Love the video! So a Japanese sword that has a total length the same as the average longsword, which is three-four foot, would be called a nodachi. But when you say nodachi people usually picture the huge greatsword equivalent nodachi like the one you own (around five - six foot). I wish there were two terms to differentiate the difference in lengths of nodachi. Could we call longsword equivalent length japanese swords, nodachi, and greatsword equivalent length, Zanbato?
the lengths he was stating here were minimum range, a nodachi will be at absolute smallest around 3 and a half foot, with larger ones being much bigger
+Cornered Fox I agree with your statement. Although the lengths of historical Uchigatana and Tachi tended to be a bit short, there was quite a variety of blade lengths and degree of curvature among Japanese swords. Before the Tokugawa Shogunate imposed strict laws on swords in the 16th century, that is. In fact, there isn't really a rule regarding the length of Japanese swords, aside from the fact that the blades of Daitos (long swords - Katanas and Tachis) should range from 2ft to 3ft. It really depends on what the swordsmanship school or the individual prefers to use. Certain sword manufacturing companies today like to call Katanas that are longer than 30' in blade length as O Katanas (large swords), which further adds to the confusion. (Although they aren't technically wrong, per say.) I believe that certain HEMA sources struggle from the same problem, actually. One Portugese manual that was recently discovered discusses the use of "Longswords". However, many people would find that the manual was really about using the Montante, which a lot of people would call a greatsword. There is a very thin line (or none at all) which separates the typical Longsword and greatsword, as certain Longswords (hand-and-a-half swords) can get quite large, sporting around 39" blades.
i want a movie made in which they cast Skallagrim, Metatron and Shadiversity and these three go on an adventure and fight people and monsters throughout their journey. MetaTron would be a Samurai Skallagrim would be a Viking and of course Shadiversity would be a Knight. Now that would be a movie i'd pay good money to watch.
It isn't THAT hard. The pronounciation system is actually rather simple, and Japanese grammar is easy to understand. But then again I am from Taiwan, so I may have cheated a bit at the "learn kanji" part.
Ja und nein. Die Basics hat man ziemlich schnell verinnerlicht. Von der Grammaktik her geht es wirklich gut. Kanji sind aufwendig zu lernen, aber machbar. Womit ich zum Beispiel sehr kämpfe ist, dass es sehr viele Worte gibt, die sehr ähnlich sind... Vokabeln bleiben wirklich schlecht hängen für mich und wenn es dann in die Feinheiten geht, schlackern einem irgendwann die Ohren xD. Aber es gibt wenig wirklich gute Lehrbücher für Japanisch. Hatte jetzt schon viele in der Hand, aber es konnte mich noch keines wirklich überzeugen. Außer der Sprachkurs vom Bochumer Landesspracheninstitut. Aber der bringt einem nur was mit dem Unterricht.
yeah i was also hoping for images or clips for the comparison for reference material i thank him for explaining the difference in names and all that but i'm still wondering which is which visually now i gotta go find another video to help with that
Metatron, I find you to be not only very polite and knowledgeable, but also very informative, or should I say very 'able to inform' a more uninvolved and scrolling through UA-cam audience. My favorite thing is that you seem to be able to make references to your own high level of vocation in a more humble tone than pompous, which is what draws me to most of your videos! Thank you man! I have learned so much! Keep it up and tag those pillows my guy, thats a great idea. except the youtube one because well I'm here already
You don't have to do these videos but you do. And I think most of your subscribers are greatful. thanks for all the information most of us are greatful.
I agree with the video, but I also really like classification like this: Tanto - below 30 cm Wakizashi - 30-50 cm Katana - 50-70 cm Tachi - 70-90 cm (Curved for cuts) Uchigatana - 70-90 (Curved, but straighter for better thrusts) Nodachi - 90-130 cm Odachi - 130-180 cm
This is merely subjective. Odachis and Nodachis both the same minimum size to be classified as such. He said so himself in the video. There are no differences between the two.
