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In France, my country, a group of delinquants entered a guy's garage and tried to steal his car. Little they knew, the guy was a swordman, owning a 6 kilos blunt longsword... It went exactly as you can imagine
America has one of the greatest and most iconic swords ever produced: the lightsaber, a sword so unique in design and sound that it has had a profound impact on pop culture around the world.
I actually had a similar thought while watching the video around that part. Of course, the problem being that a lightsaber isn't a sword that was actually made and used in real life. But it may still be fair to say that it's a "cultural" sword, of sorts. The more "technically correct" answer would potentially be some types of cavalry sabers, but there's not much history or mythology around them. The US is a young country. You could potentially nominate some indigenous weapons, like tomahawks or warclubs--maybe the gunstock warclub as a 'fusion item'--but it's still a tough sell.
The natives have their own "swords" of a sort especially central and south american ones and many European swords were modified by the natives and the Europeans over the course of the 500 to 600 hundred years of both Americas exposure to such items I feel some of those could hold up as unique or region specific variants of something thats more "uniform" as an identifiable tool/weapon in Europe @Cavouku
15:12 He misspoke by saying "balance". That's the center of rotation he's showing, and while he got the term wrong, he is right that longswords usually rotate right at the point. Not always, but typically.
In Poland we had saber, in Polish "szabla", a type of curved sword, which is engraved in our national identity. Even today, high rank military figures wear saber as a part of formal uniform, to highlight long-lasting tradition of swordsmanship in our country, to honour our ancestors, and also to show off a little bit. Saber is special, peasants couldn't carry them, only lords could use them in battle. Honestly, there are many similar things about saber and katana, maybe that's why Polish people are impressed and so interested in Japanese swords.
Firearms probably take the role of the romantic or symbolic status for Americans that swords have elsewhere. The Kentucky rifle, the Colt 45 SAA, the 1873 Winchester, the Henry, the 1911.
We have a history with swords its just not near as much nor as ubiquitous as firearms are ingrained into it and many natives have "sword" adjacent or even sword like weapons and European swords and swordsman have atleast 5 to 6 centuries of activity in the America's
I find the US has an cultural sword, the cavalery Saber... And for me the Longsword is the better sword, because it can do so much more than only cutting, and has the "better" parry.
Something I just remembered when watching this video, is how many japanese swords were captured in WW2 and brought back as trophies. I would not be surprised if they ended up as the most common sword in the US afterwards.
@@keeferChiefer so something that's 68 ar15 or 30 m4a1 years old is ancestral to you, and something that's just as widely known thats 14 years shy of its 200th birthday isnt? heck there's far older iconic american firearms that would make more sense then your choices like the m1 Garand, or Winchester model 1873
I wouldn't say the U.S. has an ancestral sword. Everyone is saying Cavalry Saber, but the U.S. didn't invent that. The Bowie Knife though, is American as f*ck.
I mean, since when does a nation have to invent the weapon for it to become iconic? Think of all the states that the AK47 and it's variants have become iconic for their soldierly with it obviously being a weapon not locally invented.
The US has no cultural sword, they have the credit for gun refinement and giving the world the gatling gun and the lever action rifle. Much better than a modified saber.
The katana is in general a shorter blade than the longsword. Regardless of customization to the dimensions of the wielder. The shorter length allows a quicker draw of the blade from the sheath. The longsword and raiper are more ungainly to draw, but the range more than makes up for it. A longsword is intended for quick cuts and thrusting. The katana is intended to cleave and thrust. Not that you couldn't cut, chop, or thrust with either blade.
As a Katana enjoyer and defender, there is one thing that Cerberus got wrong (Maybe it was because of the Swords he used, but I can't say). A Katana and Longsword are almost equal in weight, and the longsword is just as nimble as the Katana. Of course, things like weight distribution and size play along with that, but in general: Katana and Longsword are very similiar in how nimble they are. As for cutting: That too relys on the type of steel, how the blade is tempered and sharpened etc. There are Longsword as sharp as Katana and vice versa. Their cutting abilitys are equal, it depends on what you prefer or have an easier time using (I for example have a much easier time cutting with Katana than with Longswords, however this is not because of the sharpness of the blade, but on how I prefer cutting with slightly curved blades. It feels better to me).
Something to note with katanas in the US, is that it might have been the most iconic sword just because of how many were brought back to the USA after WW2 where something like 3 million were total captured. Assuming that all of them were brought back, I would not be surprised if those swords ended up the majority of function (ie, non larp) swords in the US to date if you combine all of the others.
It’s because of “martial arts” cultural obsession from successful movies. People like lore on new, exotic things.l, it feeds the fantasy fire. Same reason why McDojos became a thing.
I would guess that the most prevalent would be 19th century cavalry sabers. Would certainly be interested to know if there are any hard numbers on that sort of thing. After a quick perusal of Wikipedia, there are over 300,000 instances of the Model 1860 Light Cavalry Saber alone.
@@thisdude9363 Yeah no. European countries like France and Germany have been "manufacturing" weebism and appreciation for Japanese culture long before the us. Just search "Japonisme"
@@thisdude9363 Yeah no. European countries like France and Germany have been "manufacturing" weebism and appreciation for Japanese culture long before. Just search "Japonisme"
At 15:35 he's not talking about the balance point of the sword as in the pivot point. He's talking about the vibrational point. He just misspoke. You know the point where when you bang the sword and see where the vibrational anchor points are. You want that point more toward the later part of the sword because you get less energy lost in wobble as you strike things in the part of the sword you're more likely to hit things at range at.
