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A samurai sword vs a bullet. And there is a winner.
I hope I don't offend anyone by this but I'd like to throw in a few somewhat educated points about this sort of thing...
My first point would be that: A semi-molten mushrooming piece of high velocity lead striking a fixed convex martensitic (hardened steel) wedge is fairly predictable. Japanese swords are quite thick beasts at the shinogi (many being 1/4" or thicker) and the main body of the blade is relatively soft and ductile so as to offer non-brittle support to the [relatively] brittle edge. This would not be as easy to repeat on a normal knife due to the relatively acute geometry of a knife blade.
Rotate the sword 15 degrees to one side or another and you will find that the outcome is much different. Japanese swordsmanship places a heavy emphasis on hasuji or cutting angle to ensure that you don't hurt your wrists or damage the sword--even in soft targets. Swords are very capable specialized weapons, but they have no magic other than the inspiration they give us.
The second point is that the objectives of a test like this are somewhat questionable. I think nobody in this insinuates that a swordsman could split a bullet (thereby getting 2 smaller ones in his eyes rather than one in his nose); nor was it to show the superiority of one weapon or another. You don't shoot swords, and you don't cut bullets. A pistol bullet fired into a 5-gallon bucket of sand will be stopped within the sand. An arrow can pierce the entire bucket. Does this make the bow the superior weapon? No. Does this mean the bowman will beat the gunman? No. Does it mean the opposite? No. It is not a comparison of effectiveness of tools or training methods.
From a historical perspective, the gun militarily whipped the sword's ass. However, there is no denying that the sword is an awesome weapon, and very competent and skilled swordsmen can do amazing things. There is *no* valid comparison of "gun vs sword" or "gun-wielder vs sword-wielder".
The sword is an underdog that everyone wants to see win, largely because it is easier to find beauty in a sword than it is to find it in a bullet. The swords themselves are beautiful, training often looks beautiful, and there's always the intimacy of moving your body or seeing someone else move their body in harmony with 3 feet of sharp steel. It is romantic and wonderful and terrifying at the same time, and that is where we find the magic in swords.
Sorry that was a bit long...hope maybe some lurker found it a little educational *crossing fingers*.
Nice video and nice post
im a lvl 68 warrior, and with my sword of dark destruction i can cut through that sword like...butter and stuff
By justinthesayain 1158041037 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveAnd handled some of the most powerful swords ever made, don't think that you're some fictional character that can defeat a samurai. Sword of Dark Destruction, you really are a loser aren't you, there's no sword more beautiful, elegant, and durable that a Katana, not some strange weapon from Dungens and Dragons or someting.
By Kalero 1161118414 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveA thankyou.
By mark13 1157449512 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveThey failed every time when they fought against other country with swords. They did sucessfully invade other countries with guns. Now they try to prove their swords is better than guns.
How funny that it!!
That' was indeed long and educational. ^^ But you still have to admit that has to be a strong metal.
By Zanbatou-sama 1156984018 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveI understood everything you said, but others won't. I have a tip for you: don't even try to talk to them
By Tinglystix 1156049918 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveThe point of this clip is to show the strength of the sword and not the strength of the sword "against" the gun... fact being the this perticular sword can cut a fired bullet in half is a hell of a good example...
now ofcaorse, the second half of it would be the person using the sword, but thats subject to the conditions...
they are very floppy, and that strengths their cutting edge alot as well(so dont think that because they're super thin they are weak). But your comment was a good explanation of what the hell was going on. btw, it's Japanese T.V! (i hope(at the risk of looking like a fool)), it doesn't need to make sense!
By meschigina 1158419443 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveWell said and good way of saying things :)
By naughtyian 1152210259 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveBut you missed a point. According to Japanese history, or so I have been told, the Samuri blade has to exactly match the Samuri's expectations, or else they start all over again. Because of this, all Samuri blades are perfectly balanced.
By FotF 1146194456 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveSword makers worked hard at their craft through most of its history, but for the most part, a sword was a sword. If all of the ones made had to be great, why do so many mediocre ones exist? Some were fantastic, most were decent, a lot were mediocre, and some were just downright dismal. Japanese refined their craft a lot, but there are logistics and pragmatic concerns to deal with. Casting swords in this kind of perfectionist light is just another way of painting Japanese as somehow exotic or special, something novel for "occidentals" to read about. We do that even with modern stuff, just to promote ideologies separating the "occidentals" from the "orientals".
By Xiaomage 1146713068 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveWell, actually the Japanese katana is forged differently than other swords, Eastern (i.e. Chinese or Korean) and Western. The way a Japanese sword is made is by taking a sheet of metal and folding it when red hot, then cooling it alternately in water or oil, then repeating the process many times until the thickness of the blade is correctly attained. This folding method, as opposed to the shaping and pounding of other bladed weapons, creates a very hard blade, with hardness exponentially increasing with each fold. This is because with each fold, you are doubling up the layers built up before, so by the end, you have a blade equivalent (if i remember the number of folds correctly) of over a million layers of metal. Essentially a very hard blade. However, forging the blade was a complicated process, and as a result, faults can easily occur, such as fissures, cracks and chips, and even probably faults which are invisible to the eye. A complicated process lends itself to some sort of failure, according to Murphy's Law. And lastly it must be noted that the metal sword fell out of favor, and was replaced by the wooden sword in duels, because the wooden sword was found to be capable of destroying the metal katana. (It was said to bend inferior swords, and shatter superior ones)
By subimago 1154907552 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveAdditional layers does not make the sword stronger. Further, the sword was not cooled in water until the yakiire stage, unless you include the stages where the tamahage is hardened and shattered into little pieces (which required cooling in water).
