My grandfather cut straight through Japanese swords with his browning.

@rodrigojimenez3965

7 жыл бұрын

now, that's brave! /s

@TheLiam14141

6 жыл бұрын

This legitimately made me laugh

@jimvargaco.6344

6 жыл бұрын

The Browning Automatic - the right way to make a machine gun.

@crazydiamondrequiem4236

5 жыл бұрын

Marry Christmas it happened before he was born?

@kaisermoneybags4450

5 жыл бұрын

your grandpa was an idiot

Interesting that I see many 'author withheld' messages on this one.

@maplesyrupminer437

3 жыл бұрын

8 years down the line, he's still going strong!

The only person a Japanese officer ever killed with his Katana was himself.

@daboomfex5064

7 жыл бұрын

hahahahahhahahahahahah

@seybertooth9282

7 жыл бұрын

Not at all true, though. They were intended as ceremonial/symbolic weapons but ended up seeing plenty of action in hand to hand combat.

@FranzFartinand

7 жыл бұрын

IT'S A FUCKING JOKE

@TheJefangel

7 жыл бұрын

You must get laid at all the parties.

@JoshuaEFinley

7 жыл бұрын

Wrong. The only person a Japanese officer killed with his Wakazashi was himself.

I'm too busy collecting underpants.

@anger_birb

4 жыл бұрын

Huh?!

@lindybeige

4 жыл бұрын

@@anger_birb Years go by, and the comments made by others disappear, but the replies I wrote to them remain. What did the person say, to which this was a cogent and witty reply? It may be lost in the mists of time.

@connorturner9837

4 жыл бұрын

Wow, surprised Lindybeige is Still commenting on 7 Year old videos! Just goes to show he is a mere mortal after all

@jimtaylor294

3 жыл бұрын

@@connorturner9837 Or on a higher deminsional level than us, always watching... always listening ;-)

@davidhoward7400

3 жыл бұрын

@@jimtaylor294 I'm going for mere mortal :) "I'm too busy collecting underpants." I hope this is the last comment on youtube,ever. When the internet morphs into a v'Ger like entity, I want it to search the universe looking for the Creator and his collection of underpants. I wonder if you read this, Lloyd. :) All the best.

Uh oh Lindy. You didn't sing the endless praises of over 1000000000000 times folded nippon steel. The shitstorm is real.

@13pen537

9 жыл бұрын

It's over 9000

@suwatsaksri7191

9 жыл бұрын

Not to mention that you can cut through the wind because we live anime hehehe

@yuhuangy3217

9 жыл бұрын

Elf Monster your profile pic is awesome. your name too (

@mooneyes2k478

9 жыл бұрын

***** I really REALLY hope you're not arguing that the thing was folded over 8000 times? **hopeful look**

@mooneyes2k478

9 жыл бұрын

***** As far as I know? Not really, no. And, that wasn't really an answer, either...

the katana was designed to kill peasants...which was a feudal era Samurai main victim. Abby reading about Samurai it begins clear they were hired thugs with a code of mythos to cover their actions.

@ForgiveAllOfUs

7 жыл бұрын

Like a police ? with a corpus of laws to cover their violent social "regulation" actions ?

@Gonzaga78

7 жыл бұрын

edgy youtube kid is edgy

@sigmund3784

7 жыл бұрын

I mean that's exactly what Knights were

@dragonslayer2729

7 жыл бұрын

Not really.... Nor were Knights. The reason why knights had a code of chivalry was mostly to keep war atrocities down and I'm not too sure about bushido but their primary purpose was for military reasons. Some of them could've been thieves but definitely not all of them

@konsyjes

7 жыл бұрын

that doesn't sound AT ALL like an oversimplification. I think it is notable that in both the Japanese and the European societies a strong "code of honour" was developped during the feudal period, and among the warrior class. I would guess this is probably because loyalty was a very important asset to the guy controlling these professional sodiers. And no, I don't think they needed to "cover" anyrthing up, as if they knew that we would be scrutinizing their conduct far in the future, or cared.

The REAL problem with katanas is that you can't use the pommels to end your enemies rightly.

@Gandalf3600

7 жыл бұрын

was looking for this

@adamstieber2591

7 жыл бұрын

Make sure you have a detachable pommel if you want to end your opponent rightly.

@BAGELMENSK

7 жыл бұрын

major props for this joke.

@doubleaja3415

7 жыл бұрын

P99AT wrong channel

@balintvasvari7573

6 жыл бұрын

That was well spoken.

He really missed a trick here. Katanas II: Electric Weaboo

@Lolpy.

3 жыл бұрын

Nice political compass

@dwarvensphere1094

3 жыл бұрын

@@Lolpy. cheers mate

@jimtaylor294

3 жыл бұрын

Katana II: Electric Plonkeroo*

@nikolairostov3326

3 жыл бұрын

Nice political compass

@efrencardoso9837

2 жыл бұрын

Nice political compass

Internet rule #231: When watching a video about samurai or katana, don't bother reading the comments section.

@13pen537

9 жыл бұрын

Too late.

@ethanquirk28

9 жыл бұрын

Dammit, forgot about that one...

@mundoinvisivelxd1936

9 жыл бұрын

violacrb i don't see anyone fighting here ..it is just you .

@violacrb

9 жыл бұрын

Ckyntosh Nice non sequitur!

@Psycosmurf43

8 жыл бұрын

Possibly my favorite internet rule. My least favorite? Rule 34...

Lindy has crushed a whole bunch of 12 year old weeaboos' dreams.

@michaelterrell5061

3 жыл бұрын

Not really

@41luisluisvenancioyaneza39

3 жыл бұрын

No. Most and i say most, of us have grown up. Mostly...

has anybody else noticed that in most of those ancient Japanese art peaces they're using spears?

@WillRipDime

9 жыл бұрын

The spear was the weapon of choice of almost every armies in the history. Cheap to make, easy to use... I think Katanas, or other 2 handed sword were more of a "shock infantry" weapon than a first line weapon. Used to attack the flank or to destroy a broken formation because without a shield, facing a spear wall... you'll be in trouble.

@DakotaMilesO

9 жыл бұрын

It's the same with European warfare. The sword was a nobleman weapon; just like European knights, Japanese Samurai primarily used a spear or lance from horseback. Also, just like in Europe, all basic Japanese infantry had no access to swords, so they all carried spears as well.

@randompanda3415

9 жыл бұрын

Samurai had no lances, and the weapon for noblemen was the bow. The katana were cheap made and affordable for common soldiers as well. Of course that changed drastically with Edo.

@DakotaMilesO

9 жыл бұрын

Samurai had no lance? Yari? Naginata?

@randompanda3415

9 жыл бұрын

Ugh, yeah, I mixed up my vocabulary. (I don't even know what exactly I typed there but whatever, the point remains)

Not exactly sure why everyone points at anime for the huge hype on the katana. Hollywood is more to blame, considering the huge variation in genre's for each anime, Yandere, mecha, and so on. There's even an anime set in the hundred years war between England and France with not a katana in sight. I don't deny the existence of anime that praises the katana, but it seems to be a little much to point at such a varied medium of animation. That and Hollywood would rather find something "exotic" than come up with an original idea for some super weapon. Anyway, so far as I see it, the katana is mainly an object of status rather than an actual weapon. Samurai received them because it was a part of the position to be armed with something, because peasants were not allowed to have weapons, or some such.

@mundoinvisivelxd1936

9 жыл бұрын

Fritts ShockTrooper its not the katana ..the katana by itself means nothing it is just a tool ...it is the conjunction of a katana and a samurai ...a trained warrior with the bushido way ...thats what makes the difference in a fight ..not like what this pathetic european lover is trying to say ..he trust so much in his own sword that i doubt this loser could stand 1.2 seconds in a real fight ...he is just dumb lol.. .

@carroboi2981

9 жыл бұрын

Ckyntosh I'm not sure if you are serious... Lindy is not a fighter, he just talks about stuff, so of course he can't hope to best a man with training. Your comment gives me the feeling that you *may* be trolling, or lack the understanding that the West and East have co-existed for quite a long time. Both styles and ways of doing things are correct and incorrect in their own ways. A Boxer may best a Karate practitioner if he has the edge in training and instict. The method is different, the aim is the same. No but seriously, *are* you trolling?