@@virusO1OOOOO1 Again, you're making the same mistake Metatron is. He's *not* talking about the pivot point of the sword. He's talking about the center of percussion / a vibrational node (looked up the proper terms). Meaning when you hit something with the sword, the points that transfer less energy down the sword making it more comfortable to swing and hit things with. If the center of percussion is not in a good place, the sword will hurt more when hitting targets and it will transfer less energy into the cut when slicing (as more energy is lost in making the sword wobble and change shape). While this spot(s) on a sword *is* effected by the weight distribution of the sword it is not the pivot point of the sword where you put your hand on and it balances equally without falling over. That's what you're thinking about regarding more weight being toward the tip of the weapon changing the center of balance.
@@pacmonster066 ok yes totally misunderstood your OP, but knowing now if that vibration point were that far out would it be more tiring still? Like it would vibrate more the further this "point" is or no?
European blades are definitely starting to get a bigger and bigger movement of people getting into them and into Medieval European history again even in the US. However this also means that the old myths and misunderstandings about things are rearing their heads more than ever and the fight to dispel the often less than favorable mythology around Medieval European things in general is ever ongoing.
Hey Raf, great commentary! A quick note about Cerberusarms talking about the handling of the longsword: he is conflating terms a bit when he shows how the sword is pivoting. He talks about the 'balance' which most people would assume refer to the Center of Gravity/Mass of the sword. However he is demonstrating a test for one of the pivot points of the blade, in this case the foremost pivot point, using the action point on the end of the grip closest to the cross. This is a test used by Peter Johnsson to demonstrate handling characteristics of various swords, by mapping the pivot points (among other dynamic properties of the sword) as can be seen in The Sword Form and Thought. In this case i think CA is perhaps holding the longsword a bit too hard, but he is likely correct that it will pivot closer to the blade harmonic node, than the tip. Now he may desire a longsword which has a forward pivot point at the tip, and we do have many historical examples which handle that way ( See StAM 4190b in Solingen; 111.8cm, and 1360g)., but we also have plenty of examples which handle as the one in this video. They are balanced differently for different purposes as I know you are aware.
There should have been a correction....a Katana does not have lightning speed compared to longswords, generally Katanas are more top heavy and thus less nimble than longswords. The top heaviness however does lend it to be a better chopper. As in it is easier to cut with it.
Depends, not all katana were built the same. I have handled swords that's very nimble and still cut quite well(with balance around 10cm from the tsuba) they just lack the "oomf" that top heavy swords usually have.
@@jaketheasianguy3307 Katanas are more on the top heavy side, their point of balance is further away from the hilt, since they do not have a crossguard and a pommel for counter balance. That's just the way it is.
For a cultural sword for America, you have the Mameluke Sword on the marine corps officers' uniform and the history from the Barbary wars there, you have the Bowie knife (knife, not sword, but still a bladed weapon), and the civil war cavalry sabers. Though much more of American's weapons culture is from firearms, especially John Moses Browning.
As far as "ancestral swords of the Americans", I would agree that we don't really have such a thing; but we do have the super iconic Bowie knife, the lesser-known yet highly-employed Arkansas Toothpick, and the classic Ka-Bar combat knife.
Lord of the rings came out when I was born and definitely implanted in me a love for swords. I have been obsessed my entire life and that will never change.
Curved swords were made for horseback. You only slash in one direction and the curve made them much easier to slash and keep riding. Sorry if I missed it but was that even mentioned?
So, why is it then that we see straight cavalry sabers in the British military being a thing? Compare for example the Pattern 1908 cavalery saber to the much earlier 1796 light cavalry saber. Why do we also see curved swords for foot soldiers being a thing, if "curved swords were made for horseback"?
@@sihilius because people often use the wrong tools for the job. I guess I should clarify to say the original purpose of a curved sword, was clearly for mounted attack.
Damn so some samurai were really sneaky cowards and would just attack innocent people in the nearby village and come back and flex like they did some good work getting rid of enemies. Never would have known this. Humans really aren’t that different no matter the era.
Unlike those honourable knights that absolutely did not have a reputation for burning and pillaging innocent villages as a means to collect payment from destitute lords and/or extra payment on campaigns… irony aside, just goes to show that any status or power will corrupt and lead to humans believing that they’re above those that are less fortunate
I would say that the sword type that could be most closely considered the "American sword" is the cutlass and other similar sabers since they tend to be most commonly associate Carribean pirates, frontier cowboys/pioneers/calvary, and navy sailors. When it comes to melee weapons America is more so axes and knives. Alternatively, one could argue that the "lightsaber" and other Sci-Fi energy/laser/plasma swords are the American sword.
That romanticised honour of the samurai is older than you think and came from the Japanese themselves. When the wars ended and there was mostly peace, they wrote a lot of fiction. Again, similar with the knights here.
I'd say, the Cutless, Cavalry Saber, or something that was used in America. As a US Army guy. The Marine Saber, too. I'd say those are the more American, classic sword types. Not that I'm an expert.
When they say American movies don't do justice to European style swords... am I the only one that remembers how EVERYONE was obsessed with Excalibur (chanting Camina Burina under our breaths as kid) when it came out? Or Conan the Barbarian?
That thing in Conan the barbarian hardly qualifies as a sword at all, let alone an accurate representation. Same for 99% of Excalibur representations. Meanwhile, we see perfectly fine copies of Katanas in other movies. Let alone the sledgehammer style wielding of those "swords".
The American sword is the cavalry saber which rarely if ever had even an edge. You didn't need one if you are charging on horse back. But the American blade is the bowie knife.
@@yoeyyoey8937 When cutting through the line, the force of the swing and the momentum of the horse made any stroke a crushing blow. A sharp edge would not hold up under such abuse well and require constant maintenance.
I've always been of the opinion that both swords are good and both were developed in a different environment to fulful particular things and deal with varying styles of armour and combat, etc.
9:27 i think the biggest advantage of a double edged blade is that you don’t have to think about how you pick it up. It’s always ready to go. Its also symmetrical and thus balanced the same down both sides, and they just look cool.