The steel's "folding" produced a few thousand of what we'd call "layers" but those layers served only to distribute trace elements in the steel so that it is more consistent and controllable in the heat-treatment process. Further, "layers" are lost in slag and heat scale, and not all "layers" are structurally stable. The billet is then shaped via forging into a blade shape (sunobe). Cracks and chips are not introduced via forging unless the steel is red-short, which tamahagane and most other old-world steels are not.
As for the wooden sword nonsense...it was popularized by Miyamoto Musashi and is usually cited due to his arrogance (confidence) in swordsmanship. The wooden sword (bokuto) *never* made the steel sword obsolete, and it was never adopted as a serious weapon in any major school of swordsmanship. Jodo practitioners and the like always like to claim that a wooden jo (stick) can seriously damage a sword (bending good ones and breaking inferior ones), but the goal isn't to damage the opponent's weapon--it's to damage the opponent. Further, a well-made sword withstands those stresses pretty well.
I've offered a bit of elementary metallurgical information that explains the hardening of steel and how Japanese swords are made. I get a bit of flak for posting so much info, but I'm only trying to offer some good info to counter a lot of the misinformation that floats around about swords and swordmaking.
think knights in that, it was the Knights, mostly noblemen, who had the good stuff. and the everybody else had what was left over.
By Nihilon 1152775656 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down Removethere were many mediocre ones, you are correct there but the Samurai themselves did not accept mediocre on any level. Each Samurai had a special Katana, built to his specificiations and anything less was not accepted. why then did the mediocre weapons out number the exceptional ones? because not every villager was Samurai and the Samurai were not the only customers of the the craftsman, they simply had the money, and need, for exceptional weaponry and were, more often than not, the nobles of the area. think Knights. they were not simply peasants and could afford high quality weapons.
By Nihilon 1152775575 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveI think you've grossly oversimplified the Japanese traditions of swordmaking and use. In turn, I'll grossly oversimplify too.
Samurai were only an "elite" class during the tokugawa period, in particular the later tokugawa period, which is only a tiny chunk of Japanese history relative to the longevity of sword arts. Prior to the Tokugawa, the only really differentiations between "warrior" and "non-warrior" were ownership of weapons and the inclination to fight.
During the tokugawa period, the elitism of samurai class and the elevation of the sword grew. Samurai did not carry high-end swords, as there are still many documented weapon failures from even the later period at the peak of "sword worship". Swords from "proud" samurai families are often of mediocre quality.
Yes, cheap consumer stuff before and after the various weapon restrictions during the Tokugawa were often the lower grade simply based on finances. However, you grossly and inaccurately simplify that samurai were keen connoisseurs and only accepted the best. They often took what they could get, which was often less than great.
The higher the status, the more likely you were to get a sword from a famous smith. However, not all samurai were noble rich upperclassmen (nor did they all serve the rich or powerful), even in the Tokugawa. There was no point I can think of where all or even the majority of samurai were outfitted with high-end swords.
If you're going to oversimplify the culture, at least put it into a historical context so that the class dynamics of the time can be taken into account.
absolutely, it was a gross simplication, but then again, i don't know that much to begin with. just what i had learned from one of my ju-jitsu masters and some stuff i had read after getting my interest tickled, which wasnt much. it was a gross simplification but driving a point none-the-less. apparently my understanding was wrong. thanks for the correction, i am just glad that someone with a bit more knowledge chimed in.
please, is there any reading you could suggest?
book, there was a chapter about how the japanese rejected the opportunity to adopt guns and replace swords b/c of complicated cultural and esthetics reasons.
By Rachmaninoff 1145994725 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down Removenice post, but I am pretty sure most know it wasnt to show that a sword was better than a gun, Just demonstrating how damn fine a piece of work those japanese swords are. REally wish they would have shown a close-up of where the bullet hit, I bet that tempered edge took it like it was nothing, another good one is the sword nersus water cutter, quite amazing when they show it cut thought 80lb dumbells and then go across the samurai sword without even dulling it.
By AK420 1145601645 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveThe problem is that people think this attests to the greatness of the Japanese sword. This bullet splitting thing has been done with axe heads and other blades for quite some time.
Elementary physics will predict this outcome, as well as the outcome of the water jet and larger machine gun tests; unless the sword is so poorly made that it can't withstand rudimentary cutting anyway (cutting of course being the purpose of the sword in the first place).
Get a reasonably heavy duty knife like one from Busse or a Himalayan Imports and do the same test, they'll have basically the same result. You will also get the same result if you do it with one of the inexpensive Hanwei martial arts swords. You MIGHT even be able to perform this test with a cheap but sharp 420 stainless sword from a knife catalog. I am still somewhat baffled why people are so amazed at the results of these tests.
