The cutting targets that are used, seen in non-Japanese tameshigiri videos are Chinese-made "mock" tatami omotes sold outside Japan for tameshigiri(test cutting).
Firmness and density differ very much from those of Japan stuation.
>中国製の2畳太巻き、或いは3畳太巻きぐらいが、 >日本の畳表1畳分に相当します。
Nearly 2-jo(jo: 90cm X 180cm) roll or 3-jo roll of Chinese tatami omote amounts to 1-jo roll of Japanese tatami omote.
2- The makiwara must be tightly rolled so there will be no hollow space at the center. The diameter must be between 8cm to 9cm, and should not be over 9cm.
3-Note that the makiwara roll must be tied at 3cm from the grounding position. This is because the higher the tying position, the roll will be more loose at the bottom, and the surface area touching the ground will be larger making the roll more withstanding from falling down.
>4−畳表の長さは90センチ。
4-The length of tatami omote is 90cm.
>5−刀の切っ先が床に触れたら失格。
5-If a tip of the katana touched a floor, it is disqualification.
6- The sakikasane (thickness not counting the shinogi thickness) of the katana is more than 5.5mm, and the hawatari (length of the blade part)is to be longer than 2.4shaku(72.7cm) for a person as tall as 170cm.
>使用する刀は鎬造りの日本刀であること。
The katana used must be shinogi-zukuri Japanese katana.
>平肉、刃肉がちゃんとついた、れっきとした日本刀であることが条件。
The condition is that it must be true Japanese katana with good meat(niku), hiraniku and haniku.
Even though with the same sakikasane(thickness) 5.5mm, if the blade shape is different, the hira-zukuri and shinogi-zukuri, the edge angle is completely different at the hasaki(cutting edge).