The balance needs to be on the tip of the sword because it makes it easier to stab exactly where you want to with no wobble. Test 2 swords, one with the balance on the tip and the other with the balance on the middle or the hilt. You'll see how better the balance on the tip is. But let's make it more precise on the terms: 1. Balance point is the area on the blade of the sword where the weight is lighter, so it won't wobble when you try to stab something while moving the hilt in circular or pendulum moves. 2. Center of gravity is the area of the sword where the weight is heavier, which should be exactly on the guard, where your dominant hand sits very closely and that's where the control of the movements is, and that's also the reason why the guard tends to be heavy. Guess what sword type doesn't have a heavy guard? Yeah... The Katana. But the katana has a heavier blade, that's why it tends to cut better, using the same principle found on the axes; blunt thick metal behind a very solid blade.
The thing is that the iconic 1860 US cavalry saber in terms of design is pretty much a 1822 French LC sabre. As many other comments said, probably the most American bladed weapon is the Bowie knife.
. . . The hell am I on about... LMAO. Your definitely sounding more and more American over time. Your sense of humor, and way with words. I love to see it.
It seems to me that there are three broad classes of edged weapons. Chopping like axes and really heavy great swords. They use their weight to do more damage however sharp they may be. Most swords are cutting swords. Their sharpness is their main attribute. Then their are slicing swords such as Katanas, scimitars, and some cavalry sabers. They really can cut a piece of silk in mid-air. At least the best ones properly wielded can. HOWEVER, armor doesn't slice.
The U.S Marines sabres origins come from the Mameluke sword gifted to First Lieutenant O'Bannon back in the Barbary wars... My point is the American sword is all of them.
Well, my view on this kind of topic is this: no matter the culture, when it comes to chop and pierce each other, people and nations tend to perfect their killing tools over time, so when you see that a weapon has not changed significantly in centuries or has not been left apart for something new, it is most likely that such a weapon has been useful and quite good for the intended task, at least good enough that they didn't feel the need to replace it.
15:14 I don't think he is using the right term, here, but in principle he is correct. The center of balance is down by the hilt, however the center of percussion (which can be found with that pendulum swing test he is doing) is near the end of the blade. That being the ideal place to strike with the weapon, as it will result in the least amount of hand shock. It is best that it is about 4 inches above the end of the blade, NOT within the last 4 inches.
I think the cult of the Katana goes back first to the 'Japan Village" in Knightsbridge 1885 - 7 and then of course with the publishing of Shogun mid 1970's. I was obsessed with things Japanese in my early to mid teens ( early 80's) , I had a rep katana, I also remember asking for a kimono for Christmas, some hope. Oh ok not Japanese legend but honorable mention has to go the "water margin', which I think was made in Japan.
American here, we are a young country in comparison to Europe, so we never REALLY had to use swords, we founded our country using firearms MAINLY. I'm not saying we never used swords, just not NEARLY as much as The American Firearm
I think what he meant with "the Katana is a brutal weapon" is that it is designed for a totally different fighting style than longsword. Longswords are more defensive with the idea being to fight from a distance (which is why HEMA practitioners see length as solely an advantage. At least I have never heard one mention the drawbacks). Katana are more aggressive with the idea being to close the distance quickly and end the fight as soon as possible. I personally see pros and cons to both weapons that correspond to those distinct fighting styles. For 1 v 1 dueling or holding a position, I think longsword has the edge. But for a more comlex scenario (indoors, multiple combatants, surprise attacks) I think the aggressive katana is more reliable. Just my opinion though since we don't have a lot of data outside of duel style sparring. Ultimately they are pretty comparable and if you master the corresponding style you are best off with whichever sword you trained to use regardless of the situation.
The thing is, he says there’s a lot of euro webs that defend the katana, and although that is true, I feel like there are more katana webs than anything else. Especially when you come back from the early internet days where everyone and their mother would overhype the katana to mythical proportions while trash talking medieval swords. The bias was there and all these people were in full force perpetuating the myths while denigrating the longsword. It was cult like, and of course, they ALL were suddenly experts on the subject, too. I have literally witnessed with my own very eyes (several years ago at this point) people actually trying to legit say that European swords were duller than a chisel, weighed too heavy, and made from inferior steel than that of traditionally forged Japanese blades. I remember it still very vividly one-too many heated debates on the whole topic.
I'm more of a sabre and rapier guy, so I don't really have a horse in the race here. The longsword definitely has an advantage in terms of range and is better at thrusting (which I would see as more impactful than the double-edged blade). I very much prefer a crossguard over a tsuba, but let's be honest, without wearing heavy gloves, neither excelles in terms of hand protection. However, while the reach of the longsword is an advantage in open field combat, it can also become a hindrance in urban and indoor settings. The shorter length, ease of draw (and heck, even small handguard that cannot get stuck around) in my view make the katana a more practical choice in a close quarter fight.
15:10 I think he's talking about the centre of percussion. Which, if he is talking about that as far as I can tell from here anyway is generally right. He rational for wanting it at the tip may be that the very end of the sword is going fastest and will have more energy to impart for cutting?
I would say that modern gun beats both, at least while you still have ammunition. ;) After that, I would say that a modern sword of either type with the technology we now posses is going to be better and much more consistency than ancient swords. And finally someone with proper training and experience with either type of sword will be able to beat someone that doesn't have them. If we look historically I would guess that the answer is whatever type you have available in your area because having a weapon is advantageous over not having one. He was wrong about wanting the balance point for the long sword closer to the tip of the sword. The reason you want it closer to the cross guard is so that it is easier to move the tip of the sword around. Moving the tip faster helps in both attack and defense.
yeah i think his final thoughts were a bit of a cop out. yes they were made to face different types of opponents and armors however at the end of the day katanas were swords of compromise. Long swords were generally made of better steel and thusly had fewer limitations on their shape/design and thusly were better optimized.
