From: canders@isr.harvard.edu (Carl E. Anderson)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: The katana...
Date: 31 Aug 92 16:02:54 GMT
Article-I.D.: burrhus.1992Aug31.160254.26514
Organization: Harvard University, Cambridge, MA

In article <1992Aug29.101648.15206@husc3.harvard.edu> alvalent@husc9.harvard.edu (Alvin Valentine) writes:
>Then ther is the argument on the style of wielding the two weapons.  The long
>sword is swung with a snap of the arm and  by swiveling the hips, the blade
>is brought to bear (from the side) in a reaping motion, or from a downward 
>swing in a more crushing fashion.  The katana (and most weapons wielded by the
>Japanese) were designed not for a swing of the arm, but for a hip thrust 
>through your arms and through your opponent, channelling all of your weight and
>personal key, through the sword --which in practical martial arts terms is
>considered for many maneuvers little more than a very sharp extension of one's
>own arm.  If you question what the hips can do when properly trained to direct the
>whole fo the body's ki through a single pint, wander into your local
>aikido class for a demonstration, for all of the moves done thre which
>are taken from aiki-jutsu can be duplicated witha sharp knife, a staff, or a 
>sword. This may be what the writer's were thinking of.

	Whoah! Hang on.  I know very well that the katana is a slicing
weapon, and let's face it - the point isn't the best for penetration.  So
why are they using a hip "thrust"?  THey ought to be using a hip swing of
some kind.  I know that all the force of a European style sword swing comes
from the hips, I would assume a similar technique for bringing your draw
cut to bear.  Of course, you'd probably pull it back with your arms for the
"draw", but most of the force should come from a hip swing.
	Your above explanation seems little different than what I know
about European sword styles.

>Still the truth is it most likely depends not just on fact, but on the legends
>surrounding the weapon--for that is also going to be the source of info for
>a heroic fantasy game rather than a real world let's go beat the crap out
>of each other game and find out how bad it hurts.  So if they heard peasant's
>getting cut in half legends, then there ya go.  Yeah, I know there are great 
>long sword stories, but it doesn't matter what's out there, it matters what
>Westerners studying the Far East, heard of which tales.  If one watches
>TV then one would likely get the opinion that he katana is a dude's weapon.
>In Henry the 5th, they get hit and stagger back or continue
>fighting from one knee while the catch there breath.  In martial arts films, 
>three cuts and your body parts fall into  nicely grouped categories on the 
>floor.

	Now this seems like the most reasonable explanation of a katana's
power in AD&D that I've heard so far.  Nothing like a lot of hype to
improve the reputation of your weapons!
	So in the Japanese version of AD&D do they have amazing Western
weapons based on Western legends?  Nah ... that would be to good to be true

;)

Cheers,
Carl
 

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Carl Edlund Anderson	            	"Hefi ek ok aldri sva reitt vapn
canders@isr.harvard.edu			at manni at eigi hafi vidh kommit."
OR
anderso2@husc.harvard.edu			- Skarphedhinn Njalsson 
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