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posted by Fnord666 on Tuesday October 10 2017, @01:36AM   Printer-friendly
from the swords-are-technology dept.

I have been reading The Japanese Sword Column and thought it may be of niche interest to other Soylentils. It is written by Paul Martin, a noted British expert of Japanese swords. From the introduction:

Along with cherry blossoms and Mount Fuji, the Japanese sword has become one of the enduring symbols of Japan. It has experienced centuries of warfare, evolved through Mongol invasions, survived the introduction of the musket, the end of the samurai era, modernization, and confiscation and destruction by the Allied forces following World War II. They are an anachronism in modern society, yet they continue to be made. They are an integral part of Japanese culture.
Today, I feel very fortunate that we have access to Japanese swords and can observe the artistry of blades that were previously only accessible by Japan's ancient military and social elites.

I particularly enjoyed the July 25th article, The Changes in the Shape of the Japanese Sword. The articles are short, update infrequently and have plenty of pictures of museum-quality swords. A good fit for those with a casual interest in the subject.


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  • (Score: 2) by HiThere on Tuesday October 10 2017, @05:58AM (1 child)

    by HiThere (866) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday October 10 2017, @05:58AM (#579660) Journal

    That's a really whitewashed view of history. Attila wasn't the only example to prove you wrong. Of course, his troops also went through the armored Christian knights like grass through a goose, so that's more about tactics than about weaponry, but it sure wasn't "only a couple of thousand got killed".

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  • (Score: 2) by bob_super on Tuesday October 10 2017, @04:17PM

    by bob_super (1357) on Tuesday October 10 2017, @04:17PM (#579872)

    There were orders of magnitude more battles between counts, dukes and other locals chiefs, than major invasions on the Alexander/Rome/Attila scale. The fact that you could list the big campaigns demonstrates that.
    And a lot of the really big conquests' battles turned into either sieges or quick shows of overwhelming force by one of the sides.
    Yes there were plenty of battles with thousands of dead or dead-soon to process afterwards. But that wasn't anywhere near the majority, because losing thousands of soldiers is a desperate and consequential move (Pyrrhic victory).