0:15 I had a similar encounter. I just opened RUclips on my phone after a tiring day only to be met by a 6-hour old upload of the recent Transformers One movie. And of course I watched it because I was curious how it sounded like with the original dub and not in my first language. It was still a 10/10 movie and I'm sad that it flopped so hard. Bad marketing, to say the least And my opinion: a longsword is best when you can afford losing it but if you want to wield something throughout a lifetime, katana is better. In my opinion
Let's just come out and say it now. They each have a different design and are built for differing purposes. The style and system that they use, are just a but different, as for the most part, each one had a direct impact in the style of war fare. Mostly they are both in close quarters, but horse back weapons are generally curved, and while they are the "coolest" swords, it's mostly about armor penitltration. Chain mail and plate armor designs are different, and a glance at combat in armor can show you what advantages and disadvantages CQC tactics are subject to. Plate armor design is very different between Western and Eastern cultures. Each one is more tailored to these for both efficiency and lethality. All the remaining specs are just estimates on quality.
I think his point about "ancestral swords" might be somewhat accurate, especially if the name of it is still living in language forms, in the Polish language we still have quite a few sayings involving sabers, and it's also present in our anthem
I love the Flamberge Zweihander as well as the Katana. I don't have Adian heritage but i do Have German, Scottish and Irish along with a couple of others
I think he's conflating center of gravity with what I think is called center of percussion. I don't think it should ever be at the tip, but with the katana it is usually much further down the length of the blade due to the lack of distil taper in the katana.
Because it's a historically accurate late 15th century arming doublet based on the paintings by Piero della Francesca from Tuscany. So it well represents my fixation with history and my love for Medieval Italy and knights.
I'm native american. So I didn't really get into swords until my mid teens (which is not that long I'm only 22) But because of my ancestry I've always been more drawn to axes and tomahawks. And macuahuitl. Also that one.
I'm looking for a sword that's not supposed to exist. I've dated fragments to 600 BC and the metal has been folded 200 times. The japanese didn't start doing that until the middle ages There can only be one.. 🤺
Those guys are pretty good sword fighters! Hey Meta, if you have a free slot in your pipeline, how about a quick America (modern day) v. England (middle ages) - common law. Specifically self defense and weapons laws. I don't know if there is something interesting there but I'd like to learn more about America's common law roots as well as perceived "Justice" I just like the way you break these things down more than some of the other serious channels.
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Imagine being a burglar and getting a history lesson before the homeowner picks which sword to use.
Imagine if the burglar had a gun though😭
If he sits and listens politely is it still self defense?
Probably the only certain anti-burglary system
In France, my country, a group of delinquants entered a guy's garage and tried to steal his car. Little they knew, the guy was a swordman, owning a 6 kilos blunt longsword...
It went exactly as you can imagine
Thatd be metal af lol
America has one of the greatest and most iconic swords ever produced: the lightsaber, a sword so unique in design and sound that it has had a profound impact on pop culture around the world.
I actually had a similar thought while watching the video around that part. Of course, the problem being that a lightsaber isn't a sword that was actually made and used in real life. But it may still be fair to say that it's a "cultural" sword, of sorts.
The more "technically correct" answer would potentially be some types of cavalry sabers, but there's not much history or mythology around them. The US is a young country. You could potentially nominate some indigenous weapons, like tomahawks or warclubs--maybe the gunstock warclub as a 'fusion item'--but it's still a tough sell.
And it actually cuts through other swords!
😂
The natives have their own "swords" of a sort especially central and south american ones and many European swords were modified by the natives and the Europeans over the course of the 500 to 600 hundred years of both Americas exposure to such items I feel some of those could hold up as unique or region specific variants of something thats more "uniform" as an identifiable tool/weapon in Europe @Cavouku
And just like America it's power is fake lol
You know what is better than a katana?
TWO KATANAS!
I thought you were gonna say a gun, but TWO katanas, damn, nothing beats that!
Or as I call it, "giant scissors".
A longsword beats both .
Flamethrowing chainsaw shotgun katana.
Musashi would be proud
15:12 He misspoke by saying "balance". That's the center of rotation he's showing, and while he got the term wrong, he is right that longswords usually rotate right at the point. Not always, but typically.
In Poland we had saber, in Polish "szabla", a type of curved sword, which is engraved in our national identity. Even today, high rank military figures wear saber as a part of formal uniform, to highlight long-lasting tradition of swordsmanship in our country, to honour our ancestors, and also to show off a little bit. Saber is special, peasants couldn't carry them, only lords could use them in battle. Honestly, there are many similar things about saber and katana, maybe that's why Polish people are impressed and so interested in Japanese swords.
Firearms probably take the role of the romantic or symbolic status for Americans that swords have elsewhere. The Kentucky rifle, the Colt 45 SAA, the 1873 Winchester, the Henry, the 1911.
We have a history with swords its just not near as much nor as ubiquitous as firearms are ingrained into it and many natives have "sword" adjacent or even sword like weapons and European swords and swordsman have atleast 5 to 6 centuries of activity in the America's
I find the US has an cultural sword, the cavalery Saber...
And for me the Longsword is the better sword, because it can do so much more than only cutting, and has the "better" parry.
also longsword looks better imo
Something I just remembered when watching this video, is how many japanese swords were captured in WW2 and brought back as trophies. I would not be surprised if they ended up as the most common sword in the US afterwards.
And Excalibur.
Our cultural sword is guns. Lots of guns.
The saber originated in Central Europe and the Napoleonic wars
The American ancestral weapon is the Bowie Knife 😅.
