Here's a way to test the auto-align hypothesis: make a curved sword analog, but replace the handle with a freely rotating round handle. Swing it around, see which way the blade aligns.
There's no experiment needed. Any time you swing it with more velocity than it would just "freefall" due to gravity, the portion with the weight bias (the spine, on a curved blade) will absolutely lag behind the handle. Or do you already know this, and just want Skullagrim to discover it for himself?
@@TalesForWhales well then there would be no axis of alignment (no pivot point). And it would no longer behave in a very predictable way. Things would get more into aerodynamics at that point, but at velocities too slow for them to have much impact. It would mostly turn however it happened to be turning when you swung it. I don't recommend this test ;)
this is one of the best videos of "x sword vs y sword" that really demonstrates the point people just don't take into consideration a sword is a sword, it doesn't matter what it is, the only thing that matters is how well you use it
Well yes but actually no. If one guy has a rapier and his opponent has a gladius I know who I'm gonna bet on assuming there's not an absolutely huge skill disparity but with fairly similar swords like katana and longswords absolutely.
People that have never tried this: That looks so easy a child could do it. People that actually do this: Done it hundreds and hundreds of times and I'm still not satisfied with my technique.
@@mercury2157 Word. I chopped wood only a couple times in my life and I always botched at least half of the swings. And you're only swinging down. With an axe specifically balanced to be swung down.
Every instance I see of people showing the auto-alignment of curved sword they’re holding each end of the sword and the weight then shifts downward and aligns, but both ends have to be supported because otherwise the tip of the sword being off center makes the tip want to point down when you only hold the handle
That's not really the problem. The problem is this: when you just "hold it", gravity pulls "weight biased" side (the spine) down towards the planet. when you swing it down (faster than it would just free-fall), it's in negative-G, and the "weight-biased" side will shift to the top (lag behind the handle).
@@kathrynck but that’s not automatic alignment, that’s guided alignment. Automatic alignment would mean that the blade would automatically fall edge first under its own weight. You’re right that it can kind of correct in the cut with guided alignment from a swing, but even on more heavily curved swords that correction is very little. The curve on a katana is so slight that it doesn’t really help unless you already have good edge alignment to start with
Every time I see the "auto-alligment" shown I do a little inner face palm. Because sure if you drop the sword down without holding it the blade does allign but who in their right mind would throw a cut like that?
Its ridiculous to put it mildly. You swing so fast that there isn't even enough time to "auto-align" anyways because once the blade touches whatever you're cutting, you're more or less committing to that angle.
The auto-alignment effect is misunderstood. It doesn't auto-correct your aim while you hit something, it's a subtle effect where the curve causes drag that can allow you to feel the edge better during the swing, akin to a weather vane. Scholagladatoria mentions this effect as to why some swords with completely cylindrical handles, which is normally bad for edge alignment, can still be useable as cutting weapons due to this effect. Think of it as a subtle auto-aim feature and can easily be overridden like a console FPS, but it's not a full on lock on system like Goldeneye for N64.
Says SO MUCH MOTE to me about the handle/pommel than the “shape of the blade” I also love how these people do these tests in lab coats - really cute touch
One thing I was actually wondering from the "attacking from the scabbard" section was whether there were any "speed draw" techniques in HEMA for western swords. The reason is because everyone typically compares swords to handguns since they fulfill the same niche (sidearms in combat and self defense weapons in civilian life), and speed drawing a handgun is a very important skill. Usually when you need a handgun, it's still going to be in your holster so drawing the pistol is a core part of pistol shooting skill, whether it's pistol transitions from your long gun in combat or drawing from concealment during a defensive situation. I always figured a sword would be in a similar situation where the times you'd need a sword, it's still probably starting out in its scabbard, so drawing the sword quickly and smoothly to confront the threat would be important. There were a lot of techniques I saw with the katana for that (iaijutsu), but wondered if there were HEMA equivalents since most techniques I saw seem to assume you have the sword drawn already.
At least some manuals take this into account. The one that comes to mind is the first guard of I.33 sword and buckler having the sword in a just drawn, just above the scabbard position. I can't think of anything more explicit than that, but I have a fairly limited knowledge of the manuals.
The Russian shaska saber is worn blade up like a katana. I think it's how you draw it (with a double edged sword), as with single edged swords, you just have to wear the blade up
Fiore discusses drawing into a parry in his longsword section. Capo Ferro (I think, it was one of the Italian rapier masters) advises that if you are carrying a rapier and dagger when you are suddenly attacked to go for the rapier first, come en garde, parry their first attacks if necessary, and only then go for the dagger if you think you can do so without compromising your defense. Finally there is the fact that the later French school described its first parry as being the position of a sword that had just been drawn from the scabbard. All in all, the Western material on the subject is not nearly as extensive as the typical Japanese curriculum, leading to two possible conclusions: 1. European sword drawing techniques were passed down orally and have been lost to time or 2. Europeans never developed these techniques to the same extend for cultural reasons. While the first is probably true to some extent, I tend to favor latter explanation as the depth and variety of drawing techniques found in Japan is, as far as I know, unique in the whole world. Every Kung Fu style, Kali, Krabi Krabong, Kalaripayattu, Lashkroba, Furusiyya, and all of the European schools lack an equivalent of iaijutsu. In addition, since you brought up the hand gun comparison, it is worth pointing out that speed drawing of pistols is a relatively late development. Pistols have been around since the 16th century but the idea of specific training for pulling the weapon from the holster quickly does not seem to have existed prior to at least the mid-19th century. Common soldiers did not carry pistols, formalized training for law enforcement (much less civilians) in fire arms handling did not exist, and gentlemen trained for duels with pistols already cocked and in hand. The prevalence of the "fast draw" in the American West is also greatly exaggerated by the movies, but it did occur, largely as a rough-and-ready version of the gentlemen's pistol duel owing to a lack of a directeur de combat, seconds, surgeons, and all the other attendants at a European style duel. Speed draw techniques only seem to have become a standard part of military and law enforcement training during the 20th century, much like how prior to the 1950's pistols were always shot one-handed were as now the two-handed Weaver stance is ubiquitous.
@@andrewk.5575 Ah makes sense. And since I am American, I typically thought of pistols furthest back to the Wild West and didn’t consider things too much beforehand. Though I wonder if a lot of this stuff came from the fact that many sword or pistol duels, at least amongst the elite who were more likely to write down their techniques, were more “formal” and therefore assumed everyone would pre-draw their weapons before fighting. Speed drawing would always seem relevant to me in self defense situations against attackers. Possibly the more “low class”, “rough-and-ready” cowboy types as you say might’ve had more incentive to devise speed draw techniques when their duels are less formal and more spur of the moment things, like Wild Bill Hickok vs. David Tutt. And yeah, speed drawing was definitely standard training, or at least a known thing, by the 20th century. Even as early as WW1, Alvin York famously used a 1911 to kill six charging Germans during his rampage and people mentioned that he would not have been able to fight them off as quickly trying to reload and maneuver his rifle. The pistol, meanwhile, was quick to get into action.
@@andrewk.5575 regarding speed drawing pistols. If you think about it, this simply wasn't possible until cartridge ammunition was developed, because if you tried that with a ramrod'n'ball style pistol, you'd probably just sling your bullet out onto the ground before you fired. It would also be dependent on the faster gunpowder that went with the cartridge era, because the older coarse black powder would make speed drawing a bit irrelevent, eh?
The true power of the katana is locked behind the power of friendship. That's why I prefer the Nodachi, it comes with that feature already unlocked. I hate that microtransaction BS.
