I just felt like trying to make a weapon comparason, since there seems to be quite a few with katana's vs western swords, but not much with katana's vs chinese swords. they seem somewhat similar, though people who use broadswords tend to use it a lot more different. a broad sword tend to be thicker than a katana, though not as long. and katana's are more famous for their sharpness/steal the modern lowest end stainless steel $30 katana's are usually better than the regular broad swords you get today though, which tend to be made of aluminum for wu shu practice. and modern wu shu guys would get killed against any real practicer of a fighting art ofcourse.
What always cracks me up about Chinese broadswords when you see them in action these days is that they are as flexible as flipper. Everyone is working so hard to develop their 'Ging' or whatever it's called - but they forget to mention that the sword their using has all the qualities of a budget spatula. LOL! As silly as these kind of debates are... I think anyone foolish enough to take up a Chinese broadsword against a Katana would end like so much sashimi.
Wielder, not weapon, as always. And it's hardly fair to compare weapons based on their modern incarnations.
Not fair but it is funny. All other things being alike (skills, physical prowess etc.) my money would still be on the Katana.
Only in the modern wushu competitions, then again if you watch most weapon forms competitions you see shiny bo staffs and katanas that couldn't cut a single unrolled tatami even if an olympic powerlifter were wielding it. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing. A few months ago I clipped the inside of my knee while practicing with a wooden dao (broadsword), it was just the back of the blade but it hurt like hell and left a heck of a bruise, if it had been the live blade I've had a few close calls and made a few uniform alterations working with the live blade (sharpened combat steel). Little known fact, the smithing process used by Japan was most likely inherited from China. The difference being the Japanese refined and revered the practice and the Chinese forgot or kept it so shrouded in secrecy that they have almost totally lost the art. Much in the same way many western martial traditions were overshadowed by technology. Back to the matter at hand: Both weapons are primarily slashing weapons known for cutting ability. The katana is most often wielded as a two-handed weapon while the willow-leaf dao is a single handed weapon. It's a situation of two-sides of the same coin. The two-handed leverage and direct approach of the katana against the flowing, end-weight based approach of the dao. BTW: We are talking about the willow-leaf dao and not the nan-dao or the da-dao? (once again similar but different weapons).
Yes, but this thread compares the weapons, not the wielder If we duplicated you, got you a chinese longsword and got you2 a katana who would win, or rather; if we made two Replicants (ref. Bladerunner) with similar skills; uploaded the relevant combat-systems for each weapons system, what sword would win? I see theese XXX vs. YYY -threads as interresting, as they (often; not allways :cry: ) reveal fundamental similarities /differences in useage and technique. As I don't know more about Chineese broadsword than 80% of you lot knows about north italian longswordtechniques in the 15th century, I will not put my 5 cents on either sword, rather sit back and hope somebody with knowledge bothers to post somthing other than the eternal "it's not the weapon, it's the wielder"
Okay, I'll get more detailed, on average the katana has a shorter blade (27-29 inches) unless we are talking about the daito. The dao is typically 28-32 inches in length (unless we are talking about the bagua broadsword). This reach advantage may be offset by the hilt as the katana tends to have a few extra inches on the grip. The katana is slightly lighter and better for thrusting, but the dao has a combination of slicing potential and raw chopping power. The katana has a slight concave curvature to lengthen its cutting power while the dao has a similar concave tilt to the blade and a slight "S" curve overall as the hilt curves back and the blade curves outward (an important feature that allows both chopping and slicing actions to occur simultaneously). In use the katana is very direct using more 90 degree angles then you see in Chinese saber work. Being a lighter blade there is a great deal more use of the arms in the wielding of the weapon. The weightier dao uses more 45 degree angles and to spare the soldiers arms many strikes start with the weapon resting on the body (also as a protective measure) and are pulled off the body. Using the weight and momentum are a big part of using the weapon. Interestingly enough the kanji for both are the same. Truth be told in an unarmored battle victory would be decided by whoever lands the first strike as either weapon has the potential to cleave deep into or even completely through the other person. For the WMA think falchion (but re-curved with a cup style guard) vs. a two-handed longsword or maybe a cutlass as a similar comparison.
Katana wins, no arm flapping, breathing, whining, WHATAHA'ing or any of that rubbish. Just brutal cuts
The katana started life as a Chinese weapon. Brought to Japan by pirates. There are some excellent dao makers today, but you will pay a pretty penny for them (just like katanas). Do not confuse a training saber with the real deal. Do not confuse demonstrations with martial arts. Any sword wielder will be killed by a fighting art. My grandfather and his friends killed many katana wielders during WWII. :woo:
A misconception of just what the Japanese army carried in World War II, perhaps? Are sword arts not fighting arts anyway? Pulling the trigger is hardly a fighting art.
Interesting. Can't agree here though. It sounds like you've never spent much time around guns. I think if you do you'll find that shooting requires a fair bit of skill and technique. An attempt to debunk one misconception has led to the posting of another. Even the Japanese realized this... way back in the sixteenth century.
slip, to point out that swords do not hold up well against fighting arts as was demonstrated in history as blue eagle compared "wushu" and katana users. (What if a katana was used in wushu? Would it then be tH3 d34dly?) oni, firearms are weapons and they are as much an art and discipline as any other weapon.
