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POLL: Which is cooler? Asian or Western (fantasy) swords? **NOW PICS**

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Howard,

Katana/tachi made in the kogarasu-zukuri style have two edges. The most famous example of this would be one of Japan's great treasures, an hierloom from the Taira clan known as Little Crow.
 
Originally posted by: LouieDeVito
Doesn't surprise me that Asian swords are winning in this place...

The western swords are WAY WAY cooler.
Click to expand...

Doesn't suprise me at all. Just think for a second. We are on a computer forum comprised of many anime,rpg, and all around asian geeks. The fact that LOLyourface mentioned Kill Bill is even worse.

And why do you call the western swords fantasy swords?
 
I for one haven't seen Kill Bill, and don't really have a desire to either. Western Glam-martial arts flicks don't do it for me. Sorry Wesley Snipes.

Good point about the Western swords though... I think the plethora of Marto pieces for sale in your average mall knife store has lead to this perception. Too many kids out there think 'King Arthur' used a gold inlaid two-handed sword with serrations and hidden dagger in the handle.
rolleye.gif
 
Yep, you're right, it's tamahagane. Sounded right at the time, but then again I couldn't remember Muramasa's name either.
Apparently some consider Japanese steel inferior due to after the War, Japanese smiths in Seki City were importing Swedish steel to use in their blades. This was due to much of Japan's mining industry infrastructure having been destroyed by US bombing, and also that the tamahagane has a naturally high amount of silica in it. Swedish steel billets needed no further refining and thus were more cost and time effective in a Japanese economy struggling to get back on it's feet.

Bugei, the company I like to purchase my stuff from, was at one time making their swords with scrapped rail road ties from Manchuria. Makes perfect sense! Manchuria has a pretty steep difference in tempurature (severe winters and damn hot summers) so you've got good tempurate tempering combined with tons and tons of train providing compression to the iron! I think I'd take that over traditional tamahagane.
 
I'd go with the katana. It would make a great spiritual guide in college. I may go pick on up off ebay. Sure it may piss of some people who worked for years to earn one. But someone should have told those people about ebay.
 
Originally posted by: Excelsior
Originally posted by: LouieDeVito
Doesn't surprise me that Asian swords are winning in this place...

The western swords are WAY WAY cooler.
Click to expand...

Doesn't suprise me at all. Just think for a second. We are on a computer forum comprised of many anime,rpg, and all around asian geeks. The fact that LOLyourface mentioned Kill Bill is even worse.

And why do you call the western swords fantasy swords?
Click to expand...

Lol no kidding. Btw, the Buster sword pwns you all!!!! 😀

And yes, I guess that makes me an anime, rpg, asian geek but Christ Almighty, asians are great and all but they are not gods like some people make them out to be. Just my opinion.
 
No mention of "katana" is made until what they say is the Nambokucho period.
Click to expand...

Little Crow is literally a tachi, true enough, but semantics and historical hair-splitting aside, a kogarasu-zukuri style sword is an example of one that has 2 edges, that is all I meant to show. Be it a katana, tachi, daikatana, or kodachi - we're talking about full sized swords larger than a wakazashi.
A flintlock is still considered a rifle even though it fires balls instead of bullets...
 
i'd go with asian if it includes all of asia. i really like the burmese da, just something about the shape and the handle. so much more you can do with an asian sword in terms of decoration and keep it functional that makes them "cooler" to me.
 
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