It was really nice seeing you enjoy yourself with good, competent friends who know what they're doing - I really enjoyed this review for their skill as yours and the social interactions
I always thought that the "gravity" version of auto-alignment was for illustrative purposes only, and that the gravity is supposed to represent the force of the hands on the handle. If you push a curved enough sword against a target, it would auto-align, because the point of blade contact is behind the "straight continuation" of the handle. If you push a pool noodle against a target, it would curve back in such a way. This would also apply for straight blades that are tilted back with respect to the handle, and it would apply in reverse for forward-curved blades and forward-tilted straight blades. Now, I have never held a sword in my life, but that's what I thought was meant by the auto-alignment. I don't know how much it affects sword-cutting in practice, because it assumes that the only relevant force is the hands on the handle. But of course, sword inertia is way more important, so I can see this effect being negligible, but I don't think it's 100% nonsense.
The intro, the thumbnail showing the blond highlights, the awesomeness of the swords, the upset "auto alignment isnt real!!" Tism mini rant, * chefs kiss *
Katana do cut really great, but it has to do much more with blade mass and stiffness. It's ironic Katana in video game world are known as these super fast light swords when in reality they are forward weighted choppers with a thick blade, and that blade thickness means very little flex. It kind of reminds me of heavy bullets vs light, a heavy grain bullet will power through tougher structure and continue strait because it carries more inertia, while a less massive bullet may travel faster but is more likely to yaw or even fragment apart.
Katana are not all the same you have ones that the weight are closer to the handle and thinner, katanas actually had some flex to them thanks to utsuri common feature prior to the 17th century, which historical European swords were actually less flexible than their modern-day counterparts.
@@-Zevin-most European swords were not spring temper, again utsuri was a common feature, are we talking about rapiers exclusively because unless we are that's not the case. Even among Japanese swords you can see clear differences, like the two in this video. ruclips.net/user/shortsJlZQUFYgxO8?feature=share3
The speed argument comes from the fact that the katana is optimized to slash on the draw, something few other swords of similar size can really do. It's kind of like how revolvers became famed through quick draw duels between cowboys.
whole lot of cutting and some non copyright mystical music in the background . you really went for the 80's samurai superman movie vibe with this one 😂👍
He isnt skill enough to train anyone. Exc. me after 8 years of regular training i wouldnt train anyone. I can see weird moves/taisabaki (work with body) from all three swordsmen in presented tameshigiri, but thats probably they are more into HEMA.
@@TheNCcope This was bothering me with every cut he did. Then he started talking about Iaido kata and I was like "how do you know about that but not how to stand" But we all have room to grow
That's a fair point, it's something that I found with a antique Thai Dhab I own, it even has a round grip, which generally is terrible for getting edge alignment, but the grip itself curves in the same direction as the blade, so you instantly feel it, and when the blade is out of alignment you feel the dipping from side to side. It's really interesting and I use this on people who have never held a round grip historical sword, but I hand it to them then tell them to close their eyes and spin the grip a few times in their hand, you can easily align the blade, with eyes closed, even with the round grip.
The handle shape does that better, but in case of a round handle an asymmetrical blade can help feel the edge alignment, yes. I find it makes it slightly harder *during* the cut though.
@@Skallagrim That's because when you swing it, the weight-biased side changes from pulling down towards the earth, to pulling "away from your direction of swing". It shifts from aligning blade-up (opposite of gravity), to aligning to your direction of movement. When you are not swinging, gravity "auto-aligns" the blade to the sky. When you swing, the weight bias shifts to try to lag behind your direction of movment. I think perhaps you might need a rotating handle and a very curved blade to get a feel for what's occurring. It will rotate spine-down towards the ground. Move it side to side, and it will turn, with the weight biased side (the spine) dragging behind your direction of movment. Swing it fast (much faster than it would free-fall) and it will turn so the edge is pretty close to aligned. Not "perfectly", but inertia will go from fighting you, to assisting you.
@@kathrynck I wonder how the sword from Rurouni Kenshin would behave. After all it is curved but has the cutting edge on the inside of the curve rather then the outside. As its name implies, its cutting edge is where the spine would be. It should make cutting really difficult, since in the story it is meant to hold back Kenshin from turning into a murder happy psycho.
@@kathrynck If that is a real phenomenon it's too miniscule to really be noticeable. I can tell you from practical experience that edge alignment is no easier with curved blades. The handle shape has much more of an effect.
For *$3,500.00,* it better be smooth as hell in cutting! 💰💰💰 And, lo and behold, it does! Also, you looking as if you were going to cut a huge stone in the beginning almost gave me a *heart attack!* 😳😳😳
I have a special wakizashi which I spent a month reprofiling and polishing since hardly any production shinken are made traditionally. It autoaligns. It feels like pure magic. When held upright, edge facing out, it straightens itself to gravitational true. When placed on flat flooring on its spine in mounting, the blade remains balanced with the edge facing straight up. I call it the Floating Poltergeist or Kazegiri (Wind Cutter). I am now learning how to reprofile a katana in the same way but it is otherWORLDLY time consuming.
Katana does look like a hefty/heavy one without that 2nd spine/blood groove, always prefer the balance on those types more.. Always wanted a $2k+ Katana, some beautiful work out there.. Awesome video!.. 🃏
Only $3500? Nah see you need to spend at least quadruple that for the auto alignment feature... dont forget to install the batteries for the gyroscope, accelerometers, lidar sensors, and onboard computer.
Ok not going to lie I want to see a sword with gyroscopes and accelerometers on it now. Need something for forward momentum like a propeller or jet engine.(just realized I'm basically designing that R9X missile with spring loaded blades now lol.)
Hey you do read your comments 🥳 You gave your kendoka friends a Japanese sword 😄 Honestly though after only 6yrs I prefer my Longsword to a Katana which I've been using for almost 2 decades now. The Katana I have now is a piece of art I got from Swords of Northshire, but my considerably cheaper Bastard Sword that I got from The Knight Shop is better balanced, easier to keep on point and edge on and protects my hand more. Both great swords that I use regularly 🙂
One aspect of "auto alignment" has to do with acceleration, when you accelerate a curved sword as you would when cutting, the offset between the axis of the handle (axis of rotation) and the centre of mass of the blade tends to pull the centre of mass to behind the axis of the handle. Holding the sword loosely confirms this because gravity is analogous to an acceleration upwards, the same conditions as an upward strike. This gravitational effect actually interferes with the auto alignment for non-vertical strikes, the degree of interference depends on how hard you are able to accelerate the sword but i would guess that, since most strikes appear to accelerate faster than a falling object, the auto alignment effect probably dominates the gravitational one. How much of the effect is this physical phenomenon and how much is the feedback the effect gives the wielder is up for debate though.
As someone who trains with mostly curved blades, the way you are describing it is very accurate. my lineage focuses on a "cage grip" for an extra point of articulation and when I try to swing straight swords the same way, I absolutely feel a turning force that I don't normally feel with a curved one.
I think the idea of auto-edge alignment comes from having the force on the blade where you are cutting is more likely to be behind the center of mass of the blade. This force opposite of the direction of motion will have a tendance to want that point to be lined up behind the direction of motion. The biggest issue with this is that once the force is great enough to do anything to straiten the blades angle of attack that you are far enough into the cut that straitening it is not likely possible.
