Mikeeman
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Post by Mikeeman on Aug 31, 2015 5:54:51 GMT
Longswords can still be light and fast. Just because they are longer doesn't mean they aren't more agile. They tend to have better taper, from what I have seen and held, and usually have good balance to go along with it. They also tend to be a tad thinner. So it's kind of like having the same amount of steel, just distributed differently.
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Post by Kiyoshi on Aug 31, 2015 6:04:43 GMT
The only ones I have held felt a bit heavier (4lbs compared to 3lbs for katana) but admittedly that is a very limited experience. I can tell you from sparring though, that wooden longswords are quite fast so long as they are wielded properly. I also favor shorter katana. The proper length for someone my size is 31 inches but I like 28 for fighting, 29 for iai. It is more of a personal feel thing I guess.
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Post by Timo Nieminen on Aug 31, 2015 6:21:44 GMT
A typical longsword is about 36" of blade, 1.5kg. As they get longer they usually get heavier, so 38-40" of blade is often 1.6-1.8kg. But those are still weights we find one-handed swords at, and the combination of good balance and two hands on a long hilt, they can be fast.
(Unlike a rapier, with a longer blade and often about the same weight, which is much slower to swing around with its one-handed grip.)
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Post by Kiyoshi on Aug 31, 2015 6:27:32 GMT
I see, thanks for the explanation.If I were to use a straight sword, I'd go with a jian. Love the feel. At this point though I am super off topic (seems to be a bad habit of mine) so I should probably stop. lol
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Post by MOK on Aug 31, 2015 11:05:59 GMT
Though it does seem to be indisputable that the rapier proved a very difficult weapon to fight against with a regular katana... but I don't want to turn this into another "what's better" debate. Well, it's a difficult weapon to fight against with any shorter, less specialized single sword. That's why it got popular in the first place.
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Post by Derzis on Aug 31, 2015 11:22:43 GMT
At the end, what type of swords were using the japenese? Sounds like the ultimate weapon since it changed the outcome against the mighty rapier (if the story is true, but I doubt) According to this story, they jumped hundreds of years of evolution in sword making in couple of years. Or this story is bs or the guys were genius.
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Post by vinland on Aug 31, 2015 15:45:13 GMT
At the end, what type of swords were using the japenese? Sounds like the ultimate weapon since it changed the outcome against the mighty rapier (if the story is true, but I doubt) According to this story, they jumped hundreds of years of evolution in sword making in couple of years. Or this story is bs or the guys were genius. The story does seem like it's not entirely correct, makes the sword itself be the reason for their success which I think isn't correct. And as someone else pointed out, the Portuguese were outnumbered which likely played a much larger role
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Post by Lukas MG (chenessfan) on Aug 31, 2015 16:29:14 GMT
Though it does seem to be indisputable that the rapier proved a very difficult weapon to fight against with a regular katana... but I don't want to turn this into another "what's better" debate. Well, it's a difficult weapon to fight against with any shorter, less specialized single sword. That's why it got popular in the first place. :) That is certainly true.
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Post by Kiyoshi on Aug 31, 2015 16:50:10 GMT
Before we make many decisions on this story, I'd want sources. What book was it in? The wording in there is also rather vague.
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Post by Timo Nieminen on Aug 31, 2015 20:35:27 GMT
Given that rapiers are heavier and slower than katanas, and that back-edge cuts were not the great advantage of rapier against katana (the great advantage is reach - 15" more blade would be usual), the story is obviously not entirely true.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 31, 2015 22:50:30 GMT
A good snap with the unsharpened mune against someone's dome would get results. The tip is also still pointy, and can be driven in like an awl or a pick, but a good sharp blow should get the job done even without a back edge. Take a look at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pterion
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Post by ineffableone on Sept 1, 2015 0:36:16 GMT
Sounds like a Kissaki-Moroha-Zukuri (tip-double edge-sword) often also called Kogarasu Zukuri due to the famous blade Kogarasu Maru "Little Crow", however it is not some new style that was developed for fighting the Portuguese. The Kogarasu Maru "Little Crow" is the most famous of the known Kissaki-Moroha-Zukuri blades and currently in the Japanese Imperial Collection. The tang of the Kogarasu Maru is not signed but the blade is believed to have been made during the either the early Heian period (794 to 1185 AD) or late Nara period (710 to 794 AD), by the famous Japanese swordsmith Amakuni, who is said to have created the first curved Japanese sword and is believed to have lived during this period. Two other Kissaki-Moroha-Zukuri blades exist from this era, but many other blades of this type have been created throughout Japanese history. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kogarasu_MaruHere is my sword from ST Sword of this style, you can see my review of it and some history on this style here sbg-sword-forum.forums.net/thread/18760/kissaki-moroha-zukuri-grandfather-katanaThis is the famous Kogarasu Maru "Little Crow"
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