My turn for "look what I got..."

[Kayin]

Meet my newest acquisition, Sakura.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v310/KayinStorm/122-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v310/KayinStorm/123.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v310/KayinStorm/130.jpg

She should clear customs in about two weeks. She's a shinken (sharp, or "live") jintachi (hung from the belt, not thrust into the obi- or, worn blade down) shin gunto (Showa-era military sword, issued to officers), as I can find so far. A lot of care went into her making. As Shidoshi Mayhall tells me, she's very,very sharp as well. I intend to find out. I'm getting back into tameshigiri now that I've gotten some control back over my arm.

And before anyone says it, a trained swordsman is more than the equal of a person with a gun. We can't outrun bullets, but I can outrun someone leading me for a shot. And that's all the speed that matters.

[Lothair]

I think I'll place my bet on the gun rather than the sword. Looks like the entirety of the modern world would agree with that. lol ;)

How much did it cost?

Edit: Just to clarify, you didn't say anything about the gun wielder being trained. So I'm gonna assume it's just a "random joe" holding the firearm in this make-believe scenario? In that case, I wouldn't bet at all. There's a decent chance that the trained swordsmen who is, I'll assume, also a bit of an athlete could out run or out maneuver the guns site. In the hands of a trained professional, not a chance unless the sword wielder snuck up on him.

[blaze15301]

guns run out of bullets eventually. swords just get dull.

[msmrx57]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbJyZ4eDkIs&feature=player_embedded

:D Sorry, had to. :whistler: Also sorry I couldn't get embedded.
It is a VERY beautiful piece of art even if if wasn't functional. :up:

[Mark_Hardware]

Shouldn't this be titled, "Look What I'm Getting..."??

lol it is nice though.

[Technochicken]

Do you know how the maker got the blade to have that mother-of-pearl texture? I love that detail.

[diluzio91]

Do you know how the maker got the blade to have that mother-of-pearl texture? I love that detail.

they fold the steel with 2 different kinds of metals over and over, the effect is beautiful

[Oneslowz28]

Its Damascus Steel. I have a boot knife made from it. Very beautiful steel. Very hard to make strong too. It takes a master to anneal it correctly.

[msmrx57]

Its Damascus Steel. I have a boot knife made from it. Very beautiful steel. Very hard to make strong too. It takes a master to anneal it correctly.

Not inexpensive either. But well worth it when it's a quality piece.

[Snowman]

guns run out of bullets eventually. swords just get dull.

I am pretty sure any responsible gun owner isn't going to run out of ammo any time soon, or maybe that is just me:whistler:.

Very beautiful blade, I have two that grandpa brought home from China from the 40's (gee wonder what he was doing) one is very plain more than likely a type 95.


"Type 95" Non Commissioned Officer's sword of World War II; made to resemble a Commissioned Officer's shin guntō, they were made of standard machine steel, with an embossed and painted metal handle designed to look like a traditional tsuka.

The other I can only speculate to be a Type 98. Still sharp as a tack too, hard to find craftsmanship like that now a days.

[x88x]

Beautiful sword, Kayin, even moreso because it has a history. Is it documented at all? ...I don't even want to think about how much it cost though.. :eek:


Its Damascus Steel.
Should be Tamahagane, I think. Similar, but slightly different. I believe the difference is in the folding technique, choice of metals, and method of combining those metals.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damascus_steel
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_sword_construction#Tamahagane


Re sword vs gun, I'll take a well made sword any day. ;) Not only it is a much more efficient instrument and (imo) more beautiful, it's also a much more powerful psychological weapon. I forget where, but I saw a fairly large survey a while ago that showed that victims are more likely to cooperate in a mugging if they are threatened with a knife than a gun. Interesting look into the human psyche. Guns won because of range and ease of use. It's a lot easier to train someone to use a gun well than a sword (granted, mastery of either is quite difficult).

EDIT:
Oh, and iirc, a properly made, properly cleaned Tamagahane blade should never get dull. ;) The layers just wear down in a consistent pattern, keeping the same profile.

[Twigsoffury]

And before anyone says it, a trained swordsman is more than the equal of a person with a gun. We can't outrun bullets, but I can outrun someone leading me for a shot. And that's all the speed that matters.

