Re: [HIST] Japanese Culture shock

On Mon, 24 Jun 2002, John Leary wrote:

>
> --- "K.H.Ranitzsch" <KH.Ranitzsch@t-online.de> wrote:
> I wouldn't bet more than
> > even odds in a fight
> > between a Samurai with a Katana and a European
> > knight on foot (unless I know
> > the personal skill levels of both).
>
> My money is on the knight in armor!	The Japanese
> are using the equal of the saber/simitar, and history
> has shown the outcome of that fight.

The katana was NOT designed to deal with plate armour. The european
sword
was designed to be able to deal with armour comparable to the japanese
armour. And as for martial arts prowess, nothing I have seen so far
indicates that european martial arts and the training a knight received
was at all inferior to the japanese stuff. Regardless what martial arts
movies may have one believe ;)

My money's on the knight, too.

Cheers,