Honest to god I HATE Katanas, I just can't deny the versatility and the reason they star in movies so much. I'm more of a long sword, glaive, tonfa, bo staff, Ax, or claymore kinda guybdcjacko said:
Do you ever get tired of the samuri sword?
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Frankly, I'm just tired of all those damn ninjas with their incessant raids. Look, I understand that you're standing up to the Shogun, and that you have orders to take our your rivals. But do you have to stomp all over my crops while you're doing that? I was going to send my firstborne to Yale with the dividends from those poppies!bdcjacko said:
Katana's are parrying swords, anybody trained to use one in battle would know you need to turn the sword so you present either the flat or the even the back of the blade to your opponents weapon and redirect the energy away from yourself. Also before the Mongels invaded the most common sword used in Japanese warfare was the tachi, which was longer and heavier and better for use on horseback, it was during the invasion that they actually started shortening tachi into katanas.Abandon4093 said:
The bullet test: Its a solid steel forged and tempered blade vs a LEAD bullet. You can melt lead over a camp fire. Lead is a very soft metal.
Chainmail: The Katana is a slashing or cutting weapon. The japanese used spears for heavier armor.
Forging versus solid piece: Katana is forged from a steel block. Yes it is a series of forge welds. But it is still FORGED. However the carbon content that is forged into the blade is measured in todays high carbon steel. Which is the hardest steel around. Then the blade is tempered so it dosent shatter because of it hardness. Making the blade hold a razor sharp edge for a long period of its cutting life.
Usage: The Katana was used more for slashing or cutting. It was not used for CLUBBING. It is not a clubbing weapon. And as for being a weapon, it is a perfect extension of the human body. Not too long not too short. The curve in the blade is to complement the natural flow of a slashing motion. Look at other weapons such as spears, nunchuks, tonfas, 3 piece nunchuk. Limited mobility for its implications.
Chainmail: The Katana is a slashing or cutting weapon. The japanese used spears for heavier armor.
Forging versus solid piece: Katana is forged from a steel block. Yes it is a series of forge welds. But it is still FORGED. However the carbon content that is forged into the blade is measured in todays high carbon steel. Which is the hardest steel around. Then the blade is tempered so it dosent shatter because of it hardness. Making the blade hold a razor sharp edge for a long period of its cutting life.
Usage: The Katana was used more for slashing or cutting. It was not used for CLUBBING. It is not a clubbing weapon. And as for being a weapon, it is a perfect extension of the human body. Not too long not too short. The curve in the blade is to complement the natural flow of a slashing motion. Look at other weapons such as spears, nunchuks, tonfas, 3 piece nunchuk. Limited mobility for its implications.
I've never found one nor does anyone need to when they understand that bullets fall to pieces the second they hit anything with a harder consistancy than human flesh.HankMan said:
Any rigid edge on any blade made of a material a lot stronger than copper and lead which are now super hot and traveling about 320m/s plus bullets are thin compared to the fullness of a blade that is cold, there can only be one result.
It's all moot the split bullet will simply make two entrance wounds plus no human is fast enough to actually move a blade into the direct bullet trajectory which the vices in those videos have been possitioned to enforce, such a square on impact won't happen in anything other than a completly set up enviroment.
I only ever find it irritating when they're depicted more like the lightsabers of God then actual weapons. Yes, well made katanas are very, VERY sharp, but when I see a katana slice through an entire human ribcage without even slowing down it can get real annoying. It's not so bad it it's anime or a video game, but if I'm seeing real actors fighing, in what is supposed to be the real world, it just pulls me out of the movie.
I think the same can be said of much of Japanese culture. They're pretty cool, don't get me wrong, it's just that with the anime craze we in the West have been inundated with their culture, from the youkai, to the ninjas, and yes, the katanas. Personally, I'm not just tired of seeing them, there is also some negative association between Japanese culture, anime, and Japan-ophiles who can't stop gushing about everything that comes from their favorite island chain. Japan is not at all the only interesting or unique culture in the world, or in Asia, or in Southeast Asia, and the katana is definitely not the only cool sword.
Now, some swords I might like to see more of would be things like the claymore for sheer decapitation power (and I'm a Scotsman myself, after all) and perhaps some blades like the khopesh and the kukri, for their unique and immediately recognizable shapes.
Now, some swords I might like to see more of would be things like the claymore for sheer decapitation power (and I'm a Scotsman myself, after all) and perhaps some blades like the khopesh and the kukri, for their unique and immediately recognizable shapes.
If any historian would agree with you then this should be easy.seniorsharptothetouch said:
[Citation needed]
At least with points 2, 3, 6, and 7.
1) It, as with any edged weapon, CAN chop though it's lack of foreward weight makes it ill suited for it. HOwever, it can still do the job. It's also, as with all swords, a peircing weapon when used to stab.
4) I'll say it again, the same is true with ALL swords. THis is a moot point that I can't believe you're arguing. You're just plain wrong on this one. It's not a detriment to the katana alone, it's a detriment to every metal forged melee weapon ever made.
5) We....agreed? Guess there's a first time for everything.
The rest is on you. I stand by what I said, but if I'm going to change my mind I want to see more proof than just "I said so". Especially if you claim to have other sources that agree with you.
I think the Pommel was more for counter balance to the sword blade. When you have a sword about 2 inches wide, and roughly 2.5-3 feet long, it would become quite top heavy. The Pommel gave the sword balance, alloying the wielder to use the sword more efficiently. This was particularly more important for swords that were held in one hand. A perfectly balance sword would have the hilt, pommel, guard, and several inches of the blade balanced evenly with the rest of the blade.seniorsharptothetouch said: