Erm, 'kung-fu' has that as well... they call 'em 'gun-dao' (literally staff-sabre).jawakiller said:
Do you ever get tired of the samuri sword?
- Thread starter bdcjacko
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It's also one of if not the only samurai movie that tells you about the code of the samurai, which is a pretty damn interesting one.OctoH said:
I also like that it has Forrest Whitaker as Ghost Dog and not some athletic-looking guy. It's fun to seen this big dumpy guy be a swift and silent killer. It probably has something to do with the parallels the movie draws between samurai and bears.
NOOOOOO, don't show me the Berserk armor. That horrendous creation burns my eyes!The_Blue_Rider said:
Lets see a katana face off against that >
(If you dont get a good grasp of the swords size from the pic, its about that guys height, that guy is roughly 6ft 5)
I like scimitars better, I love them curvy swords. While Katanas are curvy and all, but the curves on a Persian Shamshir (to name one type of scimitar) are much more appealing. Middle Eastern swords FTW!!!
But the whole system isn't based on said weapon. Kung-Fu is an entirely different way of fighting and while yes there is a bladed staff in Fu, they haven't dedicated it to the weapon. Naginatajutsu is another story. Look it up, its insane.SckizoBoy said:
May as well. Would be fun.Abandon4093 said:That would be pretty sweet.Glademaster said:I got to get me one of those definitely more versatile than a katana. I wonder if something like that will end in AC.Abandon4093 said:Glademaster said:
Shit just got real.
Merge the two worlds. LOL
The traditional Samurai sword is made as a one-strike kill and is incredibly powerful because it is folded steel, packing the molecules tighter and tighter together, making it much harder. While I don't love the sword myself, it can cut half a cow in half in one slice, so there's very little protestation. The sword was made as a one-hit-kill type deal. It glides off the opponent's blade and the natural curve of the sword lend power to the slicing motion, cleaving very easily.bdcjacko said:
Your traditional claymore (like that of William Wallace) is made to be hefted by two hands. It's actually so long that one hand goes on a piece of leather wrapped about the first half-foot of the blade above the hilt, allowing better movement while sacrificing little power. It's a slow and sluggish but devastating weapon, capable of cleaving a man in two or loping of three heads in one swing.
As powerful as it is, the katana would rip the claymore wielder to shreads.
It's simply a superior, versatile, and "cool looking" sword that has been well adapted
This is clearly a bud in need of nipping.seniorsharptothetouch said:
1) Actually, it's a cutting sword. The shape of the blade and the way it's used define that. The optimum striking area is close to the end of the blade and that is indeed where it's used to chop, however that's not where the real action comes in. Katanas SHOULD be sharp, sharp as a razor when they're drawn. Try taking a razor blade, fresh out of the box, and press it against your skin. It will not cut you, and the chopping action from a katana is equally as unimpressive. But pull on that same blade(Do NOT try this at home) and the blade gashes much deeper. When the katana strikes, it strikes to make contact, and then is drawn along the body to cut. It is a slashing blade. The curve on the blade allows it to present an edge that can slide while being held comfortably in the hand for maximum power.
2) You're right about that, though why you count that against the katana is beyond me. Most katanas, if I recall, are folded about 7-14 times and then pounded back into shape. This increases their density and makes them more resistant to cracking, chipping, and snapping.
3) That is true of ANY edged tool. Katanas, scimitars, broadswords, falchions, axes, hatchets, cleavers, steak knives. If it has an edge, it WILL need to be sharpened. That's not a detriment, it's just a FACT.
4) Again, true of ANY edged tool. Every time you sharpen it, you wear away metal. When you use it, you wear away more metal. And then when you sharpen it again, you wear away more metal. Tools have a shelf life the same as people do. Eventually, whether given proper care or left to rust, they will degrade and disappear.