Also, bullets are generally made out of lead, which is a fairly soft material.
By subimago 1154907757 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down Removebut it is still amazing to see the water cutter cut through a steel plate over 4 times thicker than the sword then not do anything to the sword made out of the same material, I guess those blacksmiths just know how to fold their steel really well. ( And I suppose with some of the swords having over 200,000 folds just the sheer amount of folds is what does it, but it must take a skilled artist to make a sword like that) Pardon me if I sound retarded though, I know almost nothing about metallurgy.
By AK420 1145670878 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveFAR from it!
Japanese 'smiths were *NEVER* that ambitious, or at very least were actually human!
That astronomical figure is the number of *LAYERS NOT* the number of times it's folded. It's a simple matter of geometric progression...
Oh and most of this facts were pretty much gleaned from Sword Forum International (SFI). You'd be far better off going there for your sword facts, not anime or movies!
when I said folds I meant layers, it would still take a skilled craftsman to make a sword with 200,000 layers, Like I said I dont know anything about metallurgy nor am I that interested right now so I probably wont be visiting your little sword forum. Let me guess, you do melee don't you?
I said pardon me if I sounded retarded, but I guess you were like bingo! I found someone saying something wrong about something I know about time to make myself look like a big man. Get a life, nerd
SFI has some good information though it has its share of misinformation and definitely its share of arrogance. I used to visit and contribute there some years back, but I tend to avoid places like that now. Definitely a useful site for bringing together enthusiasts though, and good info ("good" is based on the forum trends though, so beware) can be pretty easily turned up.
Even wikipedia has decent information on swords these days (ignore the section about lamination though), so the persistence of misinformation is a little baffling. Good basic info is definitely much more "out there" than it was 5-10 years ago, so people should try to take advantage of it, rather than regurgitating the same old myths.
The water jet didn't harm the sword because the sword edge is a wedge of hardened steel. It's not "special" in any way; a hardened knife blade with a similar cross-section will do the same thing.
Nothing to do with layers, nothing to do with forging. A hard edge and a reasonably thick convex cross-section are all you need to withstand the "tests" done in these videos. Simple physics and nothing beyond that.
what a "blade with a similar cross-section" is if not layers made when forged? Hardening the steel is a forging process, as is the layering, and wouldn't go through the trouble if it didn't make it stronger.
By BlackCherrry 1151154698 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveBy cross section I referred to geometry, not composition. However, composition still takes a role.
I was also referring to the test with the water jet. Tamahagane was forge-welded on itself because it NEEDED it to be usable really. It's an integral part of the process, not an extra process used to improve it. Any knife with a similar edge geometry will "beat" the water-jet.
People somehow seem to think of welded steel as a kind of ferrous "plywood". It is not. There is no hard resin holding the thin pieces of metal together, it is the metal holding itself together. If anything, the weld potentially weaker than the base material. Take for instance a block of steel. Now take 2 pieces of steel half the size of the big block and glue them together. Is it stronger than the big block? Solder them together, is it stronger? weld them together, is it stronger? As you improve the bonding method, you come closer to 1:1 strength compared to single piece. It does not increase strength.
As I explained elsewhere, steel was forge-welded for relative homogenization of chemical composition and to eliminate the many impurities introduced through the tatara process. It strengthened the steel only in that it made it closer to an ideal single piece of steel (a modern-produced steel of equivalent chemical composition would be mechanically "stronger" simply because it doesn't need to go through the processes tamahagane does).
It was needed for the material, but doing it with a modern-produced steel for instance would not gain any benefit except in aesthetics.
I like this post, my post might not be nearly as informitive but I'd like to add to his arrow and the bucket example.
I remember seeing a video about police in England who needed to get new bullet proof vests due to the fact that most violent acts in England were with knives rather then bullets, due to the illegality of fire arms in England. Now these for the most part were just ordinary kitchen knives but due to the physical limitations of normal Kevlar body armor which would stop a bullet, it just didn’t prevent a knife from going right through it. So they had to get metal plates built into their vests as well.
very educating and interesting, nice 2 see some1 with brains apart from all the crap ppl post on this site
By Dark_Rage 1145158117 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down Removethank you... i wasnt even aware people figured the sword would lose haha
By bough 1145157157 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveHey thanks alot on the education of a sword! I think that was a great comment you made. But you are right, physics takes over when its an experiment such as this. Im sure that it was a brand new, multi-level folding of the metal possibly with machine help, and the fact it was a small pistol shooting it.
A sai, orginally is meant to break a sword and be an offensive weapon. If force is going along the blade it is strongest, but it if coming from the side on the flat face, it shall break easily. If a sai caught a section of the sword with a good twist, it would break off.
found it interesting
By the sea 1145039252 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down Remove... there were more posts like these instead of hateful "I'm better thatn oyu so go f*#ck your mother" posts...
Well done!
My kind of post (without the frothing at the mouth as I try to restrain myself and write calmly that is). LOL Just also wanted to say: don't sell yourself short with the 3-feet comment down below, come train in the German Longsword, you'll be swinging 3.5 feet around all the time. Great fun.
