Battle ready KATANA
- Thread starter Sherwin
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I've been seriously involved in traditional Japanese Martial Arts for more than 35 years (both here & in Japan). Part of the time has been invested in kendo & kenjutsu training.
A katana is an awesome weapon. Very effective for close range combat. But if you cut someone in half you will likely go to jail regardless of the circumstances because it will freak a jury out more that emptying a full magazine into a BG. The prosecutor will push that you had more skill & jury would most likely assume that if you had the skill to dispatch of a BG in this fashion you would have the skill to subdue him without being lethal. Unless of course the BG came at you with his own katana.
That being said. I have a few katana around my house & in my office. I would more likely use a bokken or bo if non-lethal force was necessary. Of course I'd use a firearm if lethal force was necessary or I'd use the bokken or bo in a more lethal fashion (easy enough to do).
A katana is an awesome weapon. Very effective for close range combat. But if you cut someone in half you will likely go to jail regardless of the circumstances because it will freak a jury out more that emptying a full magazine into a BG. The prosecutor will push that you had more skill & jury would most likely assume that if you had the skill to dispatch of a BG in this fashion you would have the skill to subdue him without being lethal. Unless of course the BG came at you with his own katana.
That being said. I have a few katana around my house & in my office. I would more likely use a bokken or bo if non-lethal force was necessary. Of course I'd use a firearm if lethal force was necessary or I'd use the bokken or bo in a more lethal fashion (easy enough to do).
If you had a legal cause to kill someone, then how you killed them is irrelevant in terms of a criminal suit. The BGs family would probably slaughter you in civil court though.
Devonai
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Don't forget they are also very handy if you get attacked by several rolled-up bamboo mats!
My roommate attended an iaido session with a $100 katana. It cut the mat, but put too much torque on the blade. Sharp edge + bad tempering = ruined sword.
Get several bokkens, too. They are always good to have around.
My roommate attended an iaido session with a $100 katana. It cut the mat, but put too much torque on the blade. Sharp edge + bad tempering = ruined sword.
Get several bokkens, too. They are always good to have around.
I might be splitting hairs here but much of defense & prosecution in BOTH criminal & civil suits is about perception &/or emotion. IMO cutting someone's head off or cutting them in half would be perceived as more vicious or would have a more emotional response with a jury at either type of trial.
IMO justified or not it would probably be harder to defend than emptying a full mag into a BG.
Unfortunately, many times in court the lawyer with the more emotional appeal sways the jury regardless of who is in the right.
IMO justified or not it would probably be harder to defend than emptying a full mag into a BG.
Unfortunately, many times in court the lawyer with the more emotional appeal sways the jury regardless of who is in the right.
On the other hand, katanas are far quieter than guns, and make disposal of the body somewhat more convenient.
"make disposal of the body somewhat more convenient"
Severed limbs=blood. Lots of it. Blood is a real pain to clean up.
I'd recommend drowning, instead. Much less of a mess.
Severed limbs=blood. Lots of it. Blood is a real pain to clean up.
I'd recommend drowning, instead. Much less of a mess.
Nobody fights with swords anymore (at least not voluntarily ), so "battle ready" is just a marketing gimmick.
And using a sword for any sort of personal protection role is just... poor planning.
Sorry, I like swords as much as the next fellow ( probably a bit more, actually ), but they're best left to movies, collecting, and traditional MA practice.
J.C.
And using a sword for any sort of personal protection role is just... poor planning.
Sorry, I like swords as much as the next fellow ( probably a bit more, actually ), but they're best left to movies, collecting, and traditional MA practice.
J.C.
Swords like the katana are groovy for fighting with a similarly armed fellow in the out-of-doors. As an indoor weapon, they can be a tad awkward. Buy yourself a gonne if you are really serious about self-defense.
If you can afford a house that's big enough for a katana to be used inside any room, then you can afford to just buy a shotgun (in fact, a shotgun is probably cheaper than a katana anyway).
Devonai
Member
While I'm sure some companies don't look beyond the marketing, there is a right way and a wrong way to forge a Japanese sword.
If you're doing iaido (which is no less ridiculous of a way to get in shape than Pilates), you need a properly forged sword.
