# Swords: How to discern between "For Display Only" & "Functional" ?? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 20, 2005, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swords-how-to-discern-between-for-display-only-functional/327043 "2005-10-20T05:46:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![bzwilak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5a626/32.png) [@bzwilak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bzwilak)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2005, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swords-how-to-discern-between-for-display-only-functional/327043/21 "2005-10-20T21:36:21Z")
> [@Kinthalis](#): > > You’re basically right. I use the Term Replica because that’s what they tend to be: replicas of historical pieces. > > There are some smiths that, while not copying a specific historical piece, still create their weapons with materials and building methods (though modern as they may be) which will yield a good quality sword with proper historical characteristics and function. Essentially All smiths attempt to recreate period quality and function, even if not trying to recreate a specific historical piece in a museum somewhere. > > It is legal to own a sword in the US, though you’d have to research your state’s laws to see what restrictions are imposed on carrying swords on your person. > > Truly, although I love swords and am a student of their proper use, I do not see them as effective practical self-defense tools for our time. If it’s practical self defense you are looking for, a dagger or a hand gun might be more useful, and will draw less attention too 😉 Thank you Kinthalis! You have been very helpful! RE: swords being impractical for modern self-defense: I know if I were an attacker, and I saw my victim wielding a sword, I’d think twice before attempting my crime. I’d much rather have a bullet hole in my body than risk an amputation or through-and-through impalement!! :eek: I don’t actually _intend_ on carrying a sword around, I was just curious about the legal aspects. FWIW: If I were to invest in a sword, I’d want a Katana. Those freakin’ rock! Kinthalis, are they as awesome in real-life as they are in the movies? (Kill Bill Vol. I & II come to mind.) ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2005, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swords-how-to-discern-between-for-display-only-functional/327043/22 "2005-10-20T21:44:35Z")
> [@Kinthalis](#): > > Truly, although I love swords and am a student of their proper use, I do not see them as effective practical self-defense tools for our time. If it’s practical self defense you are looking for, a dagger or a hand gun might be more useful, and will draw less attention too 😉 It might also be noted that The Highlander is fiction…in case anyone here intended to seek out immortals… ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2005, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swords-how-to-discern-between-for-display-only-functional/327043/23 "2005-10-20T21:50:20Z")
Minor Hijack: I am purchasing one of the Hanwei/Paul Chen Hsu Series Jian Tai Chi Swords (one with a 30 inch blade); does anybody know where I can purchase a proper tassel for it? I’ve never had a Paul Chen sword before, but I’ve picked up a couple of his knives. The cost was reasonable and the quality was good…outstanding if you compare them to the rest of the (crap) cutlery that comes out of China. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2005, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swords-how-to-discern-between-for-display-only-functional/327043/24 "2005-10-20T22:05:41Z")
> [@bzwilak](#): > > Thank you Kinthalis! You have been very helpful! > > FWIW: If I were to invest in a sword, I’d want a Katana. Those freakin’ rock! Kinthalis, are they as awesome in real-life as they are in the movies? (Kill Bill Vol. I & II come to mind.) Katana are beautiful weapons that’s for sure. But don’t believe everything you hear. They are just as falible as any other steel sword and will not cut through tree trunks or armor or allow you to fly while wearing a ninja custome 😉 They are also in no way superior to European blades. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2005, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swords-how-to-discern-between-for-display-only-functional/327043/25 "2005-10-20T22:52:36Z")
> [@Kinthalis](#): > > As for edge on edge banging of swords, it was not done in the 90 degree, static way it is seen in the movies. That is not only martially unsound, but certainly detrimental to your sword. > > Typically the flat is used agasint the edge, or the edge against the flat, or should the edge meet, they do so at an angle, and typically near the strong. Even so, edge to edge constact was minimized and avoided when possible. [Zorro] The pointy end goes into the other man. [/Z] ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2005, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swords-how-to-discern-between-for-display-only-functional/327043/26 "2005-10-20T22:55:51Z")
