victim's body, eventually emerging through the other side.
For research purposes, ballistic gelatin is considered comparable to human flesh, and the experiment thus supported the viability of this form of torture, though not its historical accuracy.