The horse chopping saber is very good for combat. That's why the Chinese invented it (carried to Japan by pirates).
Still used by some divisions of Chinese boxing (northern styles) and as mentioned earlier iaido (the study of the "katana"). However, I am not a member of the army of the Northern Song dynasty and I am not defending my unit against attacking cavalry ("horse chopping" saber as it was used to attack the legs of horses).
In the age of firearms, it is an inefficient but still very deadly if one knows what he is doing (as are all weapons). If you want to study it, find a good teacher and train hard.
Still used by some divisions of Chinese boxing (northern styles) and as mentioned earlier iaido (the study of the "katana"). However, I am not a member of the army of the Northern Song dynasty and I am not defending my unit against attacking cavalry ("horse chopping" saber as it was used to attack the legs of horses).
In the age of firearms, it is an inefficient but still very deadly if one knows what he is doing (as are all weapons). If you want to study it, find a good teacher and train hard.
Devonai, Angus Trim makes European, and now Japanese, style swords that do very well for Iaido, and traditional Japanese cutting... and they aren't forged. Quite a few other makers do as well.
The Japanese did a wonderful job of making the most of what they had... getting a good cutting tool when what you have to start with is low-grade iron-bearing sand is no mean trick.
However, the myth that the katana is the "ultimate" sword, or that it is so because of how they were forged is just that; a myth. Any modern steel with a proper heat treatment is at least as good, if not better, than anything the feudal Japanese smiths had to work with. The same is true of the differential heat treatment.... it's really good for making the most of the resources at hand, but it's not the be-all or end all, and certainly not the "best" or only way of making a sword.
J.C.
Devonai
Member
I didn't say anything about the quality or relevance of historical Japanese forging principles. I don't know enough about the modern forging or casting techniques. I have simply seen first-hand what can happen to a POS sword that happens to have a sharpened edge.
Devonai, it was the fact that you seem to believe a forged sword was needed that I was addressing, and the fact that there's plenty of swords made by stock-removal that'll do the job quite well.
Also, Iaido is the art of DRAWING the sword... and can and is practiced with aluminum or other alloy bladed swords... Tameshigeri (target cutting, usually rolled tatami mats ) on the other hand, needs a sharp blade.
As for "POS sword that happens to have a sharpened edge"...too many wall hangers that don't even qualify as swords are billed as "battle-ready"... thus my comment on it being marketing ploy.
Anyway... anybody that has an interest in learning more about this stuff should go have a look here, for starters. You can learn about as much about swords there as you can guns here.
J.C.
Also, Iaido is the art of DRAWING the sword... and can and is practiced with aluminum or other alloy bladed swords... Tameshigeri (target cutting, usually rolled tatami mats ) on the other hand, needs a sharp blade.
As for "POS sword that happens to have a sharpened edge"...too many wall hangers that don't even qualify as swords are billed as "battle-ready"... thus my comment on it being marketing ploy.
Anyway... anybody that has an interest in learning more about this stuff should go have a look here, for starters. You can learn about as much about swords there as you can guns here.
J.C.
Devonai
Member
Thanks, I had forgotten about that distinction. As far as forging is concerned, I used it as a generic term for making a weapon. Next time I'll use "smithing."
I was not going to get in on this, but bladesmiths forge blades by heating and beating therefore "smithing" is synonymous with forging.
Stock reduction is the cutting to profile and then grinding to shape.
Sorry for being pedantic.
You can get good functional blades for cutting that are stock reduced as long as the heat treat is properly done.
Stock reduction is the cutting to profile and then grinding to shape.
Sorry for being pedantic.
You can get good functional blades for cutting that are stock reduced as long as the heat treat is properly done.
Devonai
Member
I practice Iaido & Kenjutsu for reasons other than or beyond self-defense (however, many of the kata are easily adapted for use of everyday improvised weaponry). Just about anything you can hold in your hands or pick up can be used with techniques gleaned from such practice.
As a side, the katana made by a swordsmith are extremely expensive and in a completely different league to the mass produced replicas available everywhere.
As a side, the katana made by a swordsmith are extremely expensive and in a completely different league to the mass produced replicas available everywhere.
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Masahiro, who make excellent kitchen cutlery, make these using decent carbon steel at an affordable price - around $100 sometimes less.
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