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Old 12-01-2004, 12:48 PM   #46
Elif Godson
Dracolich
 

Join Date: August 28, 2001
Location: Hurricane Valley
Age: 51
Posts: 3,089
What century knights and samurai are we talking? I would put my money on the samurai any day for any time personally. If you are talking real katana's, not the crap that is mass produced today, the katana is far superior then the common long sword. The japanese had a finese with metalurgy that most europeans did not. Toledo's and damascus is on par, but there really werent that many to go around in the dark ages of europe in comparison to those of japan. Most Knights "martial" experience consisted of padded training with shield and sword with dummies and usually one to tow partners. As for the samurai, multiple attackers at once usually with a bokken, sometimes without. Open hand was usually the epitome of there training first and foremost, they learned the weapon afterwards. If you add in platemail or chain, yes it could absorb blows well, and plate was vulnrable to crushing type weapons more then blades, but that is why thrustering type weapons such as the rapier or for that matter you could use the wakazashi or tanto to get where you needed. The first katanas were made originally heavier at the tip, for going through scaled armor and penetrating the softer areas where the armor would come together, all joints were susceptable. The longsword and bastard although double edged was generally dull and made for crushing through chain links and plate and on occasion piercing. I tink if both were to meet, dsay 14 or 15th century they would be afraid of each other because they would both be forign to eachother. Japanese generally being smaller and more mobile then the taller armored briton. If you compare the saracens (turks) to what happend to europeans I think you would have a good comparison. The saracens wore some chain but mostly cloth and put a world of hurt on there armored combatants with there scimitars. okay so like I said, my money goes with the samurai, and please stop talking physics, your making y brain hurt
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