Still, I have seen many 16 and 14 guage steel shields and armor in Austria that had nice little round holes in them, punched out through the back, where a bullet took the guy out. Puts it in perspective. But, like you said, nobody ever looked dashing riding off with bullets strapped to their hips (although I did feel a small tingling watching Rambo with the M-60 belts around his shoulder, but that was probably just the hair). LOL
...the "three feet of sharp steel" is a little exaggerated for imaginative effect, it's actually more like two feet of "sharp" steel :D
By Xiaomage 1143021555 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveWhy woulda bullet penetrate a sword its impossibel, specially that the sword can vibrate
By mckhattab 1165700610 Reply Spam [-1] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveIt's mostly just an art now than an defence. Although if you were to pit a Shinobi against a gun-man, than that might be a different story. Shinobi are very skilled and are good at dodging bullets and other weapons.
By Kalero 1163281479 Reply Spam [-1] Moderate Up Moderate Down Removeask my Mom a question. Her reply would be "Why don't you ask your Dad? My reply: "I didn't want to know that much about it"
By dbrown234 1155344127 Reply Spam [-1] Moderate Up Moderate Down Remove...carry a katana AND a 45! Best of both worlds, baby!
By TheMattwolf 1147045141 Reply Spam [+1] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveOkay, so samuri sword: folded steel hardened by a quick bath in some cold water and then grinded to a razor point.
Bullet: a soft lead projectile encased in a thin layer of copper traveling at about 1200 fps. into what is essentially the point of an A-frame... exactly what were we trying to accomplish? And why is everybody so impressed with this?
Though "folding" doesn't have much to do with it and they traditionally weren't critically sharp, the sword's edge is convex like a clam shell and a semi-molten piece of mushrooming lead hitting a hardened steel wedge is gonna get split by it. I'll post a little more information shortly.
By Xiaomage 1143018411 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down Remove'folding' has everything to do with the structural integrity of the japanese sword.
By not sleeping 1143666585 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveFolding was a required process for turning tamahagane into usable steel, as it is very crude and full of impurities out of the tatara process. It doesn't make it special in any way (especially comparing to modern steel production). I guess one could argue that a sunobe of tamahagane that did not get "folded" would be inferior to one that was, due to the inconsistency of the tamahagane billet yielding incredibly chaotic results in yakiire. All I really intend to "shoot down" is the myth that "folding steel" makes it somehow harder, stronger, better than any "normal" steel. It only aids in the distribution of key and trace elements and squirts out some impurities with the flux when the welds are made. Some people have made arguments about compression or grain strength, and these arguments just aren't grounded in reality. A weak weld may limit crack propagation but would yield little other good. Generally performance of a Japanese-style sword is found in the geometry and the heat treatment.
If you could get a decent relatively homogenous, purer form of tamahagane (similar chemical composition, less Mn than standard modern 10xx steels) produced by a modern steel mill, it would be structurally the equal or superior to any "folded" traditional tamahagane billet, though it'd lack the charm and pretty hada. The Japanese did remarkable things with what they had, but there's nothing particularly special about "folding" process other than turning an almost unusable material into a serviceable one.
You beat me to it, but that's pretty much exactly what I was going to say!
With modern steel, folding adds only 3 things: Beauty (fantastic hada!), cost (astronomically! A folded blade cost something like 3 times the cost or even more) and difficulty (it's a complete b!tch to work with so many layers). *PERIOD*
Nothing is added in term of superiority. NOTHING
u have to much spare time u silly boy
By The Shogun 1144704191 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down Removethat's all i'm saying, the sword would be less functional without than with folding.
eg, logically, they wouldn't do it if it wasn't important.
Read the guy's post.
Folding is still used because the Japanese refuse to use anything other than the traditional. They could do little else to make their tamahagane (iron-rich sand, literally, crap) into a usable steel billet...
the samurai sword was invented more than one thousand years ago, yet it is still superior to any weapon we have today. there's something to be said for having attention to craft that we've lost in todays society. that sword is a work of art, not just weaponry.
By 1128896787 Reply Spam [+1] Moderate Up Moderate Down Removeright now in japan, Oosumi Shunpei, the greatest man to make katanas ever opened a katana museum in Oota city, and about 26 of his swords are shown on display right now.
By 1128915634 Reply Spam [+1] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveOsuma Shunpei (better known as Osuma Toshihira), while considered a living national treasure in Japan, is not necessarily the greatest "ever". Frankly, I like the styles of a few "lesser" mukansa (for instance, Yoshihara Yoshihito is an exceptional talented and diversified Mukansa for his age [his brother too]) even more than Toshihira's or even some of my favorites in the Gassan school.
Sword circles tend to have favorites of the past and of the present depending on the aesthetics or history of the schools they prefer. Modern Japanese swords are art objects, and while the makers are interested in making them as functional as possible, their work is not judged by criteria other than technical and aesthetic control.
I don't think you can really say it's superior to any other weapon. Bullets and other modern projectile weapons move too quickly for a swordsman to react and deflect it. That's assuming deflecting it would be successful. And I think it's dubious that a person with a sword can take on a person in a tank.
