Long sword VS Katana

I love Katanas, and I love the mystique surrounding the Samurai, but please, lets base arguments on fact. I've spent 25+ years in the study of arms and armor, and I've heard this argument countless times. I'm a student of European and Asian cultures in this regard, so my feelings aren't biased based on limited exposure. However, I find it funny how many who grew up watching anime, or movies like Highlander, and romantisize certain themes and styles think they know so much. A true historian would be able to educate, but they need a willing and open minded audience first.

Well said.

Okay...no disrespect in how i reply; but all i read was a head shake and a butt pat -- yet no basis backing up your own claims. I base mine off of facts of the weapons and armor. If you don't believe me, simply seek to educate yourself first-hand and spend some time IN the european armor with a broad sword. Then in the samurai armor with a katana. Swings the weapons at tatami matts yourself. Opinions are like assholes -- everyone has one and they all stink. Either way *shrugs* I speak from experience physical experience. Believe me or not, it was just my two cents. I'm not trying to educate or persuade, i'm simply stating fact.

lmao!!! here's your european gymnastics in full plate...also note no helmet and the lack of true movement. And he's trying.

ok guys.. here's the point.. no one will ever really know which one is superior because armies of soldiers who wielded these weapons never faced off against eachother and for the forseeable future, NEVER will. additionally the japanese Katana was intended for an entirely diffrent type of fighting than the european broadsword.
the Katana was for "hack and slash" combat most often in a duel like single combat senario. and designed around the martial arts & sciences of the Samurai.

where as the european broadsword came in many diffrent types but all were more intended for "cut & thrust" combat in an almost bar brawl scenario. which went along with the martial arts and sciences of the europan knight/soldier.

both were MAGNIFICENT killing tools
and gods willing will never have to be tested against eachother in actual combat.

and at any rate we all know they are all very usefull against the undead when we run out of bullets and arrows

That Youtube vid is a rather poor example for so many reasons I hesitate to waste time mentioning them. And yes, I've weilded both, and worn both. I know several armorers who make one or the other, or both styles. Professional smiths. I don't speak from my butt. They both had benefits and drawbacks but were products of their own specific environments. Please though don't use silly amatuer youtube vids as a basis for the argument and then demand concrete facts to substantiate our claims. Pot-kettle-black

The notion that european armor and weapons were unweildly or overly heavy or didn't allow for dextrous movement is a horrible misnomer. There are tales of knights who could leap from standing on horseback and flipping off in a somersault. Yes, really. These men lived and died with this equipment, and if wasn't functional, they wouldn't wear it. I can equally tout the benefits of the materials and design of asian armors (and if you are limiting that to just Japaneze Armor (Kikou, Kabuto most notibly seen worn by Oda Nobunaga and Takeda Shingen, or the well known Okegawa armor), why not go into the designs of Korean armor and weapons and the prowess of the Hwa-rang? How about the various battle armor and sword weilding warriors of the various dynastic armies of China (quite a departure from what you see in hong-kong and even hollywood kung-fu flicks I assure you!). All could be debated for hours, weeks on end infact, but it seems that you don't need education there  I don't have the time to give an extended disertation though on what you consider inferior european materials and design, or the skills that these ancient warrios used to weild them effectively, so if you aren't willing to accept the notions of someone with years of study, and then please do your own research, I'm not sure what else to say.

However, here's some starter info for you. This is non-biased material, with analysis on the weapons, the weilders, and the styles. The first few are written by ARMA, which is not SCA, its a society that practices the actual art of combat from the age, much as the long standing Kenpo and Bujinkan schools do in Japan to preserve those arts.

www.thearma.org/essays/knightvs.htm
www.thearma.org/essays/longsword-and-katana.html

I'm still hunting for the extensive article I had from awhile back that depicted the actual effects in the hands of skilled practioners against various armor types for a bunch of weapons (even a poleaxe which was more devistating than expected!!). That is a major eye-opener and if I can just find it..sigh..