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18th October 2016, 01:26 PM
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#1 | |
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Member
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Austria
Posts: 1,911
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Quote:
Nice to hear from you!  I agree with some of your points but disagree with others. It is true the reputation of Japanese Katana is significantly exagerated, however they are formidable weapons that can compete with the best European or otherwise blades and in most cases outperform them. It is only that they are particularly designed for a specific fighting style that may give the impression they are not as good as their competitors. More preciesely as they are relatively light and even more so with a very light tip (in comparison with the Dao), they are not suitable for hacking strokes. However, they perform exceptionally well with slashing strokes. I have even seen a documentary where a Katana was put to a test aginst an European Longsword (you may find it on YouTube, just type "katana vs longsword") and won in most of the particulat tests (like cutting or stabbing test, were it outperformed the European Longsword). As with regards to the flexibility test you propose, that can be extremely misleading and dangerous as you can end up with a bent blade or injury without reaching any conclusion. I have about six Katanas and their flexibility varies significantly but within the normal expected range for a steel blade with the respective proportions. And this won't be by any discernable means significantly different from a san-mai Chinese sword of the same proportions. True that early Japanese swords were copied from Chinese, and mostly from Korean swords, but then we can also say that European swords were also copied from... say Roman swords (with the European longsword being nothing but a longer wversion of a Roman Gladius and a bigger crossguard). However, Japanese swords are certainly a class of their own and definitely very diferent from the early Korean swords they were modelled after. PS: Coming back to this sword, I believe that another point favourig the Japanese origin is its general shape with a fairly long and narrow blade and a rather thin and light tip. Chinese fighting style with the Dao is very much based on hacking strokes (hence the hilt bent towards the edge) that would require a heavier blade, with more of the weight distributed towards the tip. Last edited by mariusgmioc; 18th October 2016 at 02:27 PM. |
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18th October 2016, 02:29 PM
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#2 | |
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Member
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Germany
Posts: 525
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Quote:
also nice to hear from you! I know the Video you mentioned. It was made with modern swords. According to historical sources, the Japanese Samurai were pretty happy, when they found out, that their blades were of higher quality than portugese swords for example. But on the other hand, european raw steel was extremely sought after in ancient Nippon. Ancient Katana made from european raw steel have a pale blue shine, while Tamahagane is either black or dark blue, depending on the region. I'm not just collecting swords, I also know a little about their usage. The balance of a typical early or war Katana (not the very light civil everyday Edo-Katana) is terrible. It took years until a Samurai was able to use his Katana in the right way. If one hits the target not exactly in a 90° angle, the sword will be bend. This is one reason, why it takes so long to master the Katana. Japanes sword are extremely beautiful and aesthetic, but as a weapon I would compare it with the Starfighter plane (F-104), very fast but with a manouverability like a heavy truck full of gravel. Compared with a wootz Kilij it is like the Starfighter vs the SU35. Best wishes, Roland |
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18th October 2016, 07:12 PM
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#3 | |
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Member
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Austria
Posts: 1,911
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But that's the fun of it. 
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