Arkansas toothpick
Probably the Colt 🤔
No, it’s the AR-15 or M4A1
Lever action rifle and the gatling.
@@keeferChiefer so something that's 68 ar15 or 30 m4a1 years old is ancestral to you, and something that's just as widely known thats 14 years shy of its 200th birthday isnt? heck there's far older iconic american firearms that would make more sense then your choices like the m1 Garand, or Winchester model 1873
Us Americans have the Cavalry Saber. Specifically the mid-19th century used by USA/CSA cavalry.
I wouldn't say the U.S. has an ancestral sword. Everyone is saying Cavalry Saber, but the U.S. didn't invent that.
The Bowie Knife though, is American as f*ck.
The Toofpick
I mean, since when does a nation have to invent the weapon for it to become iconic? Think of all the states that the AK47 and it's variants have become iconic for their soldierly with it obviously being a weapon not locally invented.
Bowie knife is American as hell isn't it 😂
The US has no cultural sword, they have the credit for gun refinement and giving the world the gatling gun and the lever action rifle. Much better than a modified saber.
@@bewawolf19but we all lnow the AK was a product of soviet culture
The katana is in general a shorter blade than the longsword. Regardless of customization to the dimensions of the wielder. The shorter length allows a quicker draw of the blade from the sheath. The longsword and raiper are more ungainly to draw, but the range more than makes up for it. A longsword is intended for quick cuts and thrusting. The katana is intended to cleave and thrust. Not that you couldn't cut, chop, or thrust with either blade.
As a Katana enjoyer and defender, there is one thing that Cerberus got wrong (Maybe it was because of the Swords he used, but I can't say).
A Katana and Longsword are almost equal in weight, and the longsword is just as nimble as the Katana. Of course, things like weight distribution and size play along with that, but in general: Katana and Longsword are very similiar in how nimble they are.
As for cutting: That too relys on the type of steel, how the blade is tempered and sharpened etc.
There are Longsword as sharp as Katana and vice versa. Their cutting abilitys are equal, it depends on what you prefer or have an easier time using (I for example have a much easier time cutting with Katana than with Longswords, however this is not because of the sharpness of the blade, but on how I prefer cutting with slightly curved blades. It feels better to me).
People overlook feel in these types of things.
Something to note with katanas in the US, is that it might have been the most iconic sword just because of how many were brought back to the USA after WW2 where something like 3 million were total captured.
Assuming that all of them were brought back, I would not be surprised if those swords ended up the majority of function (ie, non larp) swords in the US to date if you combine all of the others.
It’s because of “martial arts” cultural obsession from successful movies. People like lore on new, exotic things.l, it feeds the fantasy fire. Same reason why McDojos became a thing.
I would guess that the most prevalent would be 19th century cavalry sabers. Would certainly be interested to know if there are any hard numbers on that sort of thing.
After a quick perusal of Wikipedia, there are over 300,000 instances of the Model 1860 Light Cavalry Saber alone.
@@yoeyyoey8937 Yep. America manufactured weebism. Even the modern idea of Ninjas is essentially entirely Western, and mostly American.
@@thisdude9363 Yeah no. European countries like France and Germany have been "manufacturing" weebism and appreciation for Japanese culture long before the us.
Just search "Japonisme"
@@thisdude9363 Yeah no. European countries like France and Germany have been "manufacturing" weebism and appreciation for Japanese culture long before.
Just search "Japonisme"
At 15:35 he's not talking about the balance point of the sword as in the pivot point. He's talking about the vibrational point. He just misspoke. You know the point where when you bang the sword and see where the vibrational anchor points are. You want that point more toward the later part of the sword because you get less energy lost in wobble as you strike things in the part of the sword you're more likely to hit things at range at.
Also would be more tiring if the weight was out that far right?
@@virusO1OOOOO1 Again, you're making the same mistake Metatron is. He's *not* talking about the pivot point of the sword. He's talking about the center of percussion / a vibrational node (looked up the proper terms). Meaning when you hit something with the sword, the points that transfer less energy down the sword making it more comfortable to swing and hit things with. If the center of percussion is not in a good place, the sword will hurt more when hitting targets and it will transfer less energy into the cut when slicing (as more energy is lost in making the sword wobble and change shape).
While this spot(s) on a sword *is* effected by the weight distribution of the sword it is not the pivot point of the sword where you put your hand on and it balances equally without falling over. That's what you're thinking about regarding more weight being toward the tip of the weapon changing the center of balance.
@@pacmonster066 ok yes totally misunderstood your OP, but knowing now if that vibration point were that far out would it be more tiring still? Like it would vibrate more the further this "point" is or no?
You married a....barbarian ?! WTH citizen
The closest to an American sword would be the cavalry sabers of the Civil War period.
European blades are definitely starting to get a bigger and bigger movement of people getting into them and into Medieval European history again even in the US. However this also means that the old myths and misunderstandings about things are rearing their heads more than ever and the fight to dispel the often less than favorable mythology around Medieval European things in general is ever ongoing.
Hey Raf, great commentary!
A quick note about Cerberusarms talking about the handling of the longsword: he is conflating terms a bit when he shows how the sword is pivoting. He talks about the 'balance' which most people would assume refer to the Center of Gravity/Mass of the sword. However he is demonstrating a test for one of the pivot points of the blade, in this case the foremost pivot point, using the action point on the end of the grip closest to the cross.
This is a test used by Peter Johnsson to demonstrate handling characteristics of various swords, by mapping the pivot points (among other dynamic properties of the sword) as can be seen in The Sword Form and Thought. In this case i think CA is perhaps holding the longsword a bit too hard, but he is likely correct that it will pivot closer to the blade harmonic node, than the tip.