> [@Dr. Rieux](#): > > [Zorro] > The pointy end goes into the other man. > [/Z] Sound advice 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swords-how-to-discern-between-for-display-only-functional/327043/27 "2005-10-21T00:11:11Z")
> [@bzwilak](#): > > RE: swords being impractical for modern self-defense: I know if I were an attacker, and I saw my victim wielding a sword, I’d think twice before attempting my crime. I’d much rather have a bullet hole in my body than risk an amputation or through-and-through impalement!! With respect to both you and accuracy, being shot is not as simple as having a “bullet hole” in you. Depending upon the gun and the impact location, a single shot can easily be fatal or permanently disabling. Kinthalis is right to downplay swords as a practical weapon in this Century, or even the last couple. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swords-how-to-discern-between-for-display-only-functional/327043/28 "2005-10-21T00:45:20Z")
> [@bzwilak](#): > > Kinthalis, I am curious as to why you use the term “replica” so often. I interpret that term usage as implying two possibilities: > [ul] > [li]“Real” swords are no longer produced, and/or have become a “lost art,” so they are replicas in the sense that they are as close to the original design as we can know.[/li][li]“Real” swords are not readily available, and/or are restricted, in the United States.[/li][/ul] Yes, you can still get plenty of “real” swords- quite a few of which have better materials and even workmanship than those of 500 years ago. But as **Kinthalis** and others have said- you have to shop around. Museum Replicas has about the cheapest "real’ swords out there. As to carrying one- IANAL- _usually_ it’s legal- but unless you’re in costume or something, expect a hassle form the cops anyway. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swords-how-to-discern-between-for-display-only-functional/327043/29 "2005-10-21T02:37:42Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > As to carrying one- IANAL- _usually_ it’s legal- but unless you’re in costume or something, expect a hassle form the cops anyway. YMMV. Personally, when traveling to class, or to some event, I always keep my sharps in a locked case in the trunk of my car while on the road. I also make sure to have my uniform on, and some sort of logo of my martial arts organization with me for such an eventuality. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swords-how-to-discern-between-for-display-only-functional/327043/30 "2005-10-21T02:42:04Z")
> [@Una Persson](#): > > Kinthalis is right to downplay swords as a practical weapon in this Century, or even the last couple. And this is true for many reasons, first being the fact that it’s just too out of place. People will give you a hard time. Crowded streets also aren’t very sword friendly. But most importantly, while you can take a couple of classes on self-defense with a hand gun and then use one effectively, a couple of MONTHS of serious training with a sword and I’d still wager you’d hurt yourself before you’d hurt someone else. ---
**Author:** ![bzwilak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5a626/32.png) [@bzwilak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bzwilak)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swords-how-to-discern-between-for-display-only-functional/327043/31 "2005-10-21T02:43:56Z")
> [@Una Persson](#): > > With respect to both you and accuracy, being shot is not as simple as having a “bullet hole” in you. Depending upon the gun and the impact location, a single shot can easily be fatal or permanently disabling. Kinthalis is right to downplay swords as a practical weapon in this Century, or even the last couple. I’m not trying to undermine the danger of a gunshot wound. I know guns are terribly dangerous and deadly. What I was implying was: assuming I were to **survive** a defensive attack, the resulting effects of a gunshot wound seem less horrifying to me, personally, than those of a sword attack. That’s just my _personal feeling_, however, and has practically nothing to do with the science of it. Wounds from sharp edged instruments just give me the willies. ---