You keep telling yourself that buddy.

I've got 600$ that i can shoot you 4 times with a .45 casull and put you in a casket before you can make one ninja sound and bring your sword up.

[Snowman]

You keep telling yourself that buddy.

I was just going to leave that one alone.. but since you said it.. If I can lead a skeet or a deer or any other target enough that could clearly move faster than you and still hit it I must say I very much doubt that claim.

[Twigsoffury]

I was just going to leave that one alone.. but since you said it.. If I can lead a skeet or a deer or any other target enough that could clearly move faster than you and still hit it I must say I very much doubt that claim.

600$ on the table come down to Warr acres oklahoma and see me.

[Snowman]

600$ on the table come down to Warr acres oklahoma and see me.

:think:I was concurring with your line of reasoning not challenging you...

[OvRiDe]

I was just in Warr Acres last month. I wouldn't have challenged you for the 600. I believe the old adage .. Never bring a knife to a gun fight. :)

[x88x]

I've got 600$ that i can shoot you 4 times with a .45 casull and put you in a casket before you can make one ninja sound and bring your sword up.


I was just going to leave that one alone.. but since you said it.. If I can lead a skeet or a deer or any other target enough that could clearly move faster than you and still hit it I must say I very much doubt that claim.

It also has a lot to do with range and environment. The further apart the opponents are, the longer it will take for the swordsman to reach the marksman, but it also becomes increasingly hard for the marksman to hit an intelligent, defensively moving target.

Reaction times are another factor. I remember hearing somewhere that for a skilled fighter, within a range of about 20 feet (give or take a few feet depending on the length of the sword), given similar skill levels, it takes less time to draw a blade, approach the target, and strike than it does to draw a gun, aim, and fire....especially if the target is rushing you with a three foot long, razor sharp blade. :twisted: Remember what I said about the psychological factor. We've been conditioned for tens of thousands of years to fear a sharp blade..it's instinct at this point. But we've had only a few hundred years to learn to fear firearms. Fear of getting shot just hasn't had the time to penetrate as deeply into our subconscious yet.

EDIT:
This guy says 6 feet.
http://www.usadojo.com/articles/knife-vs-gun.htm

[Snowman]

CqABkG1JpHM

[Kayin]

It is mostly the psychological factor. Can I outrun a bullet? No. By the same token, most people can't hit a moving target, especially one that knows what they're doing.

And a fight with a .454 Casull? Hard, but doable. Even with the much higher muzzle velocity, once you see the muzzle smoke either you flatten yourself or dodge. Waiting on the report kills you. You have five, MAYBE six shots in that gun. Unless I somehow caught one in the blade (incredibly unlikely) I'll still have it and you'll have a very pretty club.

Do I think I'd actually win? I'd give it fifty-fifty. Then again, I won't bet on those odds either.

I used to own a Casull. I consider this trading up. To each their own, though, and I never denied the merit of a good gun. This is just my weapon of choice.

[x88x]

re quickdraw:
Hey, I never said there weren't skilled marksmen. ;) Doubly impressive since it's a double action revolver. How long did he train to achieve that speed? Personally, I'd still much rather have a blade in a short-range fight.

[Snowman]

Having a sword won't mean anything if you don't have training... I can teach you to point and shoot a scatter gun in under 30 seconds.

[Kayin]

Which is exactly why the gun rules the day now.

To make someone truly effective with that blade takes a long time. A gun is a much simpler matter.

I'm a student of Yagyu Shinkage-Ryu Kenjutsu. So I know how to wield that blade effectively. I wouldn't hand a sword to an amateur like I would a gun. No profit in doing so.

[x88x]

Having a sword won't mean anything if you don't have training... I can teach you to point and shoot a scatter gun in under 30 seconds.

Like Kayin said, that is exactly one of the main reasons why they've taken over. It's a looot cheaper and faster to train thousands of people to use firearms effectively than to use bladed weapons. That being said, there's a very good reason why (afaik) every military in the world still trains their soldiers in the use of bladed weapons (and unarmed combat, for that matter). Different weapons are more effective in different situations.