Any rod with a weight-biased side (which includes a curved blade), or really anything which has a "heavy side" relative to the handle, will align so the heavy part pulls down (with gravity) when holding it, and then shift to having the heavy side try to lag behind when you swing. This DOES result in physics "assisting" with alignment. At least _when_ you swing faster than the sword would free-fall, putting it into negative G's. Put a weight on a bicycle wheel and use an axle as the handle. Hold it out... the wheel rotates so the weight is at the bottom. Gravity right? (when you hold a curved blade still, it aligns spine-to-the-ground) Move it side to side at a slow speed... the part of the wheel with the weight on it will shift to lag behind your direction of movment. Move it really fast (like you're swinging a sword)... the weight will shift to the position opposite the direction you are accelerating it. If you swung fast enough (kept a blade in very strong G-force due to acceleration), then you could have an axle for a handle and it would align "relatively straight" (but not perfect), vs your direction of swing. Absolutely NO testing which fails to include accelerating the blade, will portray this. It doesn't result in perfect alignment because gravity will always try to bias the angle a little bit. But it certainly helps.
@@kathrynck I was mainly commenting on the largest rotational force on the blade which is when it encounters the object you are trying to cut. Another way of looking at this is to look at the torque on the blade handle and the center of mass and ignoring gravity for now. When you have a torque on the handle it will try and accelerate the center of mass in the in the direction of the torque. The inertia of the blade can be idealized to the center of mass and this inertia will oppose the acceleration from the torque, this is what causes flexible materials to flex opposite the direction of the acceleration. This is always the case when you have a torque applied at the end of an object. If the center of mass is not along the axial symmetry of the object the center of mass has two points of equilibrium in this scenario. The is a point of equilibrium that is in the direction of the torque this is an unstable equilibrium; the other point of equilibrium is opposite to the direction of the torque and is the sable point of equilibrium and this is the direction that the center of mass will move to while experiencing this torque. Now let’s look at 3 senecios for a curved blade like a katana being swung vertically before it hits the target: When you are holding it stationary and horizontal the force of gravity is effectively accelerating the blade down and you are accelerating the blade up with a torque to counter this so this torque you are putting on the blade is opposite to the direction of gravitational acceleration. The center of mass will want to go down opposite to the direction of the torque on the handle which is accomplished by rotating so that the curve of the blade is down. If you are holding the blade and just let it fall it is in an inertial referance frame so there is no torque you are putting on the blade so there is no tendency for the center of mass to try and rotate from this and because the center of mass is essentially in freefall (inertial referance frame) no gravitational or torque forces so there are no rotation for these forces. The only force to rotate the blade would be air resistance which is also very small. If you are putting force into the swing, you will be accelerating the center of mass along with gravity but the inertia resisting this is the same and the center of mass will want to move to the stable point of equilibrium opposite to the torque which is in the direction opposite to the swing. Now if the swing is not vertical the analysis is a bit more complicated but the direction of the stable point of equilibrium for the center of mass will be vector sum of the acceleration due to gravity and the negative of the acceleration of blade due to the torque.
@@CharlesLaCour " if the swing is not vertical the analysis is a bit more complicated but the direction of the stable point of equilibrium for the center of mass will be vector sum of the acceleration due to gravity and the negative of the acceleration of blade due to the torque." Yeah, i went into that detail under one of the comments. You'd need a little bit of up-right-ing action on the grip to get it aligned "just right". But yes, the dragging behind on the cutting resistance is likely _also_ a factor. true.
Great video. Very entertaining. I hope the views are worth the cost of tatami. The music you used really worked for me. This serene and surreal jrpg loop matched the test cutting, alternating between normal speed and slo-mo.
Hey Skall, next time you do some test cutting, could you do some passing cuts - er sword-wise, rather than basketball. When you're stepping past or side stepping the tatami and striking, rather than from a fixed position.
Not arguing anything here, I think you are absolutely correct about 'auto-aligning' being a silly idea But I do want to point out that objects in motion can behave very, very differently from objects at rest. See: gyroscopic torque, as an unrelated but good visual example. It isn't that unrealistic to imagine that a blade in motion with the benefit of air friction and angular momentum would behave differently from a blade held at rest in the hand. A boomarang behaves differently spinning and at speed than it does resting in the hand. An airplane at rest falls, an airplane at speed flies. Etc. Not that this changes anything, you're still absolutely right. I just suspect that this will be one of the arguments against what you're saying, by those who believe you're wrong. XD
I would like to add a little note to the not cutting with the tip. There are schools that focus on maximizing the range and practice cutting with just the tip. Of course, when the range allows for it the more effective cut is favored. 🙂 Cool review!
My guess is that the auto align idea comes from the fact that the point of contact near the end of the blade is "behind" the line of the handle, and so when you push into the target it would tend to rotate the blade into alignment. However, I don't think this is going to play any part in an actual cut - the blade is moving too fast, has too much momentum, and has force applied by the person.
Curved blade 'alignment' is what is meant by the feeling of the edge angle, especially when you one-hand (especially on horse back), same with saber, katana, etc.
Whenni was a kid i went to the balboa park museums in San diego. They had one for military history and a Japanese exhibit was visiting for a couple months. They had all sorts of weapons some dating back to like 400 ad.The one I loved was a sword made in the 1500s. Like an early style of katana. I wanted to howl it so badly but not was encased in glass. They found it in a dig on a battlefield and it was still in its scabard. Luckily the scabard lawyering and fit was so tight no real amounts of moisture crept in so the blade was almost perfect. A few blemishes here or thee but still just as usable as when it was lost during the battle. The cording on the handle and te tuba were corroded and the shark skin was almost gone but the tang was also in goo condition. They restored it by looking at the type of wood the scabard was the color f lawyer the scraps or shark skin and corsage plus the wood of the handle. They also found a bit of inlaid silver on the t suba so they figured it must have belonged to a wealthy or important samurai. Of the samurai of import that died that day they were able to trace back to 3 people who's sword it could have been. All 3 were killed by firearms or arrows.their swords never drawn.Japanese military and culture is just so fascination to me.
Glad you call them out on that auto-alignment bs. Those YT shorts from cheap katana sellers keep showing up on my feed about katana superiority I'm getting real tired.
As far as the schuk sound for wooden scabbards (mentioned in the first 30 seconds), I seem to remember that sound in old samurai movies. Interesting, that! Also, I think that sound is possibly cooler than the shing, so yeah.
So, I haven't seen those auto-alignment videos so I can't comment on them, but there are historical sources from British swordsmen who, when designing sabres, specifically preferred a slight amount of curvature to assist edge alignment. To my understanding, the justification has to do with inertia. That is, when the blade is accelerated, if there is a trailing mass (the curved tip), it can resist moving (Newton's first law) for as long as possible by rotating into alignment with the path of the edge. I'm trying to find a good example of how to demonstrate it, but the best I could think of is, if you held an axe loosely in the hand, edge pointed forward, and then quickly jerked your arm from right to left, the bit will tend to rotate in the opposite direction so that it remain at rest for as long as possible. All that said, this is not some sort of aim-hack. You're not going to flail a sword with a loose grip and it's magically going to be facing the right direction. It's supposed to be a very subtle *aid* to edge alignment, in the same way that shifting mass away from the centerline gives you better insight to where the edge is because you can feel, in the hand, that offset mass. Or maybe I'm just an idiot. This is the internet, after all.
The alignment assist is real on curved swords. The falling test is nonsense so no surprise it doesn’t work. Try this instead: Take a katana and press the blade against something solid but relatively soft like a tree trunk. Hold it like you would when cutting and press with the part near the end that you would normally cut with. Now turn the blade out of alignment and try again. You should notice that the blade naturally wants to correct the angle. This is because the curve puts the edge slightly behind the hands, and that the forces naturally want to cause it to drag straight behind. The same thing would happen if you dragged a rope behind you as you walked. It doesn’t randomly go off to the side unless you are on a hill or something. It wants to trail straight behind you. Same with the edge of a curved blade.
