On Swords, Blades and the Song of Swords

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by Ze'Manel Cunha

Nodachi isn't a real term for anything, afaik, it's like saying chainmailring armor.

I don't speak Japanese, but a field sword in the size and weight range of a Western longsword is a real thing.

Originally Posted by Ze'Manel Cunha

Odachi are two-handed greatswords which aren't balanced one handed weapons, they weigh in at 3.75+ lbs and do have blades that are 36"+, by definition.

Odachi/nodachi are terms so confused by different scholars and competing claims as to be almost unusable.

I find the progression of tanto/shoto/daito logical enough. The famous swords would then be wakizazhi < tachi/katana (depending on how they are carried) < nodachi < odachi. But since this is clean and logical, it is likely to be ahistorical and an invention of latter-day scholars.

No matter.

Originally Posted by Ze'Manel Cunha

Katanas, aka tachis, aka daitos, are paired to the wielder's height, someone below 1.65m (5'5") would wield a 28" katana, which historically was tall in Japan, so most katanas are under 28" in blade length.

A 30" katana would be wielded by someone 6'.

The biggest katanas made were 33"-34" in blade length and meant to be wielded by people over 6'4".

I know. And this is utterly irrelevant.

A typical GURPS character is not 5'5", he's 5'9". And when he wields a katana, it is Reach 1. That's the game rules and I agree that they represent reality well enough.

Originally Posted by Ze'Manel Cunha

You seem to be confusing the issue and mixing blades meant for taller people vs. normal blades used by average height wielders.

I didn't write the stats for the Katana in GURPS. Nor did I write the explanatory note in MA that clearly states that these stats do not represent a typical historical katana, but instead a blade closer to a two-handed nodachi.