By subimago 1154908138 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveI'd prefer a naginta in a sword fight, although i have a katana under the bed as we don't allow guns in the UK
By sumotv 1153173944 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down Remove"the samurai sword ...is still superior to any weapon we have today. " Uh...yea. That's why the Japanese won the war.
Don't you think you're exaggerating just a little? These sword makers are artists, no doubt. But the best weapon we have today?
Some people undeservedly wrap oriental martial arts and weponry in a cloak of supernatural powers. They believe the movies that show a 5 foot, 98 pound woman take down a 6'5" 300 lb soldier just because she has a blackbelt in Taekwondo. If it was really that deadly wouldn't we see more pure martial arts experts winning the Ultimate Fighting Championships?
You can have your Samauri sword, I'll take an M16.
The Japanese began losing the war before it even started. The US embargo of steel to Japan made victory over Japan an inevitable conclusion; I believe there was no way the Japanese would win the war. Germany was too busy on it's own, and was probably using Japan as just a distraction rather than handing over any actual aid. In forming a force and expanding her territory over Asia and the Pacific, the Japanese spread out their forces too thin. Their equipment at best mediocre throughout the war (even the widely touted Zero, was nothing more than a subpar plane with much of the safety and support systems removed to make a light maneuverable plane), and their tactics were often suicidal (not just kamikazes, but also their snipers (which tied themselves to trees and were pretty much toast after they fired off their shot) and also their medicine and food (mostly rice, which lead to beriberi, and herbal medicines, many with much less effectiveness than modern medicine). Towards the latter years of the war, the technology regressed until the point where the military was considering issuing bows and explosive arrows to the troops because of the lack of steel.
By subimago 1154908519 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveIntelligent analysis.
It just bugs me when people say goofy things like the Katana was the best weapon ever made. Well, it may be the best sword ever made, but not the best weapon.
I agree with you. The Germans only teamed with the Japanese because they had a common enemy. Before Pearl Harbor and the official declaration of war the US sent aid to Great Britan and that ticked off the Germans. We also stopped sending selling and trading supplies to Japan, so they knew their military would suffer greatly without our supply of steel. I feel that if the Nazi's won the war they would have eventually gone after Japan, but thank God that never happened.
i heard that katanas are made from 5 layers of steel... that's why they're so strong and stay sharp.... dunno if it's true. I'm guessing it is
By d0t 1144318433 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveI don't get it. How does splitting a bullet make a sword superior? That's like saying rocks are better weapons than bullets because bullets can't go through rocks.
By lagfish 1143431415 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveThere is more love of craft today as there ever was. You watch too many movies. 98% of people back then died before they were 40 and could not even read. It is pathetic how some people think in this day and time that we have 'lost' something.
By STOOL 1142120428 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveHowever, it must be noted that Hunter-Gatherer societies work less and live just as long as modern post-industrial societies.
By subimago 1154908625 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down Removebut who would be able to defend themselves with that against a gun retard
By croat3000 1141614284 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down Removeof how dangerous, those things are...
By Chivo 1141917919 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveThe sword can take a bullet yeah. But can that sword kill you from 50 meters away?? Superior? Sorry I can not agree.
By Mango108 1142141846 Reply Spam [-1] Moderate Up Moderate Down Removehow accurate are you at 50 meters?
By CuDana 1142530210 Reply Spam [+2] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveGreat response
By Propertyofcsu 1142673925 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveWell, if it's a fight from 50 metres you keep the sword. I'll choose the humble gun.
P.S. I'll grope your missus at your funeral.
...through some part of your torso at 50 meters in 8 seconds with my XD-40. That's tested on targets many times. I have friends who compete and are much better. At 25 meters at least 2 will be in your head, guaranteed. But, I also study Iaido (quick-draw Katana), and studied Kendo for a few years, so I can comment there, too.
Do you study the sword, in any form, or fire a pistol or rifle for practice? If not, who are you to question as you just did? The Katana was and is an amazing piece of metallugical and artistic craftsmanship... but it has no place in modern combat beyond recreation and demonstration. It still looks really good on my Katana-Kake next to the desk in my study, though! But if a "bad guy" breaks into my house, sorry, I'm grabbing my M-4 or XD, not my Katana (although I wonder which a bad guy would consider scarier, a guy with a pistol or a Japanese Katana? Ah, he'd have 3 holes in his body before he could figure that out anyway).
A knife against a pistol in a holster at 25 yards and the knife generally wins, so long as the person carrying it knows what to do. There are good reasons why every solder in the SAS or SWAT teams carries a knife.
By Well travelled 1142767191 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveIt's know as the 21 foot or less rule in law enforcement. From 25 yards I can empty 13 rounds, reload and still watch you or, whats left of you, fall no closer than 15 yards from me. I'm still going to get you from 21 feet or less suffering only a cut, stab or two. Don't get caught bringing a knife to a gun fight!
By Not So 1143360531 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveOnly a fool brings a sword to a gunfight.
By Landrew 1142575204 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveOnly a fool gets into a gunfight...