@mundoinvisivelxd1936

9 жыл бұрын

Fritts ShockTrooper not with this ..i trolled in other comments but i don't about skills ..japanese people clearly have more dicipline compared to european people ..at that time ..i'm not talking about boxing ..you are ..i'm talking about swordmanship .

@carroboi2981

9 жыл бұрын

Ckyntosh No, I'm talking about the differences in cultures, styles, and training. A Samurai and say, a Roman Centurion would both need discipline and dedication. As would a European Knight, a Man at Arms. Soldiers and Warriors from both the East and West need Discipline, invoking Bushido as "Supperior" is foolish. A novice Samurai will get his rear handed to him on a plate just as easy as a novice Knight. If the East was truely better than the West, Samurai wouldn't have been phased out due to rapid fire weaponry and advanced fire-arms. I fail to see any logic behind your statements, so you are either foolish, or are trolling, I can go with both if you wish.

@mundoinvisivelxd1936

9 жыл бұрын

Fritts ShockTrooper HAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAH my god ...you said something about me failing at logic when you said that samurai were not good because they couldn't face rapid fire weaponry of guns ? HAHHAHAHAHAHHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAH that's nonsense hehehehee ...you and not even anyone can stand against normal firearmas using swords ...lol ..i was talking about a samurai master not a novice ..a samurai master against a "knight master" ..if that could really exist lol ...not involving guns ..WTF lol

Aren't all swords sharpened iron bars?

@diggernick901

8 жыл бұрын

Essentially.

@octodude6815

8 жыл бұрын

Oh, good heavens, no. Some of them were bronze.

@fiddlove

8 жыл бұрын

Some were made from steel too.

@josephstalin9939

8 жыл бұрын

Yeah, he seems to go a bit hard on the katana.

@mooneyes2k478

8 жыл бұрын

Well, no. Most were actually steel.

A video about naginatas would be great

@arnaudmiller-goupil4252

8 жыл бұрын

+Enkii Muto agreed

@tabula_rosa

7 жыл бұрын

he has made a lot of videos about halberds.

@tabula_rosa

7 жыл бұрын

which is what they were using. Spears and halberds. Just like everybody else

@arnaudmiller-goupil4252

7 жыл бұрын

but..but... CURVED JAPANESE MASTER RACE BLADES!?!?! /s

@warhammerworkshop40

5 жыл бұрын

Yea or just the sengoku period altogether

Thanks. I am using a Tascam field recorder for a lot of the sound now, bit sometimes the camera sound is still better.

@Dapstart

3 жыл бұрын

No problem

Katanas are really just curved longswords (or long scimitars) with a really good PR campaign.

@reddokkfheg9443

10 жыл бұрын

A more accurate description is Katanas are just really a heavy and front heavy sabreblade with a twohanded hilt. I like my katana and its a nice sword to handle and really easy to cut with. maybe not really better cutter than a longswordbut easier to cut with. But to be honest,. just look at it objectivily and it is basicly a short, thick and heavy sabre blade with a two handed hilt. And the blade on a katana is not really longer than a scimitar blade

@benjaminbrohmer8866

9 жыл бұрын

Katanas aren't longswords.

@reddokkfheg9443

9 жыл бұрын

Benjamin Brohmer By japanese standards they count as a longsword. But you are right they are not longswords if you look at european standards. They are too short and only single edged

@reddokkfheg9443

9 жыл бұрын

And another point about the Op's post. "or long Scimitars" as he said. Actually the scimitars are in general longer than a Katana. if you are looking at the blade length. so it would be better to call them "short scimitars" even if that is wrong to its atleast closer to reality

@benjaminbrohmer8866

9 жыл бұрын

Reddokk Fheg Thats the point when coparing japanease with european longswords you should use one standard. A lot of Tachi and all Nodchai would be longswords.

The katana is awesome, but it's not really the sword itself that's so great. People don't really want a katana, what they want is to be samurai ...and have a katana. Like he said in the last video, and touched on a bit in this one -the katana never changed. Instead, samurai spent their entire lives mastering the sword when they could/should have been improving upon it. Eventually better weapons emerged and the katana took on a more symbolic role.

@Rifkin777

8 жыл бұрын

+eugene Perry Why would you want to be a Samurai? They had one of the worst military training, and their strategy was "One hit one kill" if that failed, then guess what? _Dead_

@eugenePerryMB

8 жыл бұрын

+Riffy it's a fantasy to begin with, the IDEA of being a samurai - no reason to care about the negative aspects. Now, if you find an actual way to send me back to feudal Japan to become one, then I'll think it out more critically.

@Rifkin777

8 жыл бұрын

eugene Perry haha, fair enough. Just wanted to be sure you knew that being a Samurai isn't all that great. Very low life expectancy and terrible battle training.

@eugenePerryMB

8 жыл бұрын

+Riffy yeah, I wouldn't REALLY want to live anywhere in that time period. The BO alone would probably kill me, and I'm already older than the average life span...

@mrwindupbird101

8 жыл бұрын

+Riffy I'm willing to bet it has something to do with the rise in anime culture in the west. Anime becomes popular and next thing you know everybody thinks katanas are the end all sword.

I feel like people are going pretty hard on the katana without thinking about context. Yeah, the design was "outdated" fairly early compared to the rest of the world. In Europe nations and whatnot were developing and improving their sword and armor designs and techniques and technology so that they could fight different peoples with different histories and different cultures and different armor and different weapons which developed around different fighting styles. This is presumably why people seem to have made their weapons and such as versatile as possible. However, Japan was developing and improving their sword and armor designs against ITSELF, Japan wasn't fighting another nation almost ever in those times. They were fighting amongst themselves. Therefore, because everybody belonged to roughly the same culture and has only ever fought against people similar to them, they never really ended up designing a weapon as versatile as the longsword or this or that. Hell, they didn't even use shields as far as I understand. The katana is from one of the few places on earth that developed alone instead of alongside its immediate neighbors and fighting and developing ways of dealing with their immediate neighbors. That's why people like it so much, I'd say. Yeah, people go a little overboard saying its perfect and this and that, but in context it sort of WAS perfect FOR THE JAPANESE AGAINST THE JAPANESE. The katana is a profoundly interesting piece considering that Japan developed (as far as I know) in its own little bubble with minimal interaction with the outside world until like the 1500s or some shit. The place still had its classic culture of Japanese warriors and shit until only around THREE HUNDRED YEARS AGO. In that regard, the katana is truly a marvel. Its a reminder of Japan's unique past, whereas a basic straight sword? Well, shit, everybody had those and there were similarly shaped swords and ideas explored and tweaked constantly by everybody.

@BrianStyleDeath

7 жыл бұрын

isuckatguitar12 Koreans used pretty much identical swords to katanas at Times, either that or they just claim that because it's so popular.

@KusagariBlues

7 жыл бұрын

This needs more likes.

@bartomiejkumor9375

7 жыл бұрын

Dude, I've seen way too much people say that a samurai would win in a fight against an European knight to not go hard on the katana.

When my grandfather was in burma in ww2 a japanese man cut his sherman tank clean in half... 😂

GLORIOUS NIPPON STEEL

@ThePointlessBox_

10 жыл бұрын

FORDED OVER MIRRION TIME

@13pen537

9 жыл бұрын

***** CUTS TRU ERRYTING!

@Stresser05Alex

9 жыл бұрын

GRORIOUS* NIPPON STEER*

@andrewp8284

9 жыл бұрын

Stresser Alex They must really be proud of their cattle over there... ;) Deck the harrs with barrs of har-ry, Fa ra ra ra ra, ra ra ra ra (Okay I better stop before I get called a racist...)

"A katana collector came to visit me at home, with his collection..." Mental image of a flustered neckbeard coming to whine about how katanas are the best swords, GET.

@pallasathena1555

Жыл бұрын

Hotori honzo?

There seems to be allot of hate towards anyone who doesn't worship the katana. In my opinion the katana is a nice looking really sharp sword but it isn't this ultimate cutting super duper warrior sword everyone sees in Hollywood movies. I am no expert in this area of swords and fighting but for what little information i do have i can say that the katana is a good sword and does its job well but there are other swords that aren't katanas that do their jobs just as well and if not better then what a katana could do. I really don't know why a fucking Japanese sword has fan base and silly people worship said sword and think it can do anything just because they saw Tom Cruse go through a ninja training montage.