Maybe the curvature has something to do with the biodynamics of how human arms move. Like when you do a sword swing, the hands sort of move in a semi-circular fashion in relation to the shoulder joints. But with a straight blade it means the edge sort of comes to a stop before being drawn along the target making the blade dig deeper as it cuts. But if the blade has a curve, it looks like the movement of the curve follows the semi circular movement of the arms more closely, which seem to make it so that a greater length of the edge is drawn along the target. At least from what I can see in test cutting videos, it looks like more centimeters of the curved blade edge ends up being employed compared to straight blades. This could probably be studied more in-depth with some zoomed in, slow motion footage of cuts. Maybe draw some markers along the blade edge and see how many of them run through the target during a cut?
Great Video Skall, loved the outtakes. Curious to see the actuall testing of the blade. Also very disappointed that no one could draw out its real power, as we all know a good Katana would split the ground even when swung lightly.
As a paranoid klutz, I'd just like to point out that I find the idea of a blade designed specifcally in a way to fall such that it is more likely to chop my toes off accidentally to be really worrisome.
While I do HEMA, I've also done Yagyu Shinkage-ryu for 22 years, so yeah, still learning. My school gets together and also does cutting practice, it's...a lot of practice. It doesn't auto-align, just lots and lots of work.
Now give me some throwing knives with Auto Edge alignment and I will be impressed lol seriously though as somebody who has chopped wood for a good portion of his life "Auto Edge alignment" comes from practice not Hardware hence why a Bushido Master is more deadly with a broom handle than a novice is with a well forged katana.
Curved blades like axes will self align, the problem is the part that's forward from center is where they will align towards and that means a curved sword will try to turn backwards unless the curve is towards the edge. It's basic physics anything with more mass on one side will try to fall in that direction.
Physicist here. About the auto-align thing, your demonstration letting the curved blade's tip falling with gravity actually helps the case for the auto-align thing. See, when one accelerates the blade, the tip would lag behind just as it wants to fall due to gravity when still (gravity is actually equivalent to an acceleration). Acceleration in a strike would be much grater than gravity, so gravity's effect can kind of be neglected during the swing. If the center of mass of the blade is behind the line of the handle, it would tend to lag behind the movement when accelerated.
Not saying that it actually works, but it has something going for it. I am not a swords expert but I believe that you should hold it steady in your hands and rotation would thus be prevented.
from a physics standpoint, objects "want" to have a position with the least potential energy. A curved blade has more more potential energy when the point is upwards pointing, compared to when the point is downwards pointing. Obviously, the LEAST potential energy is, when it's laying on the ground :P
I think if there is any self-leading/self-aligning effect, it only applies to blades that curve down past the hilt. If the mass is above the hilt, like your examples, it's going to want to go backwards if anything.
Fucking awesome thumbnail, not gonna lie. It's the perfect mix of funny and good framing. Caught my eye! I must say that the text is super slightly hard to see. Didn't even realize what it said for a moment. Also, very pretty sword! It looks like it cuts well :). I don't know where the auto aligning myth came from. It doesn't seem to be the case. It looks more like it requires more attention to edge alignment for results. I can see a falx-like blade auto-aligning, since it would have the same tendency of that sabre(?), as with axes. (For downward cuts only lol) Okay, so upon reading some more comments, @joshuagrundman2712 pointed out that the auto-alignment would happen in the acceleration of the cut, and that this is actually demonstrated by your loose hold example because gravity is similar (if not identical, iirc) to upwards acceleration. The offset in the shape makes it so the blade tails behind the handle as it is given inertia. Made sense to me, though I don't see it having a super strong effect. It would also completely falsify my statement before about falx and axes! This seems like a cool video idea. Testing auto alignment based on inertia with different blade shapes :)
It's interesting seeing both the god cutter and this blade be used on tatami. Its weird how the blade cuts tatami better than the bottles but we'll see specs with full review. Good stuff!
If the center of mass is behind the line from the handle it will want to align in the the direction of acceleration since if it is not aligned the centre of mass will be to the side of the line and momentum will pull it back. This will only be in effekt while you apply force to the handle actively accelerating it, not if you let the blade free fall. But while this effect is there from a physics standpoint it is probably too small to correct for more than a very slight error from the user.
Katana may not do the "Auto-Align," but have you ever considered the ability of Katana to *teleport you behind your opponent?*
That's a spell, not a sword ability.
@@h0m3st4r Magic attribute of the sword.
@@h0m3st4rYou clearly don’t watch anime.
Nothing personal kid
@@sanctumknight3945 *personnel
Here's a way to test the auto-align hypothesis: make a curved sword analog, but replace the handle with a freely rotating round handle. Swing it around, see which way the blade aligns.
I basically wrote the same comment as you before reading yours so I just want to throw my support for this experiment xD
There's no experiment needed.
Any time you swing it with more velocity than it would just "freefall" due to gravity, the portion with the weight bias (the spine, on a curved blade) will absolutely lag behind the handle.
Or do you already know this, and just want Skullagrim to discover it for himself?
Tie it to a rope and swing it around at a target and see if it aligns. Katana flail?
@@TalesForWhales well then there would be no axis of alignment (no pivot point). And it would no longer behave in a very predictable way. Things would get more into aerodynamics at that point, but at velocities too slow for them to have much impact. It would mostly turn however it happened to be turning when you swung it.
I don't recommend this test ;)
It spins.
this is one of the best videos of "x sword vs y sword" that really demonstrates the point people just don't take into consideration
a sword is a sword, it doesn't matter what it is, the only thing that matters is how well you use it
Yes. All the yes.
Well yes but actually no. If one guy has a rapier and his opponent has a gladius I know who I'm gonna bet on assuming there's not an absolutely huge skill disparity but with fairly similar swords like katana and longswords absolutely.
@@Sir.Alonne Who'd use a gladius with no scutum paired with it?
@@h0m3st4r true
But then you have people who bring up the point of “Japanese trained warriors are better” which is just bias and not a lack of knowledge.
8:04 I like the way the sword shines along the edge after the cut lol. Very cinematic.
People that have never tried this: That looks so easy a child could do it.
People that actually do this: Done it hundreds and hundreds of times and I'm still not satisfied with my technique.
That applies to basically any skill 😄
@@ApothecaryTerry Yeah. I was imagining every mall ninja thinking, "Really Skall! I could totally do that without scooping the cut!"
@@tiacho2893 They could! If they could afford the sword and had a few decades of practice 🤣
@@ApothecaryTerryit ESPECIALLY applies to handling a sword because I guess people think it's as easy as it looks in video games and movies
@@mercury2157 Word. I chopped wood only a couple times in my life and I always botched at least half of the swings. And you're only swinging down. With an axe specifically balanced to be swung down.
I needed these katana based shenanigans today. especially the outtakes.
"I just channelled the Ninja Turtles, I dunno what to tell you"
So satisfying to watch tatamis being sword-sliced.
Every instance I see of people showing the auto-alignment of curved sword they’re holding each end of the sword and the weight then shifts downward and aligns, but both ends have to be supported because otherwise the tip of the sword being off center makes the tip want to point down when you only hold the handle
That's not really the problem.
The problem is this:
when you just "hold it", gravity pulls "weight biased" side (the spine) down towards the planet.
when you swing it down (faster than it would just free-fall), it's in negative-G, and the "weight-biased" side will shift to the top (lag behind the handle).