Amazing how historical videos such as this one(and his in general, as well as the other historical youtubers) always tend to give me such a nice feeling. They always manage to cheer me up when I'm near rock bottom. Brother, you and your fellows managed to take me out of the darkest days I've had in the past few years. Thank you. P.S. If at all possible, could you make a video about Dacians? Or about the falx? And if you already have, please direct me to it/them.
This was helpful. I might do more side research on more Japanese weapons. I might do sketches of these differences between the swords you were explaining. Just for personal reseach, that, and I find this very interesting.
G'day, The Intro's come in three basic "flavours", to wit..., cringe... Cringe-ier ; and, CRINGE-IEST...! They seem to go with the heirarchy72 (O)Pinions required in order to qualify (oneself) as "THE Metatron !" (?). Lol, ;-p Ciao !
Can't believe I've only found this channel now. As a person who has very nominal understanding of Japanese and great interest in both the language and the history of Japan (especially military), this channel is like a match made in heaven. Sign me up, subscribed. Keep up the good work Metatron!
Sometimes I think that odachi and nodachi became two different words from a mistake. Because they both sound the same when using the connective "a" before it (a nodachi, an odachi), I wouldn't be surprised if it was one word used only, someone made a mistake in understanding it and then the translation became just a mere coincidence.
@haloorion405 But, a Nodachi is also, by definition. A "Greatsword" a Sword of War. The normal Katana is, like the long sword, a personal defense item. When you go to war its Bows, Polearms, and Greatswords like everywhere else in the world except Africa who throws their Swords. Because bad bow wood.
Finally someone who actually has enough knowledge to contribute with something not entirely intuitive. Looking into historical *European* training and equipment nobody seems to actually know anything that not a group of 12 year olds could figure out just by looking at the stuff. Keep up the quality.
Do you have any videos about chinese weapons or warfare? If you don't, are you planning on doing some if you have some knowledge? Did your studies include anything China related? And a good video, as always :)
Metatron, could you talk about the East Asian cultural sphere, please? The cultures, history, languages, weapons, martial arts, ect... of China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam and the link between them, please?
I don't think I've ever learned so much about language and weapons in such a short period of time.... This was an amazingly helpful video. Thank you so very much for this. :)
Thanks a lot, Metatron. This cleared up quite a few things. Just one question: Could Uchigatana refer to a sword made for battle, in the sense that it would have been less decorated, not for "show" just for practical use?
from what i see on the internet, uchigatana where of a lower standard and decor wich made them cheaper and faster to make, they where also more disposable on the battlefield because of this. its also why they where used by foot soldiers and people of lower rank/status, also because of thier disposability very little to no uchigatana's remain to this day. Katana where more taken care of and took months to make so some very old blades still remain in beautiful condition.
@@olivierdols5556 The reason you might've read that it was lower quality is because the original uchigatana were developed as a cheap weapon for non-samurai. But by the time the samurai would also start using it it would start to be produced with my much greater quality. And when you consider both the samurai and the non-samurai using the uchigatana the word katana (meaning any sword) became tantamount to referring to the uchigatana. Thus, the value of mentioning the longer and more precise word uchigatana lost its value as you wouldn't need to make a distinction when everyone was using it. But I believe it's better to use the word uchigatana today as swords have already become historical objects and precise terminology will reduce confusion. Also, Japanese people continue to refer to the sword as an uchigatana, and I'm noticing that newer videogames are becoming more sensitive to this precise usage. That said, even a Japanese person who hears katana will know/assume you were referring to an uchigatana and not something like a tachi.
@@lightningandodinify Any Japanese Sword is a Katana. As far as I can tell, or care to know. All the names after that are almost latterly "Katana but done this way, or with this in mind". Because, just to reiterate across my posts here... people really don't appreciate how garbage the metal was in general nor how rare good quality materials were to come by in through most periods. You don't get weapons and sword innovation you get, "Geez, my sword is inappropriate. I must add more sword! But not too much, I'm broke and the Blacksmith might dip into the shit-iron or use termite wood to save money."