By [SuB] 1142912524 Reply Spam [+1] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveWhy would someone want to be in a gunfight or get themselves into one?
By smexybear 1143351027 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveIF YOU WERE BEING ATTACKED WHAT WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE A SWORD OR A GUN. THOUGH THE SWORD WAS SHARP WITHOUT THE PROPER SKILLS IT WOULD HAVE LESS DEFENSE.GOOD VID.
By Jake the snake 1128605759 Reply Spam [+1] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveI dont remember which one it was, but when the guy takes out the swords to fight Indy, he does all does impressive moves and then Indy just pulls out his gun and shoots him...
By 1128785323 Reply Spam [+3] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveIndiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
By CuDana 1142530472 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveThat was great!
Did You know that this scene was "made up" by Harrison Ford because he wanted to finish the shot sooner due to his stomage problems? :-)
rgds,
PvB
strikes again.
By socrfan 1135797414 Reply Spam [+2] Moderate Up Moderate Down Removeif I'm being attacked ... hmm ... Well, then I would like to be the commander of a missile battalion, sitting in a bunker and just saying "fire!", while having a cup of coffee! And you?
By 1128761919 Reply Spam [+1] Moderate Up Moderate Down Removei would prefer slicing an american with a sword but i suppose if i had a gun i wouldnt mind shooting him or her , just as long as it stops them starting wars , who cares
By biscuit23 1142596603 Reply Spam [-2] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveSame theory Bush used to start the War. Hmm Muslim terrorist kills American .......... Muslims are bad mmmkay. Kill muslims and get oil ...... let's invade Iraq!
By tnmedic 1156916423 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveDon't blame americans for wars it is President Bush's fault, I agree he was a total idiot when he sent Americans to Iraq, in fact I wish he would fall down into a infinte void of pain and darkness but you don't see me saying it. But don't blame all Americans. We don't go around saying "Liek lets go kill everyone in UK!!!!" No, so be kind to others if you want to be treated nicely!
By cdestroyer127 1144459691 Reply Spam [-1] Moderate Up Moderate Down Removetoo right with all the yanks blood going all over the place
By english4life 1142792184 Reply Spam [-2] Moderate Up Moderate Down Removeis there no slow motion of the bullet hitting the sword - it's really not that interesting otherwise.
By simonmanc 1158425393 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveWOW IF THE DUMBASSES TURNED THE SWORD LATERALLY AND SHOT THE SIDE OF IT OFCOURSE IT WOULD BREAK. And wtf, they hella inaccurate with that col 45 the retards.
By Montaya 1157677892 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down Removewas the winner
By karate black belt 1157444435 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveOf course the bullet split. As Xiaomage said any decent blade could split the bullet. Having a pretty good knowledge of ballistics and bullet performance testing, I will go even farther and say that the cheapest knife with a barely sharp edge would split the bullet (assuming a non jacketed bullet). The lead used in most bullets is quite soft when compared to even the softest steel alloys. The point is what the blade would look like after. While not trying to take away from the craftsmanship or quality of traditional Japanese swords, a much lower quality blade would still come out unscathed.
By Nanook 1155411404 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down Removemake money fast and easy by filling out surveys
http://www.treasuretrooper.com/135887
I've seen something similar in www.putfile.com ...it took like 100 rounds from a machine gun before a samurai sword starts to break apart.
By fwizzy 1153761526 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down Removethis video is to prove how powerfull japanese weapons can be. All hand made showing how powerfull it is to dodge a bullet. Stop making up bullshit about how ur backup story. Your comments are ignorant. Here in japan we make the best of the best not like America u can own a gun at the age of 11 and go on a fukn riot. How the fuk is this a cute video get ur fukn facts right.
By K3V1nROX 1153442484 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveThe video shows a sword cutting a bullet in half when fired. However, the reaction time of even the highest trained person does not exceed the speed of sound, the velocity a bullet reaches when it exits the muzzel, creating the bang. As a result, a swordsman cannot react quickly enough to slice a bullet in half.
In recent years, the Japanese SDF has been gearing weapons for more comfort, than stopping power. They use lower powered round in the standard battle rifles to reduce the shock of recoil. They are by no means the most powerful weapons.
ã‚んãŸ日本ã«ã„ã¾ã™ã‹。日本ã«ã®ã©ã“ã«ã™んã§ã„ã¾ã™ã‹?ã‚んãŸã¯ウィアブーã§ã™ã‹。
It looks cool, but if the bullet were standing still and the sword were moving, who would be suprised if the bullet were cut then?
By Zrk Zyzyk 1152425956 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveLast Samurai was seen killed by a bullet between the eyes.....
Gomenasai
You seem to know a great deal about Japanese swords and sword making, I was wondering if you know anything about traditional Chinese sword making process or the quality of Chinese swords
By duo215 1151292274 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveI know a bit about Chinese swordmaking, though the processes are more varied and less orthordox when compared to Japanese swordmaking. There are some very interesting old Chinese swords, and no doubt Tang dynasty jian and Chinese lamination techniques influenced the development of early Jokoto period Japanese swords (which blossomed into the tachi and katana we know today).