**Author:** ![Sleel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/73ab20/32.png) [@Sleel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleel)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swords-how-to-discern-between-for-display-only-functional/327043/32 "2005-10-21T08:07:23Z")
> [@Kinthalis](#): > > Though threading is fine, and is occasionally seen in historical pieces (and in the Japanese Katana) ## Nitpick: I have never, ever seen or even heard of threading being used on any historical or traditionally made katana. The _tsuka_ (hilt) is held in place with a bamboo pin that goes through both the handle and a hole drilled in the tang of the sword. If you have a cite for threading on **any** Japanese blade, not even limiting it to katana-length blades, I’d be interested in seeing it. If you buy a sword from one of the links **Kinthalis** posted, you pretty much can’t go wrong. Those are probably the most reputable places out there. Especially check out Albion. They’ve gotten rave reviews from just about everyone who has seen their work. Kris Cutlery’s quality ranges from halfway decent to utter crap; personal knowledge and friends in the know. Museum Replicas Ltd. has gotten better in recent years due to pressure from good armory companies like Albion and Arms and Armor. Their quality can still be a bit spotty though, from what I’ve heard. I haven’t had a hands-on with any of their stuff in recent years, so I’m depending on word of mouth from guys who have on this. Also check out [myArmory.com](http://www.myarmoury.com/home.html) for education, hands-on reviews, and more. [netsword.com](http://www.netsword.com) is pretty much THE place on the Web to find out more about swords, medieval warfare, etc. They don’t have all that much patience for anime fanboi or, “I wanna fnd out how to have a dual with my friends losing arms and eyes iz ok thx for any ehlp in advanse,” type questions, but if you’re polite, listen to what they say, and use actual spelling and grammar, you can find out a lot from them. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swords-how-to-discern-between-for-display-only-functional/327043/33 "2005-10-21T09:02:39Z")
> [@bzwilak](#): > > I’m not trying to undermine the danger of a gunshot wound. I know guns are terribly dangerous and deadly. What I was implying was: assuming I were to **survive** a defensive attack, the resulting effects of a gunshot wound seem less horrifying to me, personally, than those of a sword attack. That’s just my _personal feeling_, however, and has practically nothing to do with the science of it. Wounds from sharp edged instruments just give me the willies. An interersting point: almost everyone has been cut, to some degree or another, at some time or another, in their life. They know what a knife wound feels like, even a small one. Whether you knick yourself with a hobby knife, slice a finger cutting veggies for the evening meal, or even get a nasty papercut, odds are anyone you meet will have had one (or more) at some point. So when confronted with cold steel, I think it gives them more pause than when confronted with a firearm. While they may know intellectually that the gun is the more dangerous weapon (in capable hands), they probably know, _from experience,_ that if a paper cut hurts as bad as it does, what the heck will that foot of sharp steel feel like slicing them to ribbons or rammed into some soft, delicate internal organs? I’d always been told that for purposes of crowd control, a rifle with a bayonet is far more effective than just a rifle. I think this typical experience of various “knicks & cuts” is the reason why. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swords-how-to-discern-between-for-display-only-functional/327043/34 "2005-10-21T10:20:34Z")
I think there would also be a psychological/fear component to the equation in the sense that any fool can wave a gun (or so you might be tempted to think), but someone with a sword must _know how to use it_. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swords-how-to-discern-between-for-display-only-functional/327043/35 "2005-10-21T10:33:23Z")
Just curious- are there any movies that accurately depict the use of swords? Is the standard movie swordfight accurate in any way? ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swords-how-to-discern-between-for-display-only-functional/327043/36 "2005-10-21T11:07:50Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Just curious- are there any movies that accurately depict the use of swords? Is the standard movie swordfight accurate in any way? There’s been a few threads discussing this before, you might want to do a search, but the short answer is no. A slightly longer answer is that modern fencing sport isusually depicted faithfully, classical fencing is sometimes done right, and I’ve NEVER seen renaissance or medieval martial arts depicted in any form I would recognize. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swords-how-to-discern-between-for-display-only-functional/327043/37 "2005-10-21T11:10:10Z")
## [QUOTE=Sleel] Nitpick: I have never, ever seen or even heard of threading being used on any historical or traditionally made katana. The _tsuka_ (hilt) is held in place with a bamboo pin that goes through both the handle and a hole drilled in the tang of the sword. If you have a cite for threading on **any** Japanese blade, not even limiting it to katana-length blades, I’d be interested in seeing it. You’re right. What I mean to say is that the assembly can be taken apart. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swords-how-to-discern-between-for-display-only-functional/327043.md?page=1)