You are so much better then me at explaining this to people. I tried...I failed. I gave up. I suppose your complete understanding of the Japanese language helps. You're now my go to guy for everything Japanese.
What a well explained, pleasant and informative video. It is not often I walk away from a UA-cam video feeling like I've actually learned something, but you made it happen, and it is much appreciated. Thank you, subbed!
3:57 Eh, no. 刀 doesn't indicate curvature. Just that it is a single edged blade (of any length. A single edged knife is a 刀). There is nothing about 刀, that implies curvature ...and 刀 and 剣 are often used interchangeably (e.g. kenjutsu and kendo, which generally deal with single edged blades ...well, kendo doesn't actually deal with any blades, but...) BTW: More blades that are 刀 (many of which are very much uncurved): Razors (剃刀) Tanto (短刀) Scissors (剪刀. Scissors are, after all, two single edged blades) Kitchen knife (牛刀)not to mention the term for knife carving: 小刀細工 ...and that's just looking at the terms that are still used today. To mention one historical example, the word for scalpel used to be 刀 (now the loanword "mesu", is used)
He's talking about in terms of swords used for war, which are almost always curved. in that case, 刀 becomes synonymous to having curvature, even though the word itself didn't actually indicate about the blade being curved.
I'm learning the way of Bushido No Kendo, but I never Knew that there are lots of Japanese Swords. I really like this, I'm really Learning a lot. Thank You!
Meno male che esiste Metatron u.u Tempo addietro, quando avevo uno spiccato interesse per il Giappone, trovavo delle difficoltà a capire bene come funzionassero certe cose e una delle peggiori era proprio questa tematica. Grazie per il chiarimento☻
"Katana" is to Japan like "Gladius" is to Rome. Both words simply meant "sword" but have evolved in the modern day to specifically mean the sword of that culture.
I think it was more so built to be more of a polearm than an actual sword. You are correct, though. The longer handle gives you more leverage, which makes the longer weapon easier to use.
It kinda depends on the case, because they were no laws governing how nagamaki was made. the term itself quite simply means 'longer hilt', as in longer than should be. so you can have a small nagamaki that's actually just 3 feet long, half for blade & the other half for the hilt, or you can have a 7 feet long monster, again half for blade & the other half for the hilt. & to add to the confusion, the hilt can be shorter or longer than the blade, so long as it's not significantly shorter or longer.
Or it could be like "Combat knife" or "krigsmesser" as opposed to any other kind of knife. My Japanese is basically nonexistent, but I've heard the kanji for "katana" is used for pretty much all single edged blades no matter their size or purpose. If that is the case, a "katana for hitting people" would be there to separate it from a "katana for slicing vegetables" and the like. A rather common etymology for single edged swords, like "Dao", "Dha" or "Messer" show us. Or maybe people just thought it would sound better that way. Wouldn't be unheard of, the Germans used to call assault rifles "machine carbines" before someone decided "Sturmgewehr" sounded more aggressive.
Most sense I've heard in quite some time. Most inspiring and well researched. Nice to see people come from an informed academic perspective. Superb video. I intend to prescribe this to my Eishin Ryu Iaido students. Greetings from the Katsujinken Kai South Africa! Well done and thank you!
Amazing video and it was super helpful, i'm currently writing a book about an Canadian vampire who took a interest at a young age in learning Japanese sword fighting techniques. I want to be as accurate as I can be with terms and how the fighting should be written and your channel has been a great help for my research. If anyone else has knowledge of good youtubers or just books and websites, I will greatly appreciate it.
