striderteen
New member
The effectiveness of Japanese secret techniques tends to be unknown, simply because (a) the guy it was used on found out exactly how effective it was the hard way and (b) the guy who used it died of old age afterwards.
I'm trying not to insult your magical Samurai, but you've seem to keep putting those digs into the knights.
I'm not saying that the European fighting arts are static or inferior...
But the broadsword is no baseball bat -- while it has more physical hitting power than the kat, it's by no mean a clumsy bludgeon. It's much lighter than most people think -- 2-4 pounds, same weight range than the katana, although it's a good deal longer -- and it's quite agile in the hands of someone who knows what he's doing (this does NOT include Hollywood actors).
The broadsword is more versatile than the katana; the double edged blade allows both cutting and thrusting techniques, while the hilt can and is used in a wide variety of infighting moves to bind and trap the enemy's blade. Further, the broadsword is generally used in combination with a shield, which makes for a highly effective combination of offensive and defensive ability.
The katana is more strictly a cutting weapon; its ability to cut through stuff is pretty much unmatched, but it's not nearly as good at stabs. The Japanese didn't use shields, and didn't have counter-shield techniques -- although they'd come up with some pretty quickly if they ran into people who did have them.
Now, I like the katana more as a matter of personal preference, but I'm not about to let unfounded bashing of European blades slide.
And later, regarding more knights than samurai:Like I said, the Japanese elite schools tend to be isolationist and elitist, which is inefficient when it comes to training large numbers of elites, but tends to yield better ones.
That is true to some degree...more practicioners = more not so good practicioners + more average practicioners + more exceptional practicioners.
That is true to some degree...more practicioners = more not so good practicioners + more average practicioners + more exceptional practicioners.