Ultimately, a great sword of any country is a great sword. The Japanese didn't have a monopoly over "best swords" at all.
yeah right! where slow moment close-up? I would like to see mythbusters do this and see if they're bullshit or not.
By backerman 1150522161 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveGood point. But if you were holding the sword, the bullet would push it in to your face. IN YO FACE!!!!!!
By ClaytonBigsby 1150314922 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveThere can only be one highlander!
By ClaytonBigsby 1150314793 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down Removea sword is a sword. a gun is a gun. but both are tools. some say "extension of our hand". the most dangerous thing is the people behind it (using it).
By calvicula 1150253090 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down Removebring this sword to a gunfight and see what happens
By gurg 1149998114 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down Removelike it!.. i like it!
By Kontrast 1147626960 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down Removewow this remind me of light sabers in star wars^_^ only thing this dun reflect the bullets instead is still heading towards u
By maxmax12 1147013043 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down Remove
Kind of funny .. I do understand the dynamics of this clip, and most sensible people do'nt see it as sword vs gun. Also not surprised as to the reaction , i am waiting for a lawsuit by some gun nuts ,alleging defamation towards firearms.. LOL
it can b done bcoz thet when the metal of the bullet is so hot the bullet is like liquid thet`s way
By nana2222shemi 1145056242 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveThis clip does not say more than you see.
It is not a fight of a samurai vs a gunman.
Telling about the samurai sword, it has 3 to 5 iron layers.
Base iron comes center, hard iron attacched for the brade, and soft iron covers both sides. For the brade part, the hardest iron used for the edge, then middle, and bottom.
Whoever wrote that NOVEL about this video has a lot of spare time how can u write so much about unimportant things like this, some ppl are just too bored
By kinghavoc 1144843439 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveI was the one who wrote the long article about it. I do sword appraisals and am involved in some related communities and caught wind of this from someone who wanted an explanation of it. Since this site has such a large viewership, I decided to post some information directly rather than answering emails about it. This is the only video I've posted a response to on this website AFAIK.
By Xiaomage 1146971773 Reply Spam [+1] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveWow I could do that with my butter knife.
By cdestroyer127 1144459308 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down Removewhat would a sword do against a canon or a grenade? maverick (m16) and ak47 can easily kill as samurai, but a samurai would have a difficulty to kill a terrorist or a soldier. this is just a general POV, and it's a fact
By Griever 1144280634 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveThat would happend to almost any type of sword...
As long as the blade is strong and sharp...
A bullet is designed to do just what this video shows...to break apart...
If you fire a bullet in a pool, or any type of water...it dissolves...
Just try google'ing for it :)
And yes, the Samurai sword IS indeed a really good, ancient piece of art / craftmanship!
I think you mean deform? Bullets are supposed to deform. In a fleshy target, a deforming bullet does more damage than one which just goes straight through. Hence hollow points and other bullet which deform even more (often illegal) do even more damage to fleshy targets.
By subimago 1154909426 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveThink about it. A sword is designed be hard... to bend just a little if needed.
A bullet is lead. Lead is incredibly soft when compared to other metals.
Now, what I want to see that is not included is how does the sword's edge look like after the impact.
People may have died before the age of 40 and couldn't read, but then again, I know a lot of people over 40 that are just as bad off today...and they have no respect for anything. People that favor the gun are generally the people that are cowards at fighting and would pull a gun on someone on their way to work for revenge....its an equalizer and really shows no skill. Even my friend who was an army ranger sniper said the skill of sniping takes the smallest amount of time to learn, its patience and survival skills that make you stand out. Guns take little skill to use, swords take ages to learn perfectly.
By makaar 1142619536 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down Removestop comparing them then.
By simonmanc 1158425579 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveYou try hitting a target with a pistol, which is shooting back at you, from 25 yards or 5 yards for that matter. I bet you miss ever time. Any fool can pull a trigger. It takes years of training to dominate in a gun fight. And as a Federal Air Marshal it would be a little difficult for me to conceal a sword while sitting on an aircraft, at 35,000 feet, waiting to prevent September 11th from repeating itself. Guns are for cowards? You may want to rethink your logic.
By Not So 1143362937 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down Removeby far it's not superior to guns
By sdddddddddd 1142367206 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveWell it proves how strong the blade is by splitting a bullet in half and probaly that's all they wanted to prove. But how many people if any , would have the actual skill to do it by hand? Instead of bolting the gun and blade in line, why not have the old japanese guy have the katana in his hands, and the western guy shoot at him and we will see exactly how useful the strong katana is. An exercise in futility.
By dragons79 1142315560 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down Removeretarted fucks!! you f*cking assholes!! not everybody here are american you arrogant fucks! lets c you guys writing or talking another language even with spelling mistakes!! - I bet you really can't. Stop with these stupid comments cause you're not better than anyone.
By WeAVeR 1141982092 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down Removehaha not "everybody here is* american" no excuse for the bad grammar
By shubbs 1143656315 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down Remove日本ã®刀ã¯ã¨ã¦もã„ã„刀。 ã§もã€Â銃ã®ãÂȋ†ãÂ΋„ã„ã§ã™よ。 銃ã¯ã¨ã¦も速ã„ã¨ã¨ã¦も強ã„ã§ã™。
By subimago 1154909835 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down Removeany of you forget the movie? the last samuri good film but who won ? modern tecnology !! dugh!