@DenverStarkey

10 жыл бұрын

fact is there is no such thing as "perfect" sword. every sword design out there was designed for a specific function and usage. some were made to get in the joints of armor , other were made as police weapons , some were made to break up pike men formations. Some swords from a round the world even had more than one functional use in combat. the list of their uses go on and on. The katana had a single function in japanese warfare, which in my opinion actually makes it one of the lesser swords out there because many european swords and middle eastern swords had multi-function in their design and even those didn't do "everything".

@ethanquirk28

9 жыл бұрын

It's because it's a mystical magical super sword from the east where everything is awesome and martial-arty... In truth they were used as secondary weapons, displays or to prove rank or status. The Japanese revere them as a work of art because of the effort that goes into them, the rest of the world sees this as meaning they're magic, something got lost in translation I guess

@DenverStarkey

9 жыл бұрын

Ethan Quirk or maybe there's just this fixation on every thing in the east being done better than the west. Sort of like the japanimation fanboys that swear japanese animation is some how superior to western animation. or the crowd of western gamers that swear japanese games are the best. when in fact niether of those things are true just like this katana and eastern martial arts BS is not true.

@ethanquirk28

9 жыл бұрын

***** finally!! someone who sees through the smoke and mirrors, but some eastern games do have alot more effort put into them, its more than just money over there, mostly money but they care about their jobs too

@DenverStarkey

9 жыл бұрын

Ethan Quirk well i never said that eastern games were bad , just saying they are not necessarily the best just because they are made in the east. Just like you can get a cheap crappy 50 dollar made in taiwan katana that is well crap .. you can also find japanese or eastern games that are total crap. While some western stuff is awesome. it's not a matter of where it's from it's a matter of what kind of effort the creators put into it.

one thing that i like about katanas is that since they all look sameish (same construction and lenghts) you can order a variety of diferent handles, guards and scabards, is such a modular sword that you can modify to match you suit and fashion without needing more than one blade

Yes, folding the iron is necessary to compensate for poor iron ore. Even in the medieval period in Europe, sword ceased being pattern-forged when superior steels were developed.

@st0rmrider

Жыл бұрын

No no no, you don't fold the iron, you iron the clothes and then you fold the clothes!

I am so satisfied at the fact that you couldn't monetize that video just because of the music. Not a katana cultist, but that video was essentially as over the top anti-katana as the katana cultists are pro-katana. Why not just respect it as a viable weapon for the purpose it was designed for? And the finest sword created by the finest Viking or Celtic smith is still just another sharpened iron bar until it takes on additional meaning.

@VintageLJ

9 жыл бұрын

This wasn't anti-katana at all, it was anti-katana-cultist. Also, he has done more than most cultists have ever done, actually used a Katana.

@SanjiSasuke

9 жыл бұрын

This video wasn't but his previous one was, at least it seemed that way to me. It seemed to use plenty of language in that vein, like saying that katanas 'were made the worst smiths and used by the worst swordsman'.

@randompanda3415

9 жыл бұрын

But it's true. The katana has always been a secondary weapon, and it has a rather flawed design.

@SanjiSasuke

9 жыл бұрын

Most any type of sword is a secondary weapon. That includes the longsword, basket-hilt sword, Chinese dao and rapier. Most swords are not primary battle weapons unless it is a duel (likewise for a katana duel). And "rather flawed" seems vague. All the swords I said previously have 'flawed' designs due to the fact that they are not perfect, since there is no perfect sword. A katana has drawbacks and advantages.

@randompanda3415

9 жыл бұрын

SanjiSasuke I know, it was rushed as I just didn't feel like getting into it at the time. I should've said that the katana was a rather unimportant weapon, far less important than the longsword, but I also expected you to be someone that thinks samurai ran around only with katana in their hands while common soldiers had other weapons like it is in Hollywood. My mistake. First I typed "quite flawed" but then I thought it sounded too aggressive so I just replaced it with the too-weak rather. The thought behind it was that the longsword has the edge at almost all points, the only thing were the katana is better is cutting, but really p these few degrees more won't give you an impressive advantage. The katana is very thick and heavy, while being short, it has no real hand guard neither a knuckle, it's bad at thrusting, the shape makes it more static than a longsword which also makes it easier to bend once it faces enough pressure. It only has one blade, the tip isn't really pointy, and so on. I can recommend you to visit nihontocraft.com, this site translates original Japanese writings and they also have an enlightening section about katana.

There was an extensive range of different Nihon-to (Japanese swords). From the earliest styles there were the Tachi, which was a much more curved weapon than the modern katana, made around 12 to 13th Century C.E. There was also the Odachi, kind of like a Japanese two-handed sword or 15th Century Longswrd, but curved like a Tachi and the longest were 6 feet in length.

The curve of the katana's blade comes from the quench. The sword itself is forged straight, and then the whole thing is dropped into water, and the rapid cooling bends the iron first forward, then backward to produce the curve that is so consistent between blades.

@Monozie

8 жыл бұрын

+Paul Groene Yeah, no.

@beelzebubtheonetruedemonki9707

8 жыл бұрын

+Minh Tran he's right, the reason many of them were very slightly different was because of the difference in the blade temperature, the exact makeup of what it was quenched in and the procedure of the swordsmith himself.So all in all Paul here is correct.

If you are a reasonable human being, just don't read these comments. Both sides of the argument are extremely bias, ignorant and self absorbed.

@TheZakkattackk

8 жыл бұрын

kash smith The fact that there is an argument here at all is silly. Nothing he's states is contentious. There's just a lot of weeaboo otaku types on youtube with anime character avatars that confuse their own fanaticism for anything Japanese with fact. Katanas were more of a cultural symbol than a practical weapon, a last resort to the bow or pike in a real battle. Who cares? Move on.

@aaronjohnson6227

8 жыл бұрын

+Zach B Oh, look! Comment necromancy! You've resurrected a discussion from the dead! Good for you. You've introduced a great number of helpful facts, totaling... zero. Yay...

@TheZakkattackk

8 жыл бұрын

Aaron Johnson Smells like rustle around here.

@beelzebubtheonetruedemonki9707

8 жыл бұрын

+Aaron Johnson WOOT, yay pretentiousness!

@alanabeaumont2650

6 жыл бұрын

kash smith you appear to be a me person

Don't feel bad about the special effects and editing not getting views. I am watching a playlist of all of your videos for the sheer enjoyment of it. This is video number 47.

Wait, Lindy hasn't done a video on historical ninja... I mean, yeah, they aren't as mystical as movies show them, but the ninja were an overall very interesting topic even in their strictly historical context. I'd love to see a Lindybeige video on ninjas!

@maxpaspirgilis3967

7 жыл бұрын

if you are intrestet in that antony cummings is some one you want to check out ;)

@boiledelephant

7 жыл бұрын

From various bits and pieces I get the feeling they were basically feudal Japan's version of MI5, surreptitious spies who occasionally assassinated people or broke into places. They've become all-round combat experts in lore, which doesn't seem to fit with their historical purposes, so I'd be interested to see a video about it.

@devilhunterred

7 жыл бұрын

You are right, ninjas were mostly spies, and some were assassins, but most of them were not combat experts, otherwise they would be hired as samurai instead of ninja, which had much lower social and financial status.

@docterdanger8306

7 жыл бұрын

but then, ninjas never had anything to do with katanas

@seabe2345

7 жыл бұрын

Docter Danger j

I really enjoyed this video and your right the way the sword was used changed through the years in japan and the weights and sizes differed from Ryuha to Ryuha

I only discovered your videos today because of your previous video bashing katana (and it was because you weren't fanboying over them that I continued watching other videos) but I'm glad you got to try out the different "variants" of the blade. I don't have much love for them, but it is good to see someone that at least can tell the difference between them.

this guys awesome

Why do people like katanas so much? They are short, they are heavy, their guard is sub par, it was an outdated design by the mid 1300's

@MJuegaES

8 жыл бұрын

+MrPartySack I think it's because of Anime.

