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Yeah, this annoys me. Japanese swords were folded over hundreds of times not because it was a superior crafting technique, but because they were using inferior

Yeah, this annoys me. Japanese swords were folded over hundreds of times not because it was a superior crafting technique, but because they were using inferior steel with more impurities.

dragontamer 11y ago
Damascus Steel is probably the coolest kind of sword from the past. Carbon nanotubes have been found in ancient Damascus steel swords, proving that the advanced metallurgy strengthened Damascus Steel above and beyond all other steel of that era. And while Japanese metallurgy exists today... the secret of Damascus steel has been lost in time. No one knows how to make it anymore. --------------- With regards to Katanas vs Longswords... Katanas are almost equivalent to Long Swords. The martial arts between the two styles are relatively similar. Sometimes Katanas were dual-wielded with wakizashi, while Long Swords would sometimes be dual-wielded with a dagger. Sometimes Katanas are wielded with two hands, but sometimes you switch to one-hand for extra reach. Ditto with Long Swords (being used with "Bastard Sword" style) ------------ In all cases, the fetish with swords is universal across cultures. Polearms were the king of the battlefield in both the West and in the East... and the favored weapons of soldiers, and yet the stories all glorify sword-wielders. Swords were expensive in all cultures, and are therefore associated with the respective nobility class.
- Balgair 11y ago
  Meh, you can get carbon nanotubes out of soot too [0], they occur in any high carbon and high temp environment. Their existence in something is not proof that metallurgy is advanced in any sense, just luck. European and Japanese fighting styles are also very different, as the katana is made with much more brittle steels [1]. In Japan, the block is not hard and the other blade has to slide along your's to not break the sword. You use Damascus steel if your steel is of poor quality or you don't have the chemical know how to make good steel. You do what you can with what you have. Still, swords cost a lot to make and end up as a status symbol. Look at the Japanese officers in WW2 [2]. [0]http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1044580305001051 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1044580305... [1]https://history.stackexchange.com/questions/5729/how-do-tamahagane-damascus-and-toledo-steel-compare https://history.stackexchange.com/questions/5729/how-do-tama... [2]https://41.media.tumblr.com/ab40ee35c57c64a56570035045f61c4e/tumblr_nwhsjgxrz01tjjchto1_500.jpg https://41.media.tumblr.com/ab40ee35c57c64a56570035045f61c4e...
lmm 11y ago
It's both though - they used the crafting technique to overcome the limitations of the steel, and ended up with stronger swords than what you get by naïvely forging with better raw materials. Some fancy cooking is similar - you use a lot of prep to overcome the limitations of an ingredient.

Yeah, this annoys me. Japanese swords were folded over hundreds of times not because it was a superior crafting technique, but because they were using inferior steel with more impurities.

dragontamer 11y ago

Damascus Steel is probably the coolest kind of sword from the past. Carbon nanotubes have been found in ancient Damascus steel swords, proving that the advanced metallurgy strengthened Damascus Steel above and beyond all other steel of that era. And while Japanese metallurgy exists today... the secret of Damascus steel has been lost in time. No one knows how to make it anymore. --------------- With regards to Katanas vs Longswords... Katanas are almost equivalent to Long Swords. The martial arts between the two styles are relatively similar. Sometimes Katanas were dual-wielded with wakizashi, while Long Swords would sometimes be dual-wielded with a dagger. Sometimes Katanas are wielded with two hands, but sometimes you switch to one-hand for extra reach. Ditto with Long Swords (being used with "Bastard Sword" style) ------------ In all cases, the fetish with swords is universal across cultures. Polearms were the king of the battlefield in both the West and in the East... and the favored weapons of soldiers, and yet the stories all glorify sword-wielders. Swords were expensive in all cultures, and are therefore associated with the respective nobility class.

Balgair 11y ago
Meh, you can get carbon nanotubes out of soot too [0], they occur in any high carbon and high temp environment. Their existence in something is not proof that metallurgy is advanced in any sense, just luck. European and Japanese fighting styles are also very different, as the katana is made with much more brittle steels [1]. In Japan, the block is not hard and the other blade has to slide along your's to not break the sword. You use Damascus steel if your steel is of poor quality or you don't have the chemical know how to make good steel. You do what you can with what you have. Still, swords cost a lot to make and end up as a status symbol. Look at the Japanese officers in WW2 [2]. [0]http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1044580305001051 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1044580305... [1]https://history.stackexchange.com/questions/5729/how-do-tamahagane-damascus-and-toledo-steel-compare https://history.stackexchange.com/questions/5729/how-do-tama... [2]https://41.media.tumblr.com/ab40ee35c57c64a56570035045f61c4e/tumblr_nwhsjgxrz01tjjchto1_500.jpg https://41.media.tumblr.com/ab40ee35c57c64a56570035045f61c4e...

lmm 11y ago

It's both though - they used the crafting technique to overcome the limitations of the steel, and ended up with stronger swords than what you get by naïvely forging with better raw materials. Some fancy cooking is similar - you use a lot of prep to overcome the limitations of an ingredient.