Now he may desire a longsword which has a forward pivot point at the tip, and we do have many historical examples which handle that way ( See StAM 4190b in Solingen; 111.8cm, and 1360g)., but we also have plenty of examples which handle as the one in this video. They are balanced differently for different purposes as I know you are aware.
There should have been a correction....a Katana does not have lightning speed compared to longswords, generally Katanas are more top heavy and thus less nimble than longswords. The top heaviness however does lend it to be a better chopper. As in it is easier to cut with it.
Depends, not all katana were built the same. I have handled swords that's very nimble and still cut quite well(with balance around 10cm from the tsuba) they just lack the "oomf" that top heavy swords usually have.
You literally used a blanket statement for a weapon that went through hundreds of years of design modification and refinement...
@@empoweredshemphoward It's a generally true statement. Katanas are more top heavy on average. Facts don't care about your feelings.
@@jaketheasianguy3307 Katanas are more on the top heavy side, their point of balance is further away from the hilt, since they do not have a crossguard and a pommel for counter balance. That's just the way it is.
@ICaImI that is a bot response if ever I saw one. Why does it always come with an anime profile pic?
5:38 Irish, Italian and German here. I'm constantly at war with myself.
Good to know I am not the only one who is my own worst enemy . :)
For a cultural sword for America, you have the Mameluke Sword on the marine corps officers' uniform and the history from the Barbary wars there, you have the Bowie knife (knife, not sword, but still a bladed weapon), and the civil war cavalry sabers. Though much more of American's weapons culture is from firearms, especially John Moses Browning.
When he was describing the balance point, I think he meant center of percussion.
As far as "ancestral swords of the Americans", I would agree that we don't really have such a thing; but we do have the super iconic Bowie knife, the lesser-known yet highly-employed Arkansas Toothpick, and the classic Ka-Bar combat knife.
Lord of the rings came out when I was born and definitely implanted in me a love for swords. I have been obsessed my entire life and that will never change.
There is something mystical about swords isn't there out of all the weapons.
Curved swords were made for horseback. You only slash in one direction and the curve made them much easier to slash and keep riding. Sorry if I missed it but was that even mentioned?
That's not true
Some were some weren't
So, why is it then that we see straight cavalry sabers in the British military being a thing? Compare for example the Pattern 1908 cavalery saber to the much earlier 1796 light cavalry saber. Why do we also see curved swords for foot soldiers being a thing, if "curved swords were made for horseback"?
@@sihilius the straight swords oftentimes became fancy lances, the swords used by the french cuirassiers are an excellent example of this.
@@sihilius because people often use the wrong tools for the job. I guess I should clarify to say the original purpose of a curved sword, was clearly for mounted attack.
@@chrisnewbury3793 Can you please verify that claim with some evidence?
Damn so some samurai were really sneaky cowards and would just attack innocent people in the nearby village and come back and flex like they did some good work getting rid of enemies. Never would have known this. Humans really aren’t that different no matter the era.
Unlike those honourable knights that absolutely did not have a reputation for burning and pillaging innocent villages as a means to collect payment from destitute lords and/or extra payment on campaigns… irony aside, just goes to show that any status or power will corrupt and lead to humans believing that they’re above those that are less fortunate
I would say that the sword type that could be most closely considered the "American sword" is the cutlass and other similar sabers since they tend to be most commonly associate Carribean pirates, frontier cowboys/pioneers/calvary, and navy sailors.
When it comes to melee weapons America is more so axes and knives.
Alternatively, one could argue that the "lightsaber" and other Sci-Fi energy/laser/plasma swords are the American sword.
That romanticised honour of the samurai is older than you think and came from the Japanese themselves. When the wars ended and there was mostly peace, they wrote a lot of fiction. Again, similar with the knights here.
I'd say, the Cutless, Cavalry Saber, or something that was used in America. As a US Army guy. The Marine Saber, too. I'd say those are the more American, classic sword types. Not that I'm an expert.
We love you, Metatron ❤️
When they say American movies don't do justice to European style swords... am I the only one that remembers how EVERYONE was obsessed with Excalibur (chanting Camina Burina under our breaths as kid) when it came out? Or Conan the Barbarian?
That thing in Conan the barbarian hardly qualifies as a sword at all, let alone an accurate representation. Same for 99% of Excalibur representations. Meanwhile, we see perfectly fine copies of Katanas in other movies. Let alone the sledgehammer style wielding of those "swords".
The American sword is the cavalry saber which rarely if ever had even an edge. You didn't need one if you are charging on horse back. But the American blade is the bowie knife.
Why not sharpen it tho you can do so much more damage and not get your sword stuck
The cavalry saber is European
@@MW_Asura Americans were European.
@@yoeyyoey8937 When cutting through the line, the force of the swing and the momentum of the horse made any stroke a crushing blow. A sharp edge would not hold up under such abuse well and require constant maintenance.
@n0m4nic ig that makes sense but why not use a different weapon at that point?
I've always been of the opinion that both swords are good and both were developed in a different environment to fulful particular things and deal with varying styles of armour and combat, etc.
9:27 i think the biggest advantage of a double edged blade is that you don’t have to think about how you pick it up. It’s always ready to go. Its also symmetrical and thus balanced the same down both sides, and they just look cool.
The civil war swords from USA is very underrated
The balance needs to be on the tip of the sword because it makes it easier to stab exactly where you want to with no wobble.
Test 2 swords, one with the balance on the tip and the other with the balance on the middle or the hilt. You'll see how better the balance on the tip is.
But let's make it more precise on the terms:
1. Balance point is the area on the blade of the sword where the weight is lighter, so it won't wobble when you try to stab something while moving the hilt in circular or pendulum moves.
2. Center of gravity is the area of the sword where the weight is heavier, which should be exactly on the guard, where your dominant hand sits very closely and that's where the control of the movements is, and that's also the reason why the guard tends to be heavy.