@Sokar12345

8 жыл бұрын

+MrPartySack because they are indestructible, cut through anything and give you superpowers.

@MrVoixe

8 жыл бұрын

+MrPartySack Well, the blade is absolutely perfect for cutting through unarmored targets, but that's really all it's got going for it.

@TechExpanse

8 жыл бұрын

+MrPartySack because they are elegant and beautiful, what I don't understand why people are so obsessed with functionality its not like you will ever going to use it anyways then why choose ugly piece of metal instead of nicer looking one if its ultimate purpose will be to hang on your wall ?

@peppybocan

8 жыл бұрын

+MrPartySack Well, you must look at that from a location perspective, in those days everybody in Japan had katana, and nothing else, pretty much (leaving other variations like wakizashi or ninjato off the discusion). They are short because Japanese were short and have shorter hands, that's also why it's curved and because your drawing is shorter, if you had any special requirements, you as a samurai would go to the blacksmith and ask him for special one. They are heavy and that's other point of view, samurais were practicing day and night with wooden swords, which were made of some heavy wood too (you had to have strong wrists to handle katana just to hold it very firmly), another take is that when you try to swing the sword from above your head, with curvature, speed and gravity, your energy is meeting in one cutting point which leads into more damage (instead of classical long sword which is straight and the energy is distributed equally). About the guard, you have to acknowledge that you are in Japan, those people have some culture to it and the culture of sword fighting is called kenjutsu. In kenjutsu your starting point of the fight is basically when your katanas' tips are about to meet (roughly). That's the distance where you start fighting, if your thing is to try to cut off the fingers then you would have to have longer and heavier sword or would be insanely clever how to get to that point to cut his fingers off, but in most cases when you have two guys with about the same sword size, his chances to cut your fingers off are equal to yours... and in that case where you do have a chance to cut his fingers off, wouldn't it be better to kill him after all? Samurai is not a guy who would cry when you chop his fingers off, no... he would take katana to the other hand or draw is smaller sword - wakizashi.

My mind feels so fresh and stimulated!

"A sharpened iron bar" - Lindy has always been so savage lol 🙂

Japan, and Asia in general, just have a fascination with blades. It just so happens that the katana was the most popular sword in Japan. Japan's version of Excalibur, the Kusanagi was told to be able to control the storms, which was a Chinese jian. . Also, they are arguably the ones who popularized the idea of swords shooting lazer beams in fiction, be it a long sword, a zweihander, or a katana. They just love swords.

To me, katanas have always been more of an... art thingy. Kinda like meditation. Its culture, and therefore something to be proud of. But battles arent won with honor, culture and meditation. Battles are won with superior manpower and equipment. Take the movie Last Samurai for example... now forget about all the plot and Tom Cruise... think about the final battle, where they all charged with their swords and got their asses handed to them by... guns. Thats how you win a battle... and even if you dont like that because its cheap, you have to use it if you want to win. So in the end, it doesnt really matter if and how usefull katanas were... of course you can win against a spearlike weapon if youre good... but dont forget that your opponent whos wielding a spear can also be quite good. Add the chance of getting killed by a lucky archer... I like katanas too because of what they stand for, but thats it. Its one of many cultural attributes of Japan and thats it. They have manga and katanas and tentacle-porn... USA has burgers and guns, England has... tea and monocles?^^ You get my point. Of course its more badass to swing around a katana and slice up all your opponents while not breaking a sweat like you see it happen in many movies and animes... but remember that one scene from Indiana Jones, where that one guy with his swords shows up, swings them around like a pro and then... gets shot by Jones? Thats how things are.

@VintageLJ

9 жыл бұрын

I personally like the Longbow, and I would think you would too, judging by your profile picture. :P

I just found this channel and, man, it's pretty damn interesting. Keep this up!

I always saw swords and spears as the pistols and rifles of their day. One is a wieldy defense weapon that sacrifices size for utility and maneuverability, while one is for actually reaching out and killing the enemy at a longer range, and a better effect vs armor.

@mrwindupbird101

8 жыл бұрын

+Deep Fried Jesus Short/Light=Quick but low damage, Long/Heavy=Slow but high damage. There should be a Newton's law for this I swear haha

During the Edo jidai Tokugawa standardized the katana by law so variance wasn't big. In the sengoku era you will see some pretty odd and unexpected variances. It is important to remember that these are side arms and duelist weapons as the hayday of the katana is after Japans warring states era. Now the balance thing you notice, well let's face it, even in ancient times there were some lame smiths who weren't good. There were also poor samurai who bought lame smith gear. The curving handle is a result of the quench, the steel curves when dipped in water for clay tempering to render the hamon. I'm not a katana is bst svvord evar guy, I'm just particularly interested in it and it's use because of the media I like. At the end of the day a katana is a two handed saber, you cut people with and stab them to. There's a few structural issues with it, but hey ancient engineering and poor iron sources don't make perfection.

@DaisiesTC

8 жыл бұрын

+Justin Prather A good comparison to the katana is the revolver. Almost all revolvers of the same calibre look the same, and have very little (other than build quality and aesthetics) that differentiate it from other revolvers of the same calibre. And the revolver is inferior compared to other handguns, yet it's popular because of cultural and superficial reasons ("looks cool"), the same with katana in comparison to other swords.

@DaisiesTC

8 жыл бұрын

+Justin Prather Additionally, both are overly glorified by Hollywood and western/Japanese fanboys.

I'm guessing the physical build of the person might influence how a katana constructed, based on who was supposed to wield it.

at a gun show a few months ago i was able to hold some old katanas, and i was pretty shocked as much as you about how light they were. The guy told me it's because the time period in which they were made (kamakura i think) the armor worn was mostly cloth, like silk or whatever.

good to see more level headed people around

As you said in the first video, The Katanas weren't really used in battle, the sword was used for ritualistic purposes and symbols of status.

@michaelterrell5061

3 жыл бұрын

No they very much were used in battle just it as much as bows and polearms just like everywhere else isn’t eh world swords actually all generally suck compared to how’s and polearms

The only reason why the katana and the entire japanese culture flourished was not because of how amazing it was, but rather because the Europeans forgot their origins and their own heritage as the time and technology went on. The Europeans lost their soul and that is the only reason they admired a culture that still owns it. So in the end, it's not the best, it was just better than nothing :D

@frog_champ

9 жыл бұрын

Are you saying that Europeans have no souls?

@SoulRipper66

9 жыл бұрын

Becuz Potato No no, am just saying that you are a cat.

@fg09403

9 жыл бұрын

or it could be that their culture is progression itself rather than a single point.

@SoulRipper66

9 жыл бұрын

neo bear So the rest of the world was just sleeping while they discovered perfection? I highly doubt that.

@fg09403

9 жыл бұрын

what does that have to do with what i said?

Except for the balance, the differences were insignificant, and would not have affected the function or manner of use of the sword.

Thank you, I'm starting to build swords myself (with a similar technique as Albion Swords) and I have been looking up as much info as I can about them. I'm even looking at museum pieces every chance I get. Another point I should make is that a sword could never cut through armor, unless very poorly made. Earlier tip heavy swords were meant to break bone under chainmail, later on swords were meant to cut or thrust at the kinks in armor.

The reason everyone thinks that the katana is over glorified is because Japan glorified all swords, watch their culture, after trading the bow for a katana (yes, samurai were originally archers) the tradition of the weapon being the soul of the warrior went with it. And you see in the culture all swords are given great respect, but it being Japan, you see their sword the most. Big shock, I know.

@The_Gallowglass

8 жыл бұрын

+Breasil131 A lot of them still used bows in battle along with their pole arm and their side arms (daishou).

@tabula_rosa

7 жыл бұрын

simpler reason; the katana was used to bully peasants, and they (we and everybody everywhere) glorify bullying peasants, and therefor glorify the weapons used to do it. All pre-gun warfare was done with spears, always. Swords have always been the pistols of the pre-gun ages, and just like pistols now they only ever got used to kill civilians

@Breasil131

7 жыл бұрын

Deshara actually I think you will find the popular way to kill peasants these days is to make them dig a large hole, line them up in front of said hole and use a firing squad with automatic weapons to mow them all down. I'm not saying that samurai didn't kill the peasantry basically as a hobby, or that most ppl didn't see the katana as a symbol of terror. but the actual samurai would use their Kitana on someone as unworthy as a peasant. While Spears were a very popular weapon in war, I think you will find sword and shield just as popular to outfit soldiers with as well.

