Tsujigiri (辻斬り or 辻斬, literally "crossroads killing") is a Japanese term for a practice when a samurai, after receiving a new katana or developing a new fighting style or weapon, tests its effectiveness by attacking a human opponent, usually a random defenseless passer-by, in many cases during night time.

In a variation named tsuji-nage (辻投げ, "crossroads throwing"), the samurai would attack the passerby with jujutsu in order to test his own techniques or indulge in alive practice.

In "Trying Out One's New Sword", she discusses tsujigiri as an example of an abominable practice that could be condemned, despite not being a member of feudal Japanese society.

A professor of Japanese history, Jordan Sand, criticized Midgley for allegedly misrepresenting the practices of ancient Japan.

Sand believes that any samurai who did so was both rare and would be considered insane by the culture of the era and that Midgley erred in presenting it had been an accepted practice.