Samurai and European broad/bastard swords?

Question

I would like the opinions of people trained in Bushido or of the Japanese in general on the typical European broad/bastard sword.

Answer 1

Kvelduf hit it pretty much on the head- it's like comparing apples and oranges, except apples and oranges both have a peel, seeds on the inside and they grow on trees. A katana and a broad or bastard sword have less in common. The European swords were meant to be more of a "can opener" that could hack through heavier armor and hurt the preson underneath it. It may help to think of the European swords as a long bladed AXE in this manner. In Feudal Japan, the absolute heaviest armors was a lamellar or coated metal scale. More often, armor was not worn at all or if it was, it would be made of reeds or cloth. A katana was meant to slice rather than hack. If a European sword could be thought of as an axe, a katana was more of a long bladed razor.
Now, comparing them in terms of construction is unfair. The Japanese were WAY ahead of the Europeans in this regard. In Europe, you would take a piece of steel, heat it and hammer it down, quench it and sharpen it and BINGO- your sword my liege. In Japan, they would fold that heated metal many times so that the blade was composed of a great many tiny layers of alternating soft and hard steel. The hard steel would be sharper while the soft steel would be more resilient. This is GREATLY over simplified, but it should get the idea through.
All in all, comparing a European sword to a Japanese katana is much like comparing a machete to a military saber. Both function well in their respective duties but that's about where the comparison stops.

Answer 2

As someone that is trained in BOTH bushido and in the use of European weapons the two weapons have entirely differnt usages. The european broad and bastard swords were not intended as cutting weapons. They were designed to be used agains sutis of armor and to cause dents and cracks that inhibited movement and breathing, while the Katana was a cutting weapon. Also the European weapons were used for more defensively than the Japanese Katana.

Both weapons were quite effective for what they were designed for, but neither would ahve fared well against the other. The bastard or broad swords were too heavy and slow to be effective against the katana, but the Katana cold not have done any real damage to the European armor although the strength of the weapon COULD have penetrated the armor with a thrust.

Answer 3

I pick European over Samurai. Europe know how to keep things in their life seperate. They know their sword is simply a weapon for fighting. Samurai choose to make it a huge ceremony/ritual and be all emotional over a weapon.

Answer 4

Umm... I don't think Japanese arts train on an european weapon.. rather we train on bamboo swords, katana or bokuto.

Answer 5

If you are looking to buy bastard sword or for more info on bastard swords...http://www.bastardsword.net/