@kenshin1368

4 жыл бұрын

The bow is absolutely glorified in any serious look at Japanese warfare. All samurai were archers (specifically mounted archers) as well as spearmen, etc. They still glorify traditional bow techniques just like they do traditional sword techniques. The sword is more romantic and pop cultury because they are simply cooler. Therefore, they get much more media, myth, hype, etc just like they did in other cultures.

Katana means "Japanese Sword" - Samurai Cop

@Dapstart

3 жыл бұрын

Amir had such a way with words

I, for one, would like to see more Stoke Mandeville as you have time.

Another point to make. The sword length may have been very similar because Tokugawa shogunate created rules for the sword specifications during their rule. It mainly limited the length of the sword.

aren't all swords sharpened iron bars?

@NightmaRReify

10 жыл бұрын

Butthurt :)

@Green815

10 жыл бұрын

Mad Vlad That depends where you stick it.

@MrDanteBurns

10 жыл бұрын

I think that's pretty much the point he was trying to make.

@MrDanteBurns

10 жыл бұрын

MrDanteBurns I hadn't actually finished watching it when I posted that, but he made the same comment on the last video about Katanas.

@AudieHolland

10 жыл бұрын

MrDanteBurns Yeah, he just doesn't like Katanas. A simple iron bar however, would have to be folded over and over during the forging of the blade. According to Stan Sakai, author of the very well-researched but deceptively simple-looking "Usagi Yojimbo," that is just what most Ninjas used for a sword. Reason: a Ninja would use any sort of weapon at his disposal and usually had a whole array of different tools for his trade (=death). A Ninja wasn't bothered that his sword was actually his soul, if it broke off or got stuck, he could leave it and fetch another one once he got back to the Ninja arsenal. Another word about the end of the Sengoku Jidai: many jobless Samurai (actually Samuri but whatever) who would not stoop so low to become bandits and who couldn't get a job as a merchant's bodyguard, were forced to sell their souls (=Katana) so they could buy food and provide for their family. But even though they poorer than poor, they still would carry the symbols of their status: the two swords. At least, it looked that way as long as the luckless Samurai would not have to actually draw his sword because then it would turn out the 'sword' was a bamboo replacement with only the grip looking genuine.

I highly doubt he really had swords from the middle ages because those are not only very rare, but I believe that it is illegal to export an ancient sword in Japan.

@Erduk

10 жыл бұрын

Yeah. If this collector of his is actually real I'm pretty sure he must not know very much. Which leads me to believe the video author doesn't know very much either.

@Dj4Life777

10 жыл бұрын

Erduk Did you really not read the statement in his video???

@Begleitkubus

10 жыл бұрын

Today it may be illegal, but during/after WWII many old swords went to the US as war trophies :(

@Ser_Salty

9 жыл бұрын

Could just be recreations. I doubt that there are many intact swords from the middle ages.

@VintageLJ

9 жыл бұрын

Call me Senpai A large amount of ornamental swords were made, and you'd be surprised; Many Katanas did survive due to the fact that they were used rarely.

lovely videos and i REALLY DID NOT start out with katanas. but now that you sold out, i m with you!

Very interesting watch. Thanks for making this one.

You're wrong. The katana is infused with the spirit of a fierce samurai warrior. It can cleave a man in twain, slice through steel plate like butter, and pierce through an Abrams tank. Watch Rurouni Kenshin sometime to get a true feel for this incredible sword.

@aah7806

8 жыл бұрын

Preposterous! Next thing you'll say is that Lars Andersen is reaching a new level of superior archery... ... oh wait.

I often wonder if the basically identical appearance with very different balance was a matter of aesthetic tradition or a very purposeful decision to keep one's opponent ignorant of the specialty of one's weapon.

@Gilmaris

9 жыл бұрын

Kyle Rybski Aesthetic tradition, without a doubt. We see the same in Europe: to those who aren't familiar with European sword types, all longswords and knightly swords are going to look the same. Sure, put two of them next to eachother and anyone can spot the difference, but the layman isn't going to appreciate the significance of those differences. The same thing is true of Japanese swords: someone not familiar with them are going to spot the differences (length of blade, length of handle, depth of curvature, thickness, width etc. etc.), but is not going to be able to appreciate the significance of those differences. "Meh, it still looks like any other to me."

@yuvalbar

9 жыл бұрын

Gilmaris you do know that a cleaver was as large as one and a helf longsword? The European verity was much larger. Though Europe is a much larger scene and had more cultural interactions (Turks, Arabs, francs, Italians, Slavs, Spanish, german, British)

@Gilmaris

9 жыл бұрын

יובל בר A cleaver is a butcher's knife. It is nowhere near as large as a longsword, let alone one and a half longsword. But what are you talking about cleavers for, anyway?

@yuvalbar

9 жыл бұрын

sorry claymor

@Gilmaris

9 жыл бұрын

יובל בר I'm not sure you mean claymore, though, because you talked about European versions being bigger. The claymore is exclusively European (Scottish, to be precise), and means greatsword. They come in a variety of sizes, but yes, some are really big. German Zweihänder even more so. The Japanese, on their end of the world, had the Odachi, which easily matched claymores for size. Granted, they were only popular for about a century, but they were pretty big (the name means "great big sword"). The biggest one is 3,7 meters long. It is ceremonial, but traditionally made.

I'm subbing, your stuff is awesome, and you sound like you really know what you're talking about and make it interesting!

@kittysplode

3 жыл бұрын

no he doesn't. he's right that japan was isolated and behind the times, but he clearly has no idea how japanese culture worked with the "oh well THIS is the in-style way to use a sword, now it's THIS!" no it would have been more regional than temporal, which is something he should have realized based on the fact that shit didn't change for a thousand years. it's nice to watch him learn, though. he does learn very well, and he has some good ideas. unfortunately, he tends to spout whatever comes to his mind--he does have schizophrenia, i can tell you this from looking at him and experience. but he's intelligent enough to keep it in control, and one will find in life that being that sort of intelligent, where you learn very quickly and have an approach to things that is welcome to the input of others, will counterbalance your various mental quirks quite soundly.

also well, I found an image a while back, it's a photo of tachi, chokuto and katana blades of the whole of japanese history and you can see a HUGE amount of variation in curvature, the shape and length of the top section, known as the kissaki there, just make sure there arn't any spaces and there is the image, might give people a bit more info to see what Lloyd probably saw in that collection

I hear the term katana cultist thrown around a lot, was that term entirely coined by skallagrim, or did he borrow it from someone?

@StormchaserKnight

9 жыл бұрын

Gandalf126 I prefer the term "katanaphile."

@adrenochromejunkie

9 жыл бұрын

I think Skallagrim made it.

@mooneyes2k478

9 жыл бұрын

StormchaserKnight Katana-plonker, as mentioned by Lloyd.

@mundoinvisivelxd1936

9 жыл бұрын

Gandalf126 what is the word for anyone who thinks a sword is the only thing that matters in a fight like you guys ? blade cultist or something ? its so stupid to bash any kind of sword ...have you guys been in a real fight ? it is too quick to be concerned about how light or strong the steel is made ...you idiots ...

@mooneyes2k478

9 жыл бұрын

Ckyntosh And, yet ANOTHER example of you being a fucking moron. Further film.

No one seems to pay much attention to the wakizashi or the nagimaki, are they not as "good" as the katana , are they too similar to the katana, or did the katana just jump on the hype train without its relatives?

@SidewaysGts

9 жыл бұрын

Chad Connelly Wakizashi have their uses where they offer there advantages, no weapon is "perfect", but overall- Id happily assert that in most situation a katana would be superior (But again, context is required. Katanas were day to day sidearms. Not commonly used as battlefield swords, which were a bit bigger. But being a day to day tool, one that youd HOPEFULLY never need- Its of no surprise they were constructed to be a bit more "practical" for the type, and amount of use theyd see). Its also worth noting "who" was allowed to openly wear a katana when talking about their popularity, ie, samurai (albeit not limited exclusively to), and this probably has a large influence on the "awe" factor. It wasnt uncommon and if i recall, completely legal, to carry smaller weapons for self defense such as tantos and wakizashis depending on your social class (such as merchants), but it was those like samurai who were allowed to carry the larger katana in a day to day basis. Youd probably view a katana with a bit of awe. Think of seeing a solider with a rifle, when all youre allowed to carry is a small personal firearm.

