Why do so many people said that Katana is the Best sword ?

I think an ordinary arrow is to small calibred to get enough mass behind it, but if you mean that the arrowhead and shaft punches hole in the armor, and then releases one or several flechette-darts on the innside....

A much easier solution would simply be to have an arrowhead that is loosely attached to the shaft, and for all we know, they might have done just that, but as most organic stuff rots away, there's no way to know.

(One of the nice things with global warming, is that norwegian glaciers melt away, and gives up organic matereal from the stone-age. One of the things that have been discovered, is an arrowshaft with a stone arrowhead attached with glue and scenew(?)/thread. Another thing that was found in the mountain, was a 4000 year old, intact shoe...)

 

The byzantines created a way to launch small bolts (less than 6 inches long) from their bows - same energy, smaller missle - but they used them for long range harassing fire rather than armour piecing. Mass to get penetration was lacking. It was called a solenarion.

 

Some people say the katana is the best sword cos it can do this.

regards koyo
This photo proves it!!! I did not know they had cameras in those days

 

Beware - possible apocryphal tale ahead...

I was always amused on the idea that the feudal japanese 'policeman' was armed with a sai ... and could (with the correct technique) break the katana of a neddish samurai (perhaps making him cry ).
Never see that happening to a longsword!

 

The weapon was actualy a jiite imagine a spike about a foot long with one prong. It was meant to trap the blade.The idea was the blade would strike the prong held at an angle run down and be trapped in the prong. Snapping the sword? I doubt it.

Next thing you know they shall be saying an aikidoka can disarm a swordsman.
(in fact I saw one "master" throwing four swordsmen around AT THE SAME TIME!!!!!!)
While seated on a chair!!!!!!
regards koyo

 

Of course they can, they could get the sword to hideously stuck in their vital organs that it is wrenched from the hand of the swordsman. Not a recommended technique but effective.

The Bear.

 

Think I saw the break katana with Jiite in a stephen turnbull book although my memory is rather fuzzy (too many head blows). Will see if I can find it.
There was a diagram with 3 images. First you catch the blade, then you 'windmill' your arm with a twisting motion and the samurai is disarmed .... or (I thought) the sword breaks. There wasn't a picture of a sobbing samurai but that can be inferred fairly easily..... Well I can. Break my sword, I'd cry!

 

A technique to recommend to your friends should you come up against a swordsman.

 

Absolutely, every group of friends should keep aleast one gullible cannonfodder kicking about for just such an eventuality.

The Bear.

 

You mean you don't select friends based on their suitability as gullible cannon fodder?

 

I would need to get some friends to be selective. These days I'm more of the lone wolf and cub.

The Bear.

 

Hehe for once I agree with PB.

I seriously doubt that mutodori could be used even against a half-capable swordsman.

 

At the moment I am learning about materials more in detail, yo would need a polymer scientist and an engineer to put their heads together.

Bascally you can calculat how a deformation will happen along a plane of atoms, or at least guestimate rather well and with this take into account impurities in the steel etc. It is VERY complex though

 

No need to be so drastic you can use a mesh model and give each node a level of resistance and when you appliy different types of force you can model how the structure will react. I had a ballistics model back in the day that did this for vehicle armour bullet proofing it worked ok. To simulate steel inpurities you just up the number of nodes and apply a random variation then re-run the sim.

The Bear.

 

Bill,

The jitte/jutte (both pronunciations are correct) was a law enforcement truncheon used by the peace officers of the time. The protruding fork was used by some schools to catch and conrtol the weapon, but it also was used as a retainer when thrust through the belt. It could bend a sword, if the practicioner was strong, but I doubt it would break, unless the sword was of tremendously bad quality. (There are examples of jutte without the fork.http://www.sanmei.com/shop_e/media/book_sabun_jutte.jpg )

The techniques and tactics were very much similar to using a kodachi - closing in, immobilizing the assailant's arms with your free hand, using nage-waza or atemi-waza with either the weapon or empty hand to take him out.

The picture you have used is actually from Ikkaku-ryu juttejutsu. It's an auxilliary art taught in Shinto Muso-ryu jo. That particular system of juttejutsu employ the use of the tessen in conjunction with the aforementioned weapon.

Other ryuha that have juttejutsu in their syllabus - Takenouchi-ryu, Shibukawa-ryu, Kukishin-ryu, Hoten-ryu, Hyoho Niten Ichi-ryu and Rikishin-ryu.

 

My thanks kogusoku. As always I can depend on you to legitimise (or otherwise) staements made regarding koryu and weapons. I imagined the use of the weapon just as you have said. I read somewhere that Musashi's father was an expert in the use of this weapon and it may have had something to do with Musashi developing his two sword style.


regards koyo

 

im no physic major (bio and chem)...but i would have to say yes.

 

dude stop making this point...i think you have made in 3 times this thread...and for some reason that i cant figure out no one is listening

 

If you make a breastplate out of modern quality steel and it penetrates, logic follows that it could do so in the medieval times. The problem only occurs when it Can't penetrate.

 

I read it and took his point. Too many variables as he said.

regards koyo