@@kathrynck but that’s not automatic alignment, that’s guided alignment. Automatic alignment would mean that the blade would automatically fall edge first under its own weight. You’re right that it can kind of correct in the cut with guided alignment from a swing, but even on more heavily curved swords that correction is very little. The curve on a katana is so slight that it doesn’t really help unless you already have good edge alignment to start with
@@artsy_dragon_creations "it's only "automatic" if it does it only under it's own weight, not when you swing it" is a stipulation I wasn't aware of ;)
@@kathrynck "Automatic" literally means "by itself". So it's not even a stipulation.
So they are holding it and controlling it's direction... No magical auto alignment occurs. Just someones grip.
Nice Katana . Excellent choice of background music ... soothing and not distracting .
Carefull not to split the moon also!
Lol or cut a leg open or labotimize your self that 2hand sword guy cleaved his self n needed 15 stiches yrsterday
@@based_prophet oh my, can you elaborate further with relevant link?
Or have what happened to that one shopping channel guy with the katana breaking in half and stabbing him while he showcased it
@@ClaimSuit_"I Just Stabbed Myself!"_
Every time I see the "auto-alligment" shown I do a little inner face palm. Because sure if you drop the sword down without holding it the blade does allign but who in their right mind would throw a cut like that?
An armless Samurai?
Its ridiculous to put it mildly. You swing so fast that there isn't even enough time to "auto-align" anyways because once the blade touches whatever you're cutting, you're more or less committing to that angle.
The auto-alignment effect is misunderstood. It doesn't auto-correct your aim while you hit something, it's a subtle effect where the curve causes drag that can allow you to feel the edge better during the swing, akin to a weather vane. Scholagladatoria mentions this effect as to why some swords with completely cylindrical handles, which is normally bad for edge alignment, can still be useable as cutting weapons due to this effect. Think of it as a subtle auto-aim feature and can easily be overridden like a console FPS, but it's not a full on lock on system like Goldeneye for N64.
@@gameragodzilla Yeah, people seem to hear things like "More forgiving" and decide it's a +5 Holy Avenger now.
Says SO MUCH MOTE to me about the handle/pommel than the “shape of the blade”
I also love how these people do these tests in lab coats - really cute touch
One thing I was actually wondering from the "attacking from the scabbard" section was whether there were any "speed draw" techniques in HEMA for western swords. The reason is because everyone typically compares swords to handguns since they fulfill the same niche (sidearms in combat and self defense weapons in civilian life), and speed drawing a handgun is a very important skill. Usually when you need a handgun, it's still going to be in your holster so drawing the pistol is a core part of pistol shooting skill, whether it's pistol transitions from your long gun in combat or drawing from concealment during a defensive situation.
I always figured a sword would be in a similar situation where the times you'd need a sword, it's still probably starting out in its scabbard, so drawing the sword quickly and smoothly to confront the threat would be important. There were a lot of techniques I saw with the katana for that (iaijutsu), but wondered if there were HEMA equivalents since most techniques I saw seem to assume you have the sword drawn already.
At least some manuals take this into account. The one that comes to mind is the first guard of I.33 sword and buckler having the sword in a just drawn, just above the scabbard position. I can't think of anything more explicit than that, but I have a fairly limited knowledge of the manuals.
The Russian shaska saber is worn blade up like a katana. I think it's how you draw it (with a double edged sword), as with single edged swords, you just have to wear the blade up
Fiore discusses drawing into a parry in his longsword section. Capo Ferro (I think, it was one of the Italian rapier masters) advises that if you are carrying a rapier and dagger when you are suddenly attacked to go for the rapier first, come en garde, parry their first attacks if necessary, and only then go for the dagger if you think you can do so without compromising your defense. Finally there is the fact that the later French school described its first parry as being the position of a sword that had just been drawn from the scabbard.
All in all, the Western material on the subject is not nearly as extensive as the typical Japanese curriculum, leading to two possible conclusions: 1. European sword drawing techniques were passed down orally and have been lost to time or 2. Europeans never developed these techniques to the same extend for cultural reasons. While the first is probably true to some extent, I tend to favor latter explanation as the depth and variety of drawing techniques found in Japan is, as far as I know, unique in the whole world. Every Kung Fu style, Kali, Krabi Krabong, Kalaripayattu, Lashkroba, Furusiyya, and all of the European schools lack an equivalent of iaijutsu.
In addition, since you brought up the hand gun comparison, it is worth pointing out that speed drawing of pistols is a relatively late development. Pistols have been around since the 16th century but the idea of specific training for pulling the weapon from the holster quickly does not seem to have existed prior to at least the mid-19th century. Common soldiers did not carry pistols, formalized training for law enforcement (much less civilians) in fire arms handling did not exist, and gentlemen trained for duels with pistols already cocked and in hand. The prevalence of the "fast draw" in the American West is also greatly exaggerated by the movies, but it did occur, largely as a rough-and-ready version of the gentlemen's pistol duel owing to a lack of a directeur de combat, seconds, surgeons, and all the other attendants at a European style duel. Speed draw techniques only seem to have become a standard part of military and law enforcement training during the 20th century, much like how prior to the 1950's pistols were always shot one-handed were as now the two-handed Weaver stance is ubiquitous.
@@andrewk.5575 Ah makes sense. And since I am American, I typically thought of pistols furthest back to the Wild West and didn’t consider things too much beforehand.
Though I wonder if a lot of this stuff came from the fact that many sword or pistol duels, at least amongst the elite who were more likely to write down their techniques, were more “formal” and therefore assumed everyone would pre-draw their weapons before fighting. Speed drawing would always seem relevant to me in self defense situations against attackers. Possibly the more “low class”, “rough-and-ready” cowboy types as you say might’ve had more incentive to devise speed draw techniques when their duels are less formal and more spur of the moment things, like Wild Bill Hickok vs. David Tutt.
And yeah, speed drawing was definitely standard training, or at least a known thing, by the 20th century. Even as early as WW1, Alvin York famously used a 1911 to kill six charging Germans during his rampage and people mentioned that he would not have been able to fight them off as quickly trying to reload and maneuver his rifle. The pistol, meanwhile, was quick to get into action.
@@andrewk.5575 regarding speed drawing pistols. If you think about it, this simply wasn't possible until cartridge ammunition was developed, because if you tried that with a ramrod'n'ball style pistol, you'd probably just sling your bullet out onto the ground before you fired. It would also be dependent on the faster gunpowder that went with the cartridge era, because the older coarse black powder would make speed drawing a bit irrelevent, eh?
Skall seems like a great guy to hang out with! You go over his house and the swords come out in the first 30 minutes! LOL
But there wouldn't be anything to drink :(
Beers and swords, couldn't be happier
Skall didn't miss the tatami.. he gave it a close shave
Also that curved blade section should be it's own video!!
"longsword and katana kollided! millions dead!" that was actually really funny 😂😂
The true power of the katana is locked behind the power of friendship.
That's why I prefer the Nodachi, it comes with that feature already unlocked.
I hate that microtransaction BS.
Was that a play on the Japanese? By using japanglish?
It was really nice seeing you enjoy yourself with good, competent friends who know what they're doing - I really enjoyed this review for their skill as yours and the social interactions
Shockingly enough, a well made cut centered sword cuts pretty well with people with a bit of practice. A pretty chill and cool video.
Never heard of swords auto aligning before 😂
Nice video Skall, looking sharp
I always thought that the "gravity" version of auto-alignment was for illustrative purposes only, and that the gravity is supposed to represent the force of the hands on the handle. If you push a curved enough sword against a target, it would auto-align, because the point of blade contact is behind the "straight continuation" of the handle. If you push a pool noodle against a target, it would curve back in such a way.