@NekoNinja13

9 жыл бұрын

SidewaysGts Ok that makes ALOT of sense actually thanks :)

@TheStormcrow2

9 жыл бұрын

Chad Connelly Wakizashi roughly translated means "hindrance to the side" in Japanese. In essence, any weapon you have in auxiliary, not being used, is a wakizashi. When you are not using a weapon, it is just extra weight.

One of the things I'm a fan of about Katanas, being that I'm trained as an Aikidoka, is that they're particularly good for being used with two hands. Though, maybe, not necessarily how you have in mind. During certain transitions for the orbital like swinging that was used for proper slicing techniques, it's useful to hold the back of the sword or even brace the back of the blade of the sword. This is important because it helps with how quickly you can change directions with your cutting. Something that cutting would normally be bad at due to the large follow through that might come with a normal cut. Think of these techniques as being similar to bunting in base ball, in the way the hands are held on the sword/bat. I know western swordsmen do similar techniques but the single edge and gentle curve of the katana make it well suited for this fighting form.

i love your info and ranting, thanks

That's what I find truly fascinating about katanas when you wash away all the myths. The basic design stayed very similar over a long period of time while European weapons changed quite rapidly. There's many different schools and techniques, as different as they can be with the same weapon. I find that philosophical an beautiful in many ways.

@Gilmaris

10 жыл бұрын

The Japanese stuck to the same designs pretty much the same way as the Europeans did. If you're not familiar with Japanese swords you might think they all look the same, but the same is true of European swords. Most people aren't going to tell the difference between the various Oakeshott types, and you could easily divide katana into as many types. I also note that you talk about Japanese *swords*, but European *weapons*. I hope you meant European swords, as there is no reason to exclude Japanese weapons otherwise. Japanese had weapons for every occasion, just like Europeans did. Swords, axes, clubs, spears, pikes, bill-hooks, bows, crossbows, firearms etc. I don't see how the Japanese stuck to basic designs to any greater or lesser degree than anyone else. What exactly do you mean by "basic design" anyway? The basic design of a spear is a pointed stick, and no matter how far evolved, it is still going to be a pointed stick.

@raizumichin

10 жыл бұрын

Gilmaris Yes, I meant European swords, not weapons. By basic I meant that the general design stayed very similar, compared to how European swords changed during the time corresponding to the Edo period.

@Gilmaris

10 жыл бұрын

raizumichin The Edo period was a time of peace, after the long age of warring states previously. This lead to some significant changes in blade and armour designs. Grips generally got longer, blades thinner and hamon more flamboyant, as they were made with aesthetics in mind before practicality. Later on in Edo the trend changed, with a revival of blade styles centuries past, and notably the Kogarasu style (which is double-edged toward the tip). Armour saw a similar development, with strange combinations of early and late designs in early Edo, and a counter-trend later on for the practical once more. But I digress. My point is, at no time did sword designs stay the same. They all basically stayed "curved, single-edged and differentially hardened", but in the same way you can say that European swords basically stayed "straight, double-edged and tempered". If you use very basic adjectives like that, then European swords didn't change any more than Japanese swords.

@raizumichin

10 жыл бұрын

But European swords *didn't* stay straight and double edged during that period. We saw a transition from longswords through rapiers and basket hilted broadswords to sabres.

@Gilmaris

10 жыл бұрын

raizumichin Ah, but those were different *types* of swords. The Japanese had different types of sword as well. They had straight, double edged swords (tsurugi, or ken), and single-handed sabres as well after French involvment in the 19th century. In Europe, the longsword did *not* transition to the rapier. The rapier did not evolve from the longsword, but parallell to it, before the longsword died out. The longsword was a sword of war, whereas the rapier was a civilian sword. Basket hilts evolved from arming swords, not longswords. Curved sabres were introduced as a result of Eastern influence, even though Messers and falchions had already existed in Europe - but they're not really the forerunner of the sabre. Anyway, the longsword stayed straight and double edged from its inception until its demise.

Well Japan is a land poor in natural resources so it seems only sensible to me that they'd stick with the blacksmithing technique that would allow them to make the most out of their poor resources. Yes, for cutting through, for example, leather armour or unarmoured opponents the Katana is pretty darn good, for thrusting it's OK, against steel plate armour or chainmail...nawhhh not a chance really. BUT, when you keep in mind the type of culture and resource shortage it was born in, the Katana is a good sword, not godly or some shit like that, but good.

@benjaminbrohmer8866

9 жыл бұрын

When talking about katana: Consider this as standard armor given out to a lot of low level soldiers: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tatami_%28Japanese_armour%29 And consider that katanas were a basic sidearm weapons. Even the low level soilders were using them. You can thrust pretty well with a katana not only "OK". You don't achive that much more stabbing performance when making a straighter blade, wereas you are loosing a lot of cutting power doing so. The katana basicly ignores padded armor which can stop cuts from straight blades with ease Btw: a lot of katanas were forged in china. Japan knew about the magic of getting stuff you didn't have: TRADE. even under "full isolation" they had harbours open for this purpose.

@VintageLJ

9 жыл бұрын

Yea, the Japanese had very low quality iron and steel compared to most European countries. The English names Japanese steel/iron 'Pig Iron'. I just want to add that the Katana was good, but rarely used in actual warfare.

@EaZyForMonkeys

6 жыл бұрын

Harri Kelloniemi leather armor isn't a thing though.

The sword you mentioned with a slight kick to the handle may have been a cavalry sword and the one that had the handle that went into the blade in a continuous line may have been the Nagamaki.

The curve in the katana was a by-product of the heat treat. The fact that this curve also makes for a better cutting blade was just a fortunate coincidence...

For some reason I want to go watch Samurai Champloo now. Idk why.

@theashennamedjerry3203

7 жыл бұрын

カロ Cause it's awesome? Probably because of that...

@user-vh8bm9mu4u

7 жыл бұрын

lolsquad lol

@howardpayne4128

7 жыл бұрын

Have to watch it again, thanks for reminding me.

The katana is romantic. Like diamonds, both are inherently worthless but people love them regardless.

I heard somewhere that the sori or curvature of the blade would change depending on the times. During times of peace they became straighter (easier to carry) and became more curved during times of war (better for cutting). I think that was from a documentary about japanese sword polishing.

Make more weapon and armour videos! I love them!

Oh look, another pointless battle is raging on in a portion of youtube's comment system.

Katanas were supposed to be used for duels werent they?

Just a note about the balance of these katanas. The reason they might look similar and feel very different could be because of the taper done to the blades, particularly the distal taper. European swords from around the 14-16th centuries had distal tapers of around 65%. Before that they had less of a taper towards the point, making the swords more tip heavy for armor. Angus Trim talks about distal taper a ton, just search for that and you find a ton of info.

Glad you got the opportunity to handle and see so many blades but upon looking at them i would have hoped the collector would have brought some more representations of other styles. There are actually a large number of blade geometries that exist throughout Japanese history and it makes a rather fascinating study in how much subtle difference in that geometry affects not only weight and balance but method of use. The hanwei raptor series did a good job of making some of these available when they brought out their shobu zukuri which is a "bloody great cleaving" sort of blade, thinner spine wider edge to spine and front heavy and the unokubi zukuri which is pretty much the opposite. for an even better version of shobu zukuri you could see if anyone around has a bugei exclusive that thing is a monster. Anyway the katana fanboys will probably give you some flak but good videos and keep on keeping on.

The Katana is basically like the AR-15. They found an incredibly effective design and stuck with it, making only slight improvements and variations. Also don't forget that Easter Europe was the land of "Every day is a fucking arms race!" but Japan was very isolated. They didn't have much reason to ever update their arsenal because they barely ever had any outside influence. Also I much prefer the Tachi to the Katana.

