Cutting possibilities with a true shinken?

Posted by: Anonymous

Cutting possibilities with a true shinken? - 01/01/05 12:40 AM

Im kinda knew here and i bet you guys get these questions all the time heh but anyways.

If using a true shinken and you have trained well in one of the sword arts what would be the maximum you would be able to cut through in 1 single blow? A thick log? steel? ive heard this talked about alot and just want to know what the truth is behind it.
Posted by: Anonymous

Re: Cutting possibilities with a true shinken? - 01/01/05 01:33 AM

The Angelsword guys had a cutting contest and the winner ended up cutting 14 tatami mats (each mat is about equal in strength to a man's thigh), so I think that is about as good as you can reasonably expect.

Don't think about chopping logs or trees, swords are designed for cutting soft things, like flesh and bone. Hitting wood or steel will blunt your blade and risk damaging the edge. You could probably cut smaller logs or the backyard shed, but I would not suggest deliberately doing it.
Posted by: Charles Mahan

Re: Cutting possibilities with a true shinken? - 01/04/05 09:11 AM

I would disagree that the mats Angelsword was using were equivalent to a mans leg. The mats they used appear to have been of the easier type, and had been oversoaked as I understand it. There was also nothing in them that simulated bone.
Posted by: Anonymous

Re: Cutting possibilities with a true shinken? - 01/04/05 12:06 PM

Cutting steel or logs with a single swing of a sword is just pure fantasy that only happens in cartoons and movies.

Japanese swords were mainly designed to cut flesh and bone. You're trying to kill people so why cut logs and steel?

[This message has been edited by Walter Wong (edited 01-04-2005).]