This would also apply for straight blades that are tilted back with respect to the handle, and it would apply in reverse for forward-curved blades and forward-tilted straight blades.
Now, I have never held a sword in my life, but that's what I thought was meant by the auto-alignment. I don't know how much it affects sword-cutting in practice, because it assumes that the only relevant force is the hands on the handle. But of course, sword inertia is way more important, so I can see this effect being negligible, but I don't think it's 100% nonsense.
man that drawing slash looked VERY satisfying
I love how this isn't even the most expensive a usable katana can get, this is on the cheaper side.
This video got me almost as excited as watching the Principe pre-review.
I really like how skall is usually pretty fair and tries to work against his usual biases when talking weaponry from different cultures.
Not in this case though.
But I think it's more of a physics knowledge issue than a bias here.
The intro, the thumbnail showing the blond highlights, the awesomeness of the swords, the upset "auto alignment isnt real!!" Tism mini rant, * chefs kiss *
"I just channeled the Ninja Turtles, I don't know what to tell ya!"
Skal, 2023
Katana do cut really great, but it has to do much more with blade mass and stiffness. It's ironic Katana in video game world are known as these super fast light swords when in reality they are forward weighted choppers with a thick blade, and that blade thickness means very little flex. It kind of reminds me of heavy bullets vs light, a heavy grain bullet will power through tougher structure and continue strait because it carries more inertia, while a less massive bullet may travel faster but is more likely to yaw or even fragment apart.
Katana are not all the same you have ones that the weight are closer to the handle and thinner, katanas actually had some flex to them thanks to utsuri common feature prior to the 17th century, which historical European swords were actually less flexible than their modern-day counterparts.
@@eagle162 Many Katana had no spring temper at all, and in general they are thicker than many European swords in history.
@@-Zevin-most European swords were not spring temper, again utsuri was a common feature, are we talking about rapiers exclusively because unless we are that's not the case.
Even among Japanese swords you can see clear differences, like the two in this video.
ruclips.net/user/shortsJlZQUFYgxO8?feature=share3
In Dark Souls they weight more units than comparable longswords so I guess they at least got that right
The speed argument comes from the fact that the katana is optimized to slash on the draw, something few other swords of similar size can really do. It's kind of like how revolvers became famed through quick draw duels between cowboys.
whole lot of cutting and some non copyright mystical music in the background . you really went for the 80's samurai superman movie vibe with this one 😂👍
" I just channelled the ninja turtles, i dont know what to tell ya" 🤣🤣🤣💀
9:01 can we get more Kata lessons from glorious beard-sensei?
He isnt skill enough to train anyone. Exc. me after 8 years of regular training i wouldnt train anyone. I can see weird moves/taisabaki (work with body) from all three swordsmen in presented tameshigiri, but thats probably they are more into HEMA.
@@23Disciple he isnt training anyone, hes just presenting and talking about stuff on youtube for Edutainment
I love how he swings the sword directly towards his own leg because he cuts with the wrong leading leg
@@TheNCcope This was bothering me with every cut he did. Then he started talking about Iaido kata and I was like "how do you know about that but not how to stand" But we all have room to grow
You didnt kill the planet currently. But the effects of that katan cutting will be felt in all other earths throughout the multiverse
Wow you guys are really good at edge alignment
Like the song, good cuts, nice format. Keep going skal !
bro you really got me with the rock slice cold open. i friggen jumped like "NOOOOOO! don't do it! not for the meme!"
really liked this video and the music. Super soothing while engaging.
"Will it destroy the planet?"
Well at the very least it will destroy your bank account
It will keel your credit card.
I thought it was a case of "you can feel where the edge is easier" opposed to "auto-align"
That's a fair point, it's something that I found with a antique Thai Dhab I own, it even has a round grip, which generally is terrible for getting edge alignment, but the grip itself curves in the same direction as the blade, so you instantly feel it, and when the blade is out of alignment you feel the dipping from side to side. It's really interesting and I use this on people who have never held a round grip historical sword, but I hand it to them then tell them to close their eyes and spin the grip a few times in their hand, you can easily align the blade, with eyes closed, even with the round grip.
The handle shape does that better, but in case of a round handle an asymmetrical blade can help feel the edge alignment, yes. I find it makes it slightly harder *during* the cut though.
@@Skallagrim That's because when you swing it, the weight-biased side changes from pulling down towards the earth, to pulling "away from your direction of swing".
It shifts from aligning blade-up (opposite of gravity), to aligning to your direction of movement.
When you are not swinging, gravity "auto-aligns" the blade to the sky. When you swing, the weight bias shifts to try to lag behind your direction of movment.
I think perhaps you might need a rotating handle and a very curved blade to get a feel for what's occurring.
It will rotate spine-down towards the ground. Move it side to side, and it will turn, with the weight biased side (the spine) dragging behind your direction of movment.
Swing it fast (much faster than it would free-fall) and it will turn so the edge is pretty close to aligned. Not "perfectly", but inertia will go from fighting you, to assisting you.
@@kathrynck I wonder how the sword from Rurouni Kenshin would behave.
After all it is curved but has the cutting edge on the inside of the curve rather then the outside.
As its name implies, its cutting edge is where the spine would be.
It should make cutting really difficult, since in the story it is meant to hold back Kenshin from turning into a murder happy psycho.
@@kathrynck If that is a real phenomenon it's too miniscule to really be noticeable. I can tell you from practical experience that edge alignment is no easier with curved blades. The handle shape has much more of an effect.
For *$3,500.00,* it better be smooth as hell in cutting! 💰💰💰 And, lo and behold, it does!
Also, you looking as if you were going to cut a huge stone in the beginning almost gave me a *heart attack!* 😳😳😳
I have a special wakizashi which I spent a month reprofiling and polishing since hardly any production shinken are made traditionally. It autoaligns. It feels like pure magic. When held upright, edge facing out, it straightens itself to gravitational true. When placed on flat flooring on its spine in mounting, the blade remains balanced with the edge facing straight up. I call it the Floating Poltergeist or Kazegiri (Wind Cutter). I am now learning how to reprofile a katana in the same way but it is otherWORLDLY time consuming.
Seeing how the craftsmanship affects so many different aspects of a cut is always fascinating!
Very, very entertaining. I think your channeling the 3 stooges.
This video is big balls and will always make me happy.
Took you less than 2 minutes to point out that curved blades auto align true or no is invalid in real combat. Perfect.
Katana does look like a hefty/heavy one without that 2nd spine/blood groove, always prefer the balance on those types more..
Always wanted a $2k+ Katana, some beautiful work out there.. Awesome video!..
🃏
That was interesting, thank you! And I enjoyed the outtakes!
Only $3500? Nah see you need to spend at least quadruple that for the auto alignment feature... dont forget to install the batteries for the gyroscope, accelerometers, lidar sensors, and onboard computer.
Ok not going to lie I want to see a sword with gyroscopes and accelerometers on it now.
Need something for forward momentum like a propeller or jet engine.(just realized I'm basically designing that R9X missile with spring loaded blades now lol.)
First time I've seen a video you did outdoors that is this sunny.
Hey you do read your comments 🥳 You gave your kendoka friends a Japanese sword 😄
Honestly though after only 6yrs I prefer my Longsword to a Katana which I've been using for almost 2 decades now. The Katana I have now is a piece of art I got from Swords of Northshire, but my considerably cheaper Bastard Sword that I got from The Knight Shop is better balanced, easier to keep on point and edge on and protects my hand more.