@OldPaleDrake

8 жыл бұрын

Well the tachi and katana are basically identical. Only real difference is that the tachi has a more extreme curve to it and it's actually usable with just one hand. If you want long swords, the Odachi and the Nodachi are about as long as it gets. One is basically Sephiroths masamune, the other is what would happen if a naginata and a katana had a baby.

I actually prefer the Katana over any other sword but that's because I'm proficient with it but it does suck when you compare it to other swords.

@Newnawn

10 жыл бұрын

If you were proficient with ancient nordish swords, you'd be better.

@Newnawn

10 жыл бұрын

***** Well, maaaaaaybe. Viking swords were really fucking good.

@TrollDragomir

10 жыл бұрын

Newnawn I suggest you guys try Polish hussar sabre.

@Newnawn

10 жыл бұрын

TrollDragomir I still Suggest Viking swords. The Ulfberht is considered the best sword in the case of durability, sharpness and usability. It couldn't cut through metal, but it was a big problem that the Vikings swords kept getting lunged and stuck in wooden shields.

@pwnageking3

10 жыл бұрын

***** I assume that's what you take could you tell me what it's like?

the curve is from the differential heating / cooling process. chuck some clay over it, more on the sharp edge than the spine - heat it up for ages then quench and the straight piece of metal will end up curved. it's also how the pattern and hardening of the sharp edge...does it's thing? idk. great vids, thanks :)

Him calling free for all on this was a stroke of pure fucking genius...

I have a friend who was "fortunate enough" to get to buy one of the few swords produced each year by a small family business in Japan. It had a certificate of authenticity and it's own unique name I believe. Such dogshit. I don't blame them for taking these anime fanboys for a ride though.

@mooneyes2k478

9 жыл бұрын

colten bennion Well, if someone were to throw one at me, as it were, I'd take it...after all, I could sell it on in turn, and buy something I'd WANT.

@baitposter

9 жыл бұрын

Fistwagon colten bennion Yeah, I couldn't care for "authentic" ones. If I had to get one, I'd probably get one in 9260 spring steel from Cheness Cutlery, though there are more preferable sword designs still. I'd prefer a side sword.

@mundoinvisivelxd1936

9 жыл бұрын

Fistwagon in a real fight you wouldn't care about the steel ..you would be fucked ..you should care about your skill to keep you from being safe..

@mooneyes2k478

9 жыл бұрын

Ckyntosh Right...because the quality and the material doesn't matter, right? And, that's how you died.

@mundoinvisivelxd1936

9 жыл бұрын

***** it doesnt matter at all ..

lol some comments are just silly, comparing a SLASHING weapon with a longsword...even in penetration katana is a lot better, cause thick blade does not bend as much as thin longsword blade, do some test before saying anything

@tuvan5328

7 жыл бұрын

Thick blades have to work harder to penetrate armor than thin blades

@MrJinglejanglejingle

7 жыл бұрын

Sorry, m8. But your 'slashing' weapon sucks ass against actual armor. Because, y'know... Actual armor whoops ass when it comes to slashing. Hell, just wear chainmail. If that shit can block a claymore, I think it can block your dinky, symbolic, iron piece of crap. Sure, it'll hurt... But if the other guy is dead and all you have are broken ribs and bruised flesh? I think we know who won. And also, katanas couldn't penetrate worth shit. Flesh? Sure. I can penetrate flesh with a fuckin' spoon. But armor is a whole other ballgame, amigo. So, do your research, weeb, before you start spouting off about sharpened iron bars.

@YZFerus

7 жыл бұрын

MrJinglejanglejingle arent all swords nothing but sharpened iron bars? and there is a video on youtube, where it shows catana going through armour better than your bendy shitty longswords. What was that again? oh yeah, do your research before going all butthurt, ok, pal?

@MrJinglejanglejingle

7 жыл бұрын

EUrider I'm sure the video was quite scientific and not just some idiot cutting through shite armor. Get back to me when you have seen all the easily-found evidence of katanas being shattered by longswords. Good luck finding anyone who has experience with real swords who'll agree with you, weeb.

@MrJinglejanglejingle

7 жыл бұрын

EUrider Then those are not proper katanas, are they? Proper katanas were made in Japan, using Japanese steel. Besides, there are many videos and shows displaying a katana being shattered by little more than a simple downward swing of a broadsword, which is smaller, and lighter, than a longsword. And besides, have you ever even swung a real blade? Not that cheap Japanese crap, but a real one? Broadsword? Basket-Hilt? Scottish Claymore? Any of those? I have. I've even taken in some real training from an experienced 'Real Steel' participants. And why would I waste time uploading a video for an idiot? I've got more important things to do. Typing internet crap is simple, actually taking time to give a shit about your fallacies and incompetence is too much effort for me. TL;DR, m8? Use a real sword, then call me, baby~

Pretty much. The lighter blades with weight towards the handle arose along with iajutsu (draw cutting), but they are also less durable having a higher content of steel to iron.

The Katana was mainly a dueling weapon as well or for fighting un- or poorly armored foes. The Katanas cutting edge has already been proven several times to be extremely well suited to cutting through leather armor, and through flesh. Now, the "typical" longsword weighs roughly the same as a Katana, but is usually flatter, doubble edged, and longer. This gives more momentum to the strike, and makes for a slower return to balance. It all comes down to ones prefered fighting style.

@brisseden2581

7 ай бұрын

Only problem being that leather armour was rarely ever used

way to take it to the opposite extreme sure the katana is not the best weapon and in my opinion there is no best weapon it depends on the situation but i dont think its the worst weapon as you are making it out to be

@jakesethsnake1

9 жыл бұрын

He never said that they were the worst weapon, he's saying that they were never changed much except for where the weight was located. He never said it's a bad weapon he's just saying they're not the end all be all weapon and they still have their flaws in design.

@TheJonnyjoh

9 жыл бұрын

JakeSethSnake1 He didn't really say that they (ALL Katanas) never varied much, he just said that those Katanas he had before him didn't vary as much, so to say that the "collector" just had Katanas of similiar making, as it was quite common for Katana Smiths to give their teachings to their apprentices and so to continue their teachings over centuries, which would explain the similiar making.

Europeans like throwing dirt on the Katana.

@mr.strugglesnuggle6668

8 жыл бұрын

Everyone with brains like throwing dirt on the Katana. A decent side arm but nothing exceptional unlike all the Katana cultists would like for you to believe.

Oh, and btw. The serrated blade is also just a tanto of which they have found ONE. And they have no clue to why it is put in the koshirae of a tanto and what the use of it has been.

I concur with his point about weight and balance... they can be all over the place between individual swords. That's why you should never buy one for training purposes without swinging it first. Some of them feel like sledgehammers, others feel like you are swinging air.

I don’t know how people are surprised by that. Europeans have been making swords since around 3000 BC, the Japanese have been making swords since about 900 AD. So who makes the better sword? Hmmmmm...

@Lolpy.

3 жыл бұрын

@Michael Terrell II Is that so Michael? Just because they get the idea fob the Chinese, another skilled sword crafter, does not mean their swords will be as good as the Chinese. That’s like saying “I watched a guy shoot a gun so I can be just as good at gun safety as he is.”

@Lolpy.

3 жыл бұрын

@Michael Terrell II You can’t stand those who know that it was anything but a viable weapon? Sure, it worked just fine as intended. But you cannot tell me a a katana is inherently better than say a Claymore or Bastard Sword. Even if they were crafting swords for as long as you say (Which seems entirely plausible to be fair) you literally admitted to those swords not even being close to katanas.

@Lolpy.

3 жыл бұрын

@Michael Terrell II Well my good friend Michael, I never said European swords were “God’s gift to Anglo-Saxon kind.” I just think they have better functionality.

I cut down a tree with a katana once, took over 9000 hacks and the blade was total garbage afterwords. I sent it back to the people that made it and called it a garbage replica. A true katana made right will never get damaged unless fighting with another true katana. Id wrather get a machete from kmart then a European sword since kmart stocks better blades.