5) Now we're getting into the more interesting stuff again, and for a change you're right. The katana really isn't any good against chain mail. HOWEVER, chain mail didn't exist in japan during the time frame in which katanas were in use(read: the manji and edo periods). Samurai armor was traditionally plates of metal overlapped and held together by strings creating a cascade of metal, however this was not a shirt. It traditionally covered the front and back, but it did not cover the arms or the sides. And the katana, as well as the techniques developed for it, were designed to combat that armor, as well as other katanas. However, as far as chainmail goes, I have just one word for that: Rapier.
6) I'm going to make an assumption here because what you say sounds quite stupid. I believe you mean that there's no ornate handguard on it like you would see on a rapier or sabre, which is true. However, why that means you can't punch with it is beyond me. If you're speaking in terms of protections, the rapier and sabre were traditionally used with bare hands or with simple cloth gloves. The samurai often wore plated gloves that offered some protection from glancing blows so there was less need, as well as having no guard offered more mobility to a two-handed users which Katanas were made for as opposed to the rapier and sabre that are one handed blades. However, none of this affects the ability to raise the hilt of the sword up for a quick blow.
7) Again, I'm not sure where you're going with this. Katanas don't really have a "pommel" the way many western swords do, and the pommel is, for all intents and purposes, purely decorative. Many were adorned either with jewels or the crest of their king, country, or family. The katana was much more refined and utilitarian with no such pommel. Beyond that, I don't know what point you're trying to make here.
The katana is overused because it has become a symbol of japanese culture and history, and it's become such for a reason. For the time, the location, and the job, the Katana was the perfect sword in all the facets, a testiment to the centuries of craftsmanship that preceeded it and went into its refinement. It was also the last japanese sword. The katana remained a symbol into the edo period(I believe) when the flint-lock gun was just starting to make its way into japan. The ability to kill from a distance that was faster and more accurate than a bow quickly overcame the samurai sword which required years to master and was still a close range weapon. The katana was a fine weapon, but it simply became obsolete, and so it remains as it was, the last samurai sword.
No, no, I get that, though the point about the relevant aspects of 'fu' do have schools of martial-art associated with specific weapons/weapon sets (much like Japanese schools of swordsmanship).jawakiller said:
However, while I respect the naginata, I fear the jumonji yari (or rather, anyone who's good at fighting with it). Seriously, I've been in fights (with bokuto) vs yari wielders, and they genuinely scare the hell out of me.
I agree.There are thousands of types of sword in this world, each one interesting in it's own way. The katana is played out by this point, we really should as a culture move on to something different.
Armor has holes, joints, creases. The katana is a faster weapon, allowing a much wider range of movement and delivering a vast amount of cutting power.bdcjacko said:
katanas are what is called cold-folded over 2000 times. They've been known to slice through certain chain mails. If you found a way to encase yourself in seamless armor that wasn't exposed to weaknesses like joints, sure you can have a claymore. But it's overkill. It simply isn't an optimal weapon anymore. It would be like asking why movies nowadays no longer have any Kar 98 rifles in them, or why any modern-set movie you see with a bow and arrow, the bow is a composite (pulley system) and not a traditional English long bow.
try all of them (not ones for civilian defence)HankMan said:
think about it, rigid cold steel blade held in a vice vs incredibly hot fast moving bullet made of lead/copper (incredibly soft metals to begin with) that and most bullets are made to fragment(expand) anyway (hollow point)
Will I ever get tired of the katana?
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
No. I am fully aware that it isn't the absolute greatest weapon ever made (lightsaber takes thta award) but I still think it's pretty sweet.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
No. I am fully aware that it isn't the absolute greatest weapon ever made (lightsaber takes thta award) but I still think it's pretty sweet.
This is not a flame just an observation, you are coming off as a katana fan boy. Movies have never been all the accurate, and the average movie goer isn't going to lose the suspension of disbelief if a guy with a western sword kills a guy with a katana.Celtic_Kerr said:
Anytype of sword is equal in the modern world in that they are now obsolete weapons, aside from that you can tell next to no one knows the actual aspects of every weapon vs every style of armour hell some people are convinced that certain weapons are faster than other
Swords move at the speed the holder moves them, none are faster because they are inanimate
Swords move at the speed the holder moves them, none are faster because they are inanimate