Guess what sword type doesn't have a heavy guard? Yeah... The Katana.
But the katana has a heavier blade, that's why it tends to cut better, using the same principle found on the axes; blunt thick metal behind a very solid blade.
What would the "American" sword be? I vote for cavalry saber.
I vote for specifically the m1917 Calvary sabre
The saber is European
@ forgot
@ if we wanna get real technical, than the sabre is middle eastern
The thing is that the iconic 1860 US cavalry saber in terms of design is pretty much a 1822 French LC sabre.
As many other comments said, probably the most American bladed weapon is the Bowie knife.
. . . The hell am I on about... LMAO.
Your definitely sounding more and more American over time. Your sense of humor, and way with words.
I love to see it.
Finally, the day has come! 🎉
The ancestral sword of my country would be the iconic viking era sword. I just love that type of sword so much
It seems to me that there are three broad classes of edged weapons.
Chopping like axes and really heavy great swords. They use their weight to do more damage however sharp they may be. Most swords are cutting swords. Their sharpness is their main attribute.
Then their are slicing swords such as Katanas, scimitars, and some cavalry sabers. They really can cut a piece of silk in mid-air. At least the best ones properly wielded can. HOWEVER, armor doesn't slice.
5:27 Is that a ...??😂
😊The discrase strike is devastating crushing blows 😮
Did you have the video in your watch later or another playlist? That will make it be recommended all the time
The U.S Marines sabres origins come from the Mameluke sword gifted to First Lieutenant O'Bannon back in the Barbary wars... My point is the American sword is all of them.
The million was coming no matter what, you have more than earned it.
Well, my view on this kind of topic is this: no matter the culture, when it comes to chop and pierce each other, people and nations tend to perfect their killing tools over time, so when you see that a weapon has not changed significantly in centuries or has not been left apart for something new, it is most likely that such a weapon has been useful and quite good for the intended task, at least good enough that they didn't feel the need to replace it.
15:14 I don't think he is using the right term, here, but in principle he is correct.
The center of balance is down by the hilt, however the center of percussion (which can be found with that pendulum swing test he is doing) is near the end of the blade. That being the ideal place to strike with the weapon, as it will result in the least amount of hand shock.
It is best that it is about 4 inches above the end of the blade, NOT within the last 4 inches.
I've been an Excalibur fanboi since a child or any magical or holy blade in lore for that matter
I think the cult of the Katana goes back first to the 'Japan Village" in Knightsbridge 1885 - 7 and then of course with the publishing of Shogun mid 1970's. I was obsessed with things Japanese in my early to mid teens ( early 80's) , I had a rep katana, I also remember asking for a kimono for Christmas,
some hope. Oh ok not Japanese legend but honorable mention has to go the "water margin', which I think was made in Japan.
Ok 5:20, the American Calvary sword fits the def of a cultural sword. It’s also comparable in size, design and purpose.
American here, we are a young country in comparison to Europe, so we never REALLY had to use swords, we founded our country using firearms MAINLY.
I'm not saying we never used swords, just not NEARLY as much as The American Firearm
Metatron in old days: I make videos about history, armor, weapons and languages.
Metatron nowadays: I watch videos someone else made.
I love his patriotism. I know it's cheesy but I respect that alot. I went and subbed. This video was actually really good.
I think what he meant with "the Katana is a brutal weapon" is that it is designed for a totally different fighting style than longsword. Longswords are more defensive with the idea being to fight from a distance (which is why HEMA practitioners see length as solely an advantage. At least I have never heard one mention the drawbacks). Katana are more aggressive with the idea being to close the distance quickly and end the fight as soon as possible.
I personally see pros and cons to both weapons that correspond to those distinct fighting styles. For 1 v 1 dueling or holding a position, I think longsword has the edge. But for a more comlex scenario (indoors, multiple combatants, surprise attacks) I think the aggressive katana is more reliable.
Just my opinion though since we don't have a lot of data outside of duel style sparring. Ultimately they are pretty comparable and if you master the corresponding style you are best off with whichever sword you trained to use regardless of the situation.
You could say that there is a strictly American ancestral sword in the hangers and cavalry sabers used in the Revolutionary War.
The thing is, he says there’s a lot of euro webs that defend the katana, and although that is true, I feel like there are more katana webs than anything else. Especially when you come back from the early internet days where everyone and their mother would overhype the katana to mythical proportions while trash talking medieval swords. The bias was there and all these people were in full force perpetuating the myths while denigrating the longsword. It was cult like, and of course, they ALL were suddenly experts on the subject, too. I have literally witnessed with my own very eyes (several years ago at this point) people actually trying to legit say that European swords were duller than a chisel, weighed too heavy, and made from inferior steel than that of traditionally forged Japanese blades. I remember it still very vividly one-too many heated debates on the whole topic.
Most of my ancestors have been in America for 400 years. I don't have hardly any connections to Europe post 1700 at the latest.
I prefer a shield + igorot axe, the reason there's lots of Japanese soldier's jawbones turned into gong handles.
No youtuber owns a Play Button.
The Play Button owns the youtuber.
And I guess, then Watch Skallagrim's response ;)
The balance on that long sword I would have thought would be between 2 and 4 inches above the hilt guard. And I do mean on that one.
I'm more of a sabre and rapier guy, so I don't really have a horse in the race here.
The longsword definitely has an advantage in terms of range and is better at thrusting (which I would see as more impactful than the double-edged blade). I very much prefer a crossguard over a tsuba, but let's be honest, without wearing heavy gloves, neither excelles in terms of hand protection.
However, while the reach of the longsword is an advantage in open field combat, it can also become a hindrance in urban and indoor settings. The shorter length, ease of draw (and heck, even small handguard that cannot get stuck around) in my view make the katana a more practical choice in a close quarter fight.