@Lauv

9 жыл бұрын

gr8 b8 m8

@VintageLJ

9 жыл бұрын

Nice troll, but seriously, *Facepalm*

@ib7566

6 жыл бұрын

good job mang, this old comment made me laugh so hard I woke up my dog

The original Japanese sword design was Korean/Chinese in origin. It was straight and double edged. For whatever reason they switched to a single edged sword called the "chokuto." Either by design or through a happy accident the chokuto started to get a cavalry saber like curve which worked out well for the samurai who were originally mounted archers. This lead to the tachi, then later to the uchigatana/katana from when fighting on foot became more common for samurai.

Kind of going on what Anon said, I think the longsword was more of a secondary weapon then last resort. Men-at-arms would ram themselves in to battle with lances, they would then be in "the press" of battle and thats when the sword came out...or axe depending on specific situation or taste of the cavalryman. There was definitive plan to use it, as apposed to might use it.

Am I the only person who thinks the katana isn't a nice-looking blade at all, and instead thinks that it's hideous and crude-looking?

@Kfaczor

9 жыл бұрын

Unintentional Martyr Actually tou aren't. I think it's not nice at all.

@usernaem4818

9 жыл бұрын

Mister Babadook I agree with you

@mooneyes2k478

9 жыл бұрын

Mister Babadook Well, I wouldn't say hideous, but it leaves me mostly 'meh'. Interestingly enough, I think a kriegsmesser is gorgeous...which is a two-handed, single-edged, curved sword. Weirdness is weird.

@baitposter

9 жыл бұрын

***** I prefer sabers and scimitars to katanas for curved blades.

@adrenochromejunkie

9 жыл бұрын

***** The kriegsmesser is pretty good-looking.

That's it. I'm sick of all this "European Longsword" bullshit that's going on in the internet right now. Katanas deserve much better than that. Much, much better than that. I should know what I'm talking about. I myself commissioned a genuine katana in Japan for 2,400,000 Yen (that's about $20,000) and have been practicing with it for almost 2 years now. I can even cut slabs of solid steel with my katana. Japanese smiths spend years working on a single katana and fold it up to a million times to produce the finest blades known to mankind. Katanas are thrice as sharp as European swords and thrice as hard for that matter too. Anything a longsword can cut through, a katana can cut through better. I'm pretty sure a katana could easily bisect a knight wearing full plate with a simple vertical slash. Ever wonder why medieval Europe never bothered conquering Japan? That's right, they were too scared to fight the disciplined Samurai and their katanas of destruction. Even in World War II, American soldiers targeted the men with the katanas first because their killing power was feared and respected. So what am I saying? Katanas are simply the best sword that the world has ever seen, and thus, require better reputations in the internet.

@2adamast

10 жыл бұрын

With metal grain size starting at 1µm (up to 100µm) one million layers needs to be at least 1m (up to 100m) thick that's plenty strong but a little heavy.

@saraphilosophizes

10 жыл бұрын

Well... They NEVER fold it a million times. I've never heard of more than 16, which gives roughly 1000 layers. Also, they were not the only ones who did that - in fact, Europeans had been doing it for quite some time when the Katana started being produced. Even comparing a european sword and a katana of equal amounts of layers, a katana is made of shitty Japanese steel while the Europeans had access to much better steel. As for medieval Europeans not conquering Japan... No one bothered to conquer China either. Japan was just ridiculously far away. Contact wasn't really established until centuries later. No one in medieval Europe had even heard of Japan OR katanas. In fact, production of the katana didn't even start until roughy the time European medieval time ended. The reason american soldiers targeted katana bearing soldiers is not that they had katanas per se, but because the katana served as a badge of rank. Killing high rankers is always a good idea in battle. As for their cutting power, the reason a katana often cuts really cool things is that a katana is generally sharpened to the extreme. You can do that with other swords too. I'm not trying to say the katana is shit or anything, but it is not a godsend.

@kokarorloli

10 жыл бұрын

What new stats would you give it?

@eruantien9932

10 жыл бұрын

Andrew Almeida Yes. Yes it is. I mean, the point about US troops targeting Japanese soldiers is half right. But the Japanese targeted US soldiers with more chevrons on their helmets; and not because the chevrons were scary.

@saraphilosophizes

10 жыл бұрын

4chan reference? How?

another reason katanas would vary in balance was the method used to create them. around WW2 and beyond, there was a huge demand for katanas so many companies got in to the business by making cheap katanas by pouring them in to a mold then sharpeing them. a katana forged by 'hand' was typically far better balanced.

@mooneyes2k478

7 жыл бұрын

Stamping them out of sheet steel. Pouring would be useless. You can't make anything close to a real sword by casting, not in steel or even iron.

@Mallorean

7 жыл бұрын

Im pretty sure you can use bronze to cast a sword

@mooneyes2k478

7 жыл бұрын

Mr .Fixit Not very many bronze katanas...

Being a fencer and tennis player I have a point to make. The head lightness of the sword doesn't really make it easier to carry as the overall weight of the sword is the same. What it does help with is the maneuverability of the sword. Head heavy chops well, but are harder to make quick changes in direction which makes the finer techniques impossible.

Katanas suck

Your anecdotal evidence is not enough to prove anything. No one here even knows if this "collector" you mention even exists as you don't provide a name. The type of curved single edged sword you're talking about did indeed have different designs. Just because they look the same to you does not mean they are. There were different lengths, amounts of curvature, kissaki/point styles... Plenty of variation to be found. Maybe this "collector" of yours didn't know enough to explain or have a varied selection but I know it's out there. Which has me questioning your story's authenticity. I think the anti katana cultists just can't be bothered to learn about something they dislike properly. Which would be ironic because they'd then be the same as a katana cultist.

@Nixonitus

10 жыл бұрын

Those seem to be very minor differences, to be honest. Though I would ask you to provide examples. 'Burden of proof' and all that.

@Erduk

10 жыл бұрын

books.google.com/books?id=6nSkY_z4hAgC&printsec=frontcover&hl=en#v=onepage&q&f=false Read a book.

@Erduk

10 жыл бұрын

DoktorKebab The main fallacy is the argument that katana have little variation compared to the European swords. The problem is that the European swords with such variety are actually different types of swords. If you look at the variations of longsword, they really aren't too much different from each other either. When you look at just curved single edged blades made in Japan, of course they are all going to look similar. Otherwise, they wouldn't still be part of the group we call Katana. They would be called something else. Despite the fact that there are various blade geometries, kissaki shapes, guards, wrapping styles, blade widths, lengths and curvatures... Some were even carried differently because of differences in style. We hear nothing about this from either the collector or the "expert" in the video.

@sublimestyle21

10 жыл бұрын

Erduk The word "katana" actually means sword in Japanese and they were classified according to their length, into different subcategories each requiring (you guessed it) different techniques. The length measurement unit was the "shaku" at approximately 30.3 cm. The tanto (small sword) , which was a concealable self-defense weapon was 1 shaku or less in length. Anything longer than 1 shaku and shorter than 2, would be classified as a "shoto" (short sword) also known as "wakizashi" or "kodachi" and was a samurai's sidearm and a fall-back in case he had to engage an enemy in a confined space. Swords longer than 2 shaku (again approximately 60.6 cm in blade length) were considered to be a "daito" also known as the popular "katana" and were the main weapon of the samurai. The "daisho" was a weapon set consisting of a "daito" and a "shoto" and was a right as well as an obligatory possession reserved only for samurai. There were cases of swords reaching over 100 cm in blade length and were generally referred to as "odachi" but their use was limited and in some cases, even being unable to be deployed by only one person.

@garrettbarlo7807

10 жыл бұрын

Maybe he didn't say the name because the collector didn't want to be on KZread ya dumbass

I'd also like to mention that certain sword smiths during that time had different techniques for folding the steel. They may look the same, but I think this is how you get katanas that vary in weight and strength.

@mr.strugglesnuggle6668

8 жыл бұрын

No

Action movies' fascination with katanas continues unabated, a fact you might surmise by taking a look inside the shop where I work, even if you never watch anything with swordplay. We have made so many rubber "safety" katanas, blunted katanas, and half-katanas (for the ever-popular fight climax when one combatant is run through), that they're greeted less than enthusiastically when yet another comes through the door. But it's work, and we make good copies; I find it kind of fun trying to duplicate the scrolled metal of the guard on a rubber base - which I was doing last week. I'm sure there will be more for some time to come! (And no, we don't get good katanas to copy; just cheapos!)