Bamboo torture

Bamboo torture is a form of torture where a bamboo shoot is grown through the body of a victim. Bamboo torture was allegedly used in East and South Asia. Accounts accuse Japanese soldiers of practicing the torture technique during World War II.^[1][2]

Bamboo shoots are fast-growing, strong, and sharp. They naturally grow through obstructions as the shoots grow straight out of the ground. In bamboo torture, a victim is tied to the ground over bamboo shoots or suspended in the air over young bamboo. The bamboo pierces the flesh and grows through the body in a matter of days. Victims of bamboo torture were reportedly found as corpses impaled by fully grown bamboo.

The MythBusters investigated bamboo torture in a 2008 episode. They found that a bamboo shoot can penetrate through several inches of ballistics gel in three days.

References

1. ^ Woon Ping Chin, "Hakka soul: memories, migrations, and meals," NUS Press, 2008. p. 23.
2. ^ Rod Aldwinckle. "Japanese Torture Techniques." WW2 People's War. 08 August 2005. http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/37/a4865637.shtml.