Its not necessary a sword but we have the Bowie knife as Americas iconic blade
15:10 I think he's talking about the centre of percussion. Which, if he is talking about that as far as I can tell from here anyway is generally right. He rational for wanting it at the tip may be that the very end of the sword is going fastest and will have more energy to impart for cutting?
The way you just sneaked what sword you like better in the last secound 😂
Brave Sir Robin he ran away, he buggered off. `That´s not true´ Brave, brave sir Robin.
The world wouldn't be right without a healthy dose of pedantry in your videos!
American heritage would need to be the Cavalry Saber or the Bowie Knife.
I’ve been a fan of D since the old corridor digital and node days.
i gotta start binging this channel , so good D love your stuff dude
I feel like we adopted the saber as our own a couple hundred years ago but no so much anymore
As an American of Greek, Italian, German and Scottish heritage born in Japan, I’m screwed, just give me an M-16 (A2 variant) and call it a day.
I would say that modern gun beats both, at least while you still have ammunition. ;) After that, I would say that a modern sword of either type with the technology we now posses is going to be better and much more consistency than ancient swords. And finally someone with proper training and experience with either type of sword will be able to beat someone that doesn't have them. If we look historically I would guess that the answer is whatever type you have available in your area because having a weapon is advantageous over not having one. He was wrong about wanting the balance point for the long sword closer to the tip of the sword. The reason you want it closer to the cross guard is so that it is easier to move the tip of the sword around. Moving the tip faster helps in both attack and defense.
American sword would be the cavalry saber. Marines still carry one for dress.
yeah i think his final thoughts were a bit of a cop out. yes they were made to face different types of opponents and armors however at the end of the day katanas were swords of compromise. Long swords were generally made of better steel and thusly had fewer limitations on their shape/design and thusly were better optimized.
0:15 I had a similar encounter. I just opened RUclips on my phone after a tiring day only to be met by a 6-hour old upload of the recent Transformers One movie. And of course I watched it because I was curious how it sounded like with the original dub and not in my first language. It was still a 10/10 movie and I'm sad that it flopped so hard. Bad marketing, to say the least
And my opinion: a longsword is best when you can afford losing it but if you want to wield something throughout a lifetime, katana is better. In my opinion
My introduction to the Katana was the TV mini-series Shogun from the 80's. @6:30 Excalibur though. OH! A C64 Breadbin! Nice!
Let's just come out and say it now. They each have a different design and are built for differing purposes. The style and system that they use, are just a but different, as for the most part, each one had a direct impact in the style of war fare. Mostly they are both in close quarters, but horse back weapons are generally curved, and while they are the "coolest" swords, it's mostly about armor penitltration. Chain mail and plate armor designs are different, and a glance at combat in armor can show you what advantages and disadvantages CQC tactics are subject to. Plate armor design is very different between Western and Eastern cultures. Each one is more tailored to these for both efficiency and lethality. All the remaining specs are just estimates on quality.
Since I've played Dark Age of Camelot 20 years ago, my favourite sword is the Rapier. 🤺😜
I'm 3 minutes in, i think the best katana video i saw was from Shadiversity going over the Veritasium video
"Lovely spam, wonderful spam!" SHUT UP! "Lovely spam......." SHUT UP! "Wonderful spam!" SHUT UP!
#MontyPython
I love you Metatron
21:10 you let us some asmr for free ❤
I think his point about "ancestral swords" might be somewhat accurate, especially if the name of it is still living in language forms, in the Polish language we still have quite a few sayings involving sabers, and it's also present in our anthem
Some past enemies too in your anthem. Hello from Sweden ;-D
@antonakesson hi, and yeah but mentioned the part relevant to this particular point
I love the Flamberge Zweihander as well as the Katana. I don't have Adian heritage but i do Have German, Scottish and Irish along with a couple of others
I think he's conflating center of gravity with what I think is called center of percussion. I don't think it should ever be at the tip, but with the katana it is usually much further down the length of the blade due to the lack of distil taper in the katana.
I think you went easy on him.
Dubbed movies? This should be considered a crime against humanity!
Looking forward to this one.
Always wearin dat 15 cent doublet drip
Why does Metatron wear the same exact sweatshirt in EVERY-SINGLE-VIDEO?
It's like a hoodie, something you were over your shirt. I wear the same one every day myself.
Because it's a historically accurate late 15th century arming doublet based on the paintings by Piero della Francesca from Tuscany. So it well represents my fixation with history and my love for Medieval Italy and knights.
Sweatshirt?
Looks like a padded jack.
@@metatronyt Fair enough! I was just wondering :) Thanks for the explanation and stay awesome! \m/
@@13thcentury Yeah didn't really know how to call it heh
It been a while since I've watched D, Node, CorridorDigital, rest of the gang but never expected to see a reaction to one of D's videos
You need to make a longsword duel with this dude I support you bro
I'm native american. So I didn't really get into swords until my mid teens (which is not that long I'm only 22)
But because of my ancestry I've always been more drawn to axes and tomahawks. And macuahuitl. Also that one.
axes are awesome! close quarters even better than a sword for sure.
I'm looking for a sword that's not supposed to exist. I've dated fragments to 600 BC and the metal has been folded 200 times. The japanese didn't start doing that until the middle ages
There can only be one.. 🤺
Those guys are pretty good sword fighters!
Hey Meta, if you have a free slot in your pipeline, how about a quick America (modern day) v. England (middle ages) - common law. Specifically self defense and weapons laws. I don't know if there is something interesting there but I'd like to learn more about America's common law roots as well as perceived "Justice"
I just like the way you break these things down more than some of the other serious channels.
22:33 Damn right.
Well, to me it's obvious why Americans prefer the katana. It's easier to cut donuts with.