Both great swords that I use regularly 🙂
Love your buddy's advice considering he was cutting with the wrong leg leading 😅
One aspect of "auto alignment" has to do with acceleration, when you accelerate a curved sword as you would when cutting, the offset between the axis of the handle (axis of rotation) and the centre of mass of the blade tends to pull the centre of mass to behind the axis of the handle. Holding the sword loosely confirms this because gravity is analogous to an acceleration upwards, the same conditions as an upward strike. This gravitational effect actually interferes with the auto alignment for non-vertical strikes, the degree of interference depends on how hard you are able to accelerate the sword but i would guess that, since most strikes appear to accelerate faster than a falling object, the auto alignment effect probably dominates the gravitational one. How much of the effect is this physical phenomenon and how much is the feedback the effect gives the wielder is up for debate though.
As someone who trains with mostly curved blades, the way you are describing it is very accurate. my lineage focuses on a "cage grip" for an extra point of articulation and when I try to swing straight swords the same way, I absolutely feel a turning force that I don't normally feel with a curved one.
Hmmm. That makes sense, actually. Neat
Aah! I almost didn’t recognize Skal with that hat! 😂
I think the idea of auto-edge alignment comes from having the force on the blade where you are cutting is more likely to be behind the center of mass of the blade. This force opposite of the direction of motion will have a tendance to want that point to be lined up behind the direction of motion. The biggest issue with this is that once the force is great enough to do anything to straiten the blades angle of attack that you are far enough into the cut that straitening it is not likely possible.
Any rod with a weight-biased side (which includes a curved blade), or really anything which has a "heavy side" relative to the handle, will align so the heavy part pulls down (with gravity) when holding it, and then shift to having the heavy side try to lag behind when you swing. This DOES result in physics "assisting" with alignment. At least _when_ you swing faster than the sword would free-fall, putting it into negative G's.
Put a weight on a bicycle wheel and use an axle as the handle.
Hold it out... the wheel rotates so the weight is at the bottom. Gravity right? (when you hold a curved blade still, it aligns spine-to-the-ground)
Move it side to side at a slow speed... the part of the wheel with the weight on it will shift to lag behind your direction of movment.
Move it really fast (like you're swinging a sword)... the weight will shift to the position opposite the direction you are accelerating it.
If you swung fast enough (kept a blade in very strong G-force due to acceleration), then you could have an axle for a handle and it would align "relatively straight" (but not perfect), vs your direction of swing.
Absolutely NO testing which fails to include accelerating the blade, will portray this.
It doesn't result in perfect alignment because gravity will always try to bias the angle a little bit. But it certainly helps.
@@kathrynck I was mainly commenting on the largest rotational force on the blade which is when it encounters the object you are trying to cut.
Another way of looking at this is to look at the torque on the blade handle and the center of mass and ignoring gravity for now. When you have a torque on the handle it will try and accelerate the center of mass in the in the direction of the torque. The inertia of the blade can be idealized to the center of mass and this inertia will oppose the acceleration from the torque, this is what causes flexible materials to flex opposite the direction of the acceleration. This is always the case when you have a torque applied at the end of an object. If the center of mass is not along the axial symmetry of the object the center of mass has two points of equilibrium in this scenario. The is a point of equilibrium that is in the direction of the torque this is an unstable equilibrium; the other point of equilibrium is opposite to the direction of the torque and is the sable point of equilibrium and this is the direction that the center of mass will move to while experiencing this torque.
Now let’s look at 3 senecios for a curved blade like a katana being swung vertically before it hits the target:
When you are holding it stationary and horizontal the force of gravity is effectively accelerating the blade down and you are accelerating the blade up with a torque to counter this so this torque you are putting on the blade is opposite to the direction of gravitational acceleration. The center of mass will want to go down opposite to the direction of the torque on the handle which is accomplished by rotating so that the curve of the blade is down.
If you are holding the blade and just let it fall it is in an inertial referance frame so there is no torque you are putting on the blade so there is no tendency for the center of mass to try and rotate from this and because the center of mass is essentially in freefall (inertial referance frame) no gravitational or torque forces so there are no rotation for these forces. The only force to rotate the blade would be air resistance which is also very small.
If you are putting force into the swing, you will be accelerating the center of mass along with gravity but the inertia resisting this is the same and the center of mass will want to move to the stable point of equilibrium opposite to the torque which is in the direction opposite to the swing.
Now if the swing is not vertical the analysis is a bit more complicated but the direction of the stable point of equilibrium for the center of mass will be vector sum of the acceleration due to gravity and the negative of the acceleration of blade due to the torque.
@@CharlesLaCour " if the swing is not vertical the analysis is a bit more complicated but the direction of the stable point of equilibrium for the center of mass will be vector sum of the acceleration due to gravity and the negative of the acceleration of blade due to the torque."
Yeah, i went into that detail under one of the comments. You'd need a little bit of up-right-ing action on the grip to get it aligned "just right".
But yes, the dragging behind on the cutting resistance is likely _also_ a factor. true.
We had earthquakes today. Should have known it was you cutting rocks
I laughed - genuinely and aloud - about "WILL IT DESTROY THE PLANET?" at least three times before even clicking on the thumbnail for this video. 😂👏🏻
Nice conductor cap, Skall. Very nice.
Great video. Very entertaining. I hope the views are worth the cost of tatami. The music you used really worked for me. This serene and surreal jrpg loop matched the test cutting, alternating between normal speed and slo-mo.
Hey Skall, next time you do some test cutting, could you do some passing cuts - er sword-wise, rather than basketball. When you're stepping past or side stepping the tatami and striking, rather than from a fixed position.
I learned that 1/4 of the blade at the tip has the best cutting potential
"I just channel the ninja turtles, I don't know what to tell ya" LOL
Had a great time watching this and the memes where spot on, also the comment section is gold.
Not arguing anything here, I think you are absolutely correct about 'auto-aligning' being a silly idea
But I do want to point out that objects in motion can behave very, very differently from objects at rest. See: gyroscopic torque, as an unrelated but good visual example. It isn't that unrealistic to imagine that a blade in motion with the benefit of air friction and angular momentum would behave differently from a blade held at rest in the hand. A boomarang behaves differently spinning and at speed than it does resting in the hand. An airplane at rest falls, an airplane at speed flies. Etc.
Not that this changes anything, you're still absolutely right. I just suspect that this will be one of the arguments against what you're saying, by those who believe you're wrong. XD
I would like to add a little note to the not cutting with the tip. There are schools that focus on maximizing the range and practice cutting with just the tip. Of course, when the range allows for it the more effective cut is favored. 🙂 Cool review!
My guess is that the auto align idea comes from the fact that the point of contact near the end of the blade is "behind" the line of the handle, and so when you push into the target it would tend to rotate the blade into alignment. However, I don't think this is going to play any part in an actual cut - the blade is moving too fast, has too much momentum, and has force applied by the person.
Curved blade 'alignment' is what is meant by the feeling of the edge angle, especially when you one-hand (especially on horse back), same with saber, katana, etc.
It is so sharp it can cut through the fabric of reality
Whenni was a kid i went to the balboa park museums in San diego. They had one for military history and a Japanese exhibit was visiting for a couple months. They had all sorts of weapons some dating back to like 400 ad.The one I loved was a sword made in the 1500s. Like an early style of katana. I wanted to howl it so badly but not was encased in glass. They found it in a dig on a battlefield and it was still in its scabard. Luckily the scabard lawyering and fit was so tight no real amounts of moisture crept in so the blade was almost perfect. A few blemishes here or thee but still just as usable as when it was lost during the battle. The cording on the handle and te tuba were corroded and the shark skin was almost gone but the tang was also in goo condition. They restored it by looking at the type of wood the scabard was the color f lawyer the scraps or shark skin and corsage plus the wood of the handle. They also found a bit of inlaid silver on the t suba so they figured it must have belonged to a wealthy or important samurai. Of the samurai of import that died that day they were able to trace back to 3 people who's sword it could have been. All 3 were killed by firearms or arrows.their swords never drawn.Japanese military and culture is just so fascination to me.