By L.M.B. 1136308243 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down Removein the first battle, the samurai won. I could be wrong, but I believe they were out numbered in the second battle, and by use of very good tactics, they took out quite a few of the "modern" soilders (well, modern for the period the piece was set in).
I would say both weapons have a time and a place for use. Guns are useful from a far, when you can clearly see where and who you are shooting and you have no need for silence or set up time. Swords would be good in close combat (yes, duh) situations where stealth and speed are more important. They are also preferable in night missions, no muzzleflash (I know this isn't proper termonology, but I can't think of the right word). Plus, you don't need to reload a sword.
but it"s a sword verry well made it shod bee in a museum not at a,,,,,,,
By cipri_chira 1136300424 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down Removestop calling it a samurai sword. its called a katana or dai-katana depending if its one handed or two. jeeeezzzz
By ryu kojin 1135931197 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down Remove"dai"katana is an invented term. All "normal" katana are by nature "two-handed", and longer exaggerated versions are *sometimes* called okatana (the same character as "dai" you used, "o" is the correct form), though you'll more often hear terms like nodachi (field sword) or seioidachi (shouldering sword) for these beasts which were of limited practicality.
I do agree though, The samurai have been gone for a while now, but thanks to the hard work of a few preservation societies in Japan, swordmaking is still continuing today.
One of the things that top my "must have" list in life is a truly exquisitely made Katana or samauri sword. Not a cheap, factory , mass produced one but a hand crafted masterpiece.
By Cyber Smurf 1135722175 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down Removethe sword is a work of art yet as strong as diamond
By 1131872069 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down Removeyou have to realize that lead is a whole lot softer then the steel they use for the swords. You can scratch lead with your fingernails. If real armor piercing bullets were used, then maybe the sword wouldnt have been so lucky. it would probably still cut it, but the edge would be in pretty bad condition after that. It dosent seem to me that there is enought energy in a handgun bullet to break the whole blade. hitting it from the flat side would do something to it. i think that the reason that this demonstration works is because of the edge deflecting all of the force to the side because of the angle and sharpness and whatnot. i saw this video somewhere else where at the end the dude tests the sharpness of the blade w/ his fingernail and it's still sharp.
By 1130301210 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down Remove'armor piercing bullets would changs this dynamic completely', oh please, take the video for what it is, swords have been around for thousands of years, guns not very long compared. Why not say 'a rocket launch would have made a difference'.
By 1129113796 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down Removethey did one with a M-60 as eric4x4 said, and they also did one with a water cutter, the thing that cuts metal with water pressure. and the sword won.
By 1128892012 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveBy "armour piercing" I assume you mean FMJ rounds, which wouldn't make enough of a difference from that range, don't blow things out of proportion.
By 1128801936 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveThey used the same swordmaker, made another sword, and fired a M-60 at the sword blade also, it lasted about 5 rounds. Still pretty impressive.
By Eric4x4 1128617428 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveNot a M60, with a 7,62mm cal.
By Brusini 1135812193 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveArmor piercing bullets would change this dynamic completely.
By tired of it 1128549661 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveArmour piercing bullets wouldnt exactly just punch through an edge.
By Shifter 1128616491 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down Removehow powerfull the sword actualy are
By ajaj 1145569588 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveMY DICK CAN SPLIT PUSSY LIPS.
By ASSASSYN 1155338259 Reply Spam [-1] Moderate Up Moderate Down Removei cum to metacafe to watch pornos not this shit !!
By slitter 1147674993 Reply Spam [-1] Moderate Up Moderate Down Removetry a bazooka, huh
By billybobb 1135938869 Reply Spam [-1] Moderate Up Moderate Down Removeyeah see how that peice of metal survives with a bazzoka what do you think will happed then?
By L.M.B. 1136308321 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveIf thegot Desert eagle gun.....Katana hasn´t any chance....
By KlegaNice 1146426273 Reply Spam [-2] Moderate Up Moderate Down RemoveThe Desert Eagle has little greater hitting power than, say a .50 M2 Heavy Machine Gun, which they tested in another test...
Besides, the Desert Eagle, even in 0.50AE, is just a HANDGUN, little more. You could stop nearly any bullet with, say 3 THICK yellow pages phone books...
guns stands no chance against the katanas
By The samurai 1143896062 Reply Spam [-2] Moderate Up Moderate Down Remove...it's in real combat
By subimago 1154910347 Reply Spam [+0] Moderate Up Moderate Down Removeah the internet. look at what all the gun and sword 'experts' have to say. nothing gets a nerd nerding out like some weapons.
OMG I KNOW ALL ABOUT THIS GUN IT WUZ IN COUNTERSTRIKE!
If that's where you claim your "knowlege" comes from, you know NOTHING.
CS sucks a golfball through a garden hose. Little of CS's game physics have any parallel with real-life. PERIOD. Have you even fired a real gun? I doubt it.
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