Given the other threads about the myths of the Eastern martial arts I think many of you will enjoy the following article. As you can see and read, the West not only has just as long a history of martial arts as the East, we also have just a strong tradition of myths about those arts. :bang: Top Myths of Renaissance Martial Arts
Hi ran, Nice post, I have a general question? I was told that the japanese katana is more sophisticated than the english long sword. That the katana art was more graceful with 8 cutting directions and parry work. In comparison the broad, flat, english long sword is heavy and not well balanced and it can only resort to chopping action. i was told by a guy who practised kenjustsu. Any comments? Thanks
First off; nice article! I fell prone to one of the myths (the bending of blades beeing proof of quality). The rest of it was more or less compatible with what I knew before. Secondly to the claims by the kenjutsu-practitioner: 1: "the japanese katana is more sophisticated than the english long sword." Well, it doesn't have a cross-guard, so the use of it demands more of the wielder (in terms of security for the wielder) than a sword with a proper hand protection. I like to compare the katana vs the longsword with golf. When you fight with a katana, you fight with bigger handicap, as it is an unforgiving weapon, rewarding any user with the slightest error with a decapitated hand. -Because of this, one could claim that the katana is somewhat more sophisticated than a (safer to wield) british longsword. 2:"the katana art was more graceful with 8 cutting directions and parry work." Well, since it's only got one edge, it cannot cut with the back of the blade, and the wielder thus have to turn the sword in order to cut upwards. This could be regarded as somewhat more graceful, but that's a matter of taste, really. I find it incredible stunning to watch firores sutane-thrust-cuts; strong, lethal attacks they are. 3:"with 8 cutting directions and parry work." I cannot speak for british longswordtechniques, but Fiore (italy, anno 1410) operates with 10 cuttingangles(4 diagonal and 6 horisontal), two ways of cutting (cutting on the way in to thrust, or cutting back;"drawcutting") I've watched some kobudo-training, and I must say that it looks cool, but again; it's really a matter of taste. That you were very graceful doesn't help you, if you've been cut in two. 4:"the broad, flat, english long sword is heavy" ยจ Hmm, my longswordblade weighs 1,2 kg, and is 1m 30 cm long. How long is a katana and how much does they weigh? Actually many katanas are heavier than many longswords!!! 5:"not well balanced" Well, thanks to the pommel (have you ever seen one on a katana? ) -most longswords are very good balanced. My light longsword have the balancepoint about 13 cm from the crossguard, but can be as close as a fist out from the crossguard. Today, people order the longswords and tell where they want to have the balancepoint. I guess that would have been the case 600 years ago as well. 6:"and it can only resort to chopping action" Well, as i stated in section 3, longswordmanuals operates with some interresting stabbing-manuvers (that the katana doesn't have due to only having one edge). Fiore operates with high stabs, low stabs, stabs after incoming fists, stabs after the throat, stabs after gaps in armor....I'd say that a straight doubbleedged blade is better at stabbing than curved-one-edged blades in general.