You can endlessly watch three things: running water, fire and a guy cutting stuff with a sword.
Glad you call them out on that auto-alignment bs. Those YT shorts from cheap katana sellers keep showing up on my feed about katana superiority I'm getting real tired.
As far as the schuk sound for wooden scabbards (mentioned in the first 30 seconds), I seem to remember that sound in old samurai movies. Interesting, that! Also, I think that sound is possibly cooler than the shing, so yeah.
So, I haven't seen those auto-alignment videos so I can't comment on them, but there are historical sources from British swordsmen who, when designing sabres, specifically preferred a slight amount of curvature to assist edge alignment. To my understanding, the justification has to do with inertia.
That is, when the blade is accelerated, if there is a trailing mass (the curved tip), it can resist moving (Newton's first law) for as long as possible by rotating into alignment with the path of the edge. I'm trying to find a good example of how to demonstrate it, but the best I could think of is, if you held an axe loosely in the hand, edge pointed forward, and then quickly jerked your arm from right to left, the bit will tend to rotate in the opposite direction so that it remain at rest for as long as possible.
All that said, this is not some sort of aim-hack. You're not going to flail a sword with a loose grip and it's magically going to be facing the right direction. It's supposed to be a very subtle *aid* to edge alignment, in the same way that shifting mass away from the centerline gives you better insight to where the edge is because you can feel, in the hand, that offset mass.
Or maybe I'm just an idiot. This is the internet, after all.
so much fun cutting with friends
0:01 Holy crap, I thought he has going to cut the Earth!
The alignment assist is real on curved swords. The falling test is nonsense so no surprise it doesn’t work. Try this instead: Take a katana and press the blade against something solid but relatively soft like a tree trunk. Hold it like you would when cutting and press with the part near the end that you would normally cut with. Now turn the blade out of alignment and try again. You should notice that the blade naturally wants to correct the angle.
This is because the curve puts the edge slightly behind the hands, and that the forces naturally want to cause it to drag straight behind. The same thing would happen if you dragged a rope behind you as you walked. It doesn’t randomly go off to the side unless you are on a hill or something. It wants to trail straight behind you. Same with the edge of a curved blade.
Maybe the curvature has something to do with the biodynamics of how human arms move.
Like when you do a sword swing, the hands sort of move in a semi-circular fashion in relation to the shoulder joints.
But with a straight blade it means the edge sort of comes to a stop before being drawn along the target making the blade dig deeper as it cuts.
But if the blade has a curve, it looks like the movement of the curve follows the semi circular movement of the arms more closely, which seem to make it so that a greater length of the edge is drawn along the target.
At least from what I can see in test cutting videos, it looks like more centimeters of the curved blade edge ends up being employed compared to straight blades.
This could probably be studied more in-depth with some zoomed in, slow motion footage of cuts.
Maybe draw some markers along the blade edge and see how many of them run through the target during a cut?
Great Video Skall, loved the outtakes.
Curious to see the actuall testing of the blade.
Also very disappointed that no one could draw out its real power, as we all know a good Katana would split the ground even when swung lightly.
TL;DR The sword does not destroy the planet.
Nice to actually get notifications for you occasionally.
Ah, the old bling the opponent with the sparkles sword technique. Devastating, especially to redheads.
That looks like it was a fun day.
As a paranoid klutz, I'd just like to point out that I find the idea of a blade designed specifcally in a way to fall such that it is more likely to chop my toes off accidentally to be really worrisome.
While I do HEMA, I've also done Yagyu Shinkage-ryu for 22 years, so yeah, still learning. My school gets together and also does cutting practice, it's...a lot of practice. It doesn't auto-align, just lots and lots of work.
I like the new hair and beardstyle.
"I channeled the Ninja Turtles" 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 That got me. 😁
Now give me some throwing knives with Auto Edge alignment and I will be impressed lol seriously though as somebody who has chopped wood for a good portion of his life "Auto Edge alignment" comes from practice not Hardware hence why a Bushido Master is more deadly with a broom handle than a novice is with a well forged katana.
Some people don't get how hard cutting really is and it will always require skill, the type of sword doesn't really matter, it's the user
The real mvp is the beard of the bearded sparring friend
Extremely relaxing video, I don't exactly know why though
Listening to the longsword sing after the cuts at 06:13 was the best sound.
Curved blades like axes will self align, the problem is the part that's forward from center is where they will align towards and that means a curved sword will try to turn backwards unless the curve is towards the edge. It's basic physics anything with more mass on one side will try to fall in that direction.
Physicist here. About the auto-align thing, your demonstration letting the curved blade's tip falling with gravity actually helps the case for the auto-align thing. See, when one accelerates the blade, the tip would lag behind just as it wants to fall due to gravity when still (gravity is actually equivalent to an acceleration). Acceleration in a strike would be much grater than gravity, so gravity's effect can kind of be neglected during the swing. If the center of mass of the blade is behind the line of the handle, it would tend to lag behind the movement when accelerated.
Not saying that it actually works, but it has something going for it. I am not a swords expert but I believe that you should hold it steady in your hands and rotation would thus be prevented.
from a physics standpoint, objects "want" to have a position with the least potential energy. A curved blade has more more potential energy when the point is upwards pointing, compared to when the point is downwards pointing.
Obviously, the LEAST potential energy is, when it's laying on the ground :P
I think if there is any self-leading/self-aligning effect, it only applies to blades that curve down past the hilt. If the mass is above the hilt, like your examples, it's going to want to go backwards if anything.
I’d like to see more of that XVIIIc longsword
As a katana guy, it helps a lot to twist both hand inwards pretty firmly. I don't remember the technical term
If you can start a big enough argument over it then there’s a chance it could destroy the planet
Fucking awesome thumbnail, not gonna lie. It's the perfect mix of funny and good framing. Caught my eye! I must say that the text is super slightly hard to see. Didn't even realize what it said for a moment.
Also, very pretty sword! It looks like it cuts well :). I don't know where the auto aligning myth came from. It doesn't seem to be the case. It looks more like it requires more attention to edge alignment for results. I can see a falx-like blade auto-aligning, since it would have the same tendency of that sabre(?), as with axes. (For downward cuts only lol)
Okay, so upon reading some more comments, @joshuagrundman2712 pointed out that the auto-alignment would happen in the acceleration of the cut, and that this is actually demonstrated by your loose hold example because gravity is similar (if not identical, iirc) to upwards acceleration. The offset in the shape makes it so the blade tails behind the handle as it is given inertia.
Made sense to me, though I don't see it having a super strong effect. It would also completely falsify my statement before about falx and axes! This seems like a cool video idea. Testing auto alignment based on inertia with different blade shapes :)
Years of practice has paid off well Skal. The other two are good too and their new I believe you mentioned in a previous video? Nicely done.
It's interesting seeing both the god cutter and this blade be used on tatami. Its weird how the blade cuts tatami better than the bottles but we'll see specs with full review. Good stuff!
" I just channeled Ninja Turtles."
If the center of mass is behind the line from the handle it will want to align in the the direction of acceleration since if it is not aligned the centre of mass will be to the side of the line and momentum will pull it back. This will only be in effekt while you apply force to the handle actively accelerating it, not if you let the blade free fall. But while this effect is there from a physics standpoint it is probably too small to correct for more than a very slight error from the user.