master Metatron, I found more details on wikipedia: Unlike the tachi, with which the acts of drawing and striking with the sword were two separate actions, unsheathing the uchigatana and cutting the enemy down with it became one smooth, lightning-fast action. This technique was developed in the arts of battojutsu, iaijutsu, and iaido. The curvature of the uchigatana blade differs from the tachi in that the blade has curvature near the sword's point (sakizori), as opposed to curvature near the sword's hilt (koshizori) like the tachi. Because the sword is being drawn from below, the act of unsheathing became the act of striking. For a soldier on horseback, the sakizori curve of the uchigatana was essential in such a blade, since it allows the sword to come out of its sheath (saya) at the most convenient angle for executing an immediate cut. The blade length of the uchigatana during the 16th century is said to have been from 60 cm to no more than 70 cm, with a stout sugata, a steep saki-zori, and it could be used as a one handed sword due to its thin kasane (thickness) and short tang (nakago) making it relatively light. As opposed to the tachi, the uchigatana was worn edge-up in the belt, this and usually being slightly smaller than the tachi was the main difference between the tachi and the uchigatana. Since the uchigatana is worn differently than the tachi, the signature (mei) carved into the tang of the uchigatana is also opposite to the tachi mei, making the words still upright instead of upside down as when one wears the tachi in the manner of the uchigatana. Uchigatana became popular for several reasons, the uchigatana was more convenient to wear and did not get in the way of using a polearm as much as a tachi, also the frequency of battles fought on foot and the need for speed on the battlefield, were major reasons for the uchigatana being rapidly accepted and indicated that battlefield combat had grown in intensity. Since the uchigatana was shorter than the tachi, it could be used in more confined quarters, such as inside a building. Further, tactics of the period dictating unseating mounted soldiers by cutting off the mounts legs, hence mounted combat was seen as inherently disadvantageous.
As for critique of content: 1) The _tachi_ - _katana_ differences: it's not just koshirae. As you mentioned, _tachi_ will generally be longer and have a different curvature, including the apex of the curvature (more towards the handle in _tachi_ and more towards the tip in _katana_). But, there is also another imortant difference: _tachi_ will generally have more _niku_, i.e. a stronger, more convex edge bevel, as they were made for fighting armoured opponents in wartime, whereas the _katana_ was more often used as an every day carry option against unarmoured opponents. Also, when _tachi_ were mounted in a _koshirae_ for _katana_ it was usually shortened. Same goes for _naginata_ blades which sometimes were mounted as _wakizashi_ - their tang would've been too long for a _wakizashi_-handle. 2) _Shirasaya_ were designed so that the blade could be stored away from the lacquered parts, not so much because lacquer absorbs moisture (which would be a good thing, actually), but because the lacquer needs to be stored at a higher humidity than the steel to prevent cracks in the jacquer. Fun fact: _koshirae_ were stored with a bamboo blade as a placeholder to prevent warping.
I like the fact that the odachi or nodachi is directly distinguished from other types in a similar manner to how we'd distinguish a zweihander/two-handed greatsword from a bastard sword. The name directly denotes "this is a heavy, battlefield-only sword". Nice. :-)
Thank you. Although I don't have your scholarly achievement, I've been studying Japanese culture, and its martial and historic aspects in particular, for quite a long time, which is not so easy when you can't read kanji, or even kana. I expected to see stuff I already knew... but you did manage to teach me more than I expected, and more importantly, to set what I did know in a better perspective.
Metatron very big thanks, i love swords and stuff, but now i realy understand what nodachi, tachi, katana and that things mean and what's the difrences, you're doing great job!
Great clarification I appreciate the time and effort you took to make this understandable. Also these definitions make a lot of sense to me knowing a bit of Japanese culture & custom. Thanks
I'm late to the show, but this is a great video and I wanted to add some input. I especially appreciate your explanation of how "katana" かたな and its associated kanji 刀 really refer to any curved, single-edged weapon and only later does "katana" become strongly associated with the uchigatana of the Edo-period. I think it might interest you and your audience to know the etymology of the term "katana." In your video you talk about the use of kanji like 刀, which give use hints as to the meaning of words, but often Japanese words have internal morphology that is not represented by the kanji, because instead of writing out the compounded roots with their own characters, the word is written with a single kanji, or ateji compound, that more succinctly represents its meaning. This is the case with かたな, which actually comes from かた + な, or if written with kanji: 片 + 刃. 片 "kata" means "one-sided / single" and 刃, when read as "na," is a historical term meaning "blade / edge." (Note that the kanji 刃 is never really read this way in modern Japanese and that the combination of 片刃 is now read as かたば "kataba") Thus the we can see how the term "katana" originally meant simply "single-edged [blade]" If you look up 刀 / かたな in any Japanese etymological dictionary, I'm sure you'll easy be able to confirm this, but here is one link at least that explains this (in Japanese): gogen-allguide.com/ka/katana.html So with that being said, when you talk about "katana" really being a general term for a "curved blade," I think it would be slightly more accurate to say it is a general term for "single-edged blades," although obviously these two features often go hand in hand.
I would agree entirely except to make a note that the original smiths and swordsmen (i believe) made a distinction for straight blades because, due to limitations of material, the curve was essential to the function of the blade and its longevity. A straight blade katana made in the traditional sense is inferior and I doubt they would have allowed for the cross-distinction but, I am speculating somewhat. I think we over look the metallurgical structure of a true Katana in that they were actually made of Iron, Pig Iron, and Incidental Steel. As a result of refining down extremely poor iron with fairly lackluster processes and sorting out the resulting metals into grades then recombining the metals into a steel jacked pig iron sleeved iron blade. Its a very ingenious style, extremely nice blades from relative garbage but, at soon as you have steel it no long matters and the katana is just another, "But what advantage is a curve, really, if you only have one edge and little mass-energy". Sort of like how you'd never see a Tanto Point on anything until steel? Even Tanto? Because a Tanto Point is a failure spot for trusting which would have caused blades to bend on impact. You can do a straight edge Nagamaki, now. We have regular access to quality hard woods, and silks and leathers, and a steel katana blade at three to five feet isn't going to flop around in the wind like traditional Katana iron. Back in the day they said no, you use a naginata. Its cheaper and you won't bend the crap out of our extremely tight supply of serviceable blades.
Per uno che sta giocando Nioh (se non lo conosci e' un videogioco fantsy/storico su ps4 appena uscito ambientato nel tardo periodo Sengoku) questo video aiuta moltissimo a capire tutte le differenziazioni delle spade nel gioco, praticamente hai dissolto tutti i miei dubbi, grazie.
Metatron that was brilliant, best explanation I have ever heard. Not everyone seems to understand you, pity. It's easer to have visuals when explaining exsotic weapons from a culture that is not English. Great information though but it needs to be consumable has not everyone you will find will be able to grasp that Odachi ( big great sword) and Nodachi (Big feild sword) are the same weàpon. (Example): You may need to show the sword first and then the two names the sword is called beneath the wepon. The meaning should be next to or underneath that name. I apologize for any of my words that may have caused offence. You are a wealth of knowledge and I respect that. A foreign language is difficult to grasp and a viewer needs visual representation of the wepon or item with name under it. Complicated stuff you might find needs to be taught parrot fashion if you are to reach everone. But it still is great video. I would love to see your knowledge spread to everyone. Also could you make a video showing all the swords used by samurai with names underneath and swords used by ninja. I would like to show my friends your work.
Okay, not going to lie, I started this video with a "Let's listen to a non-Japanese dude tell me about Japanese culture" kind of pessimism; and I am pleasantly surprised at the thoroughness of your presentation and discourse. Well done, sir.
I must say that your knowledge is quite impressive. I enjoy watching your videos. A few critiques On your actual Martial arts technique, but your knowledge is impeccable.
The most important detail about historical measurements of shaku: The length of a shaku varied slightly, from place to place ...much like other traditional forms of measurements, like feet and inches, for example.
Thanks Meta' a great explanation of the Japanese use in sword description. I look forward to using my new knowledge on my unsuspecting family and friends!
The Fujaku (about 70 cm/25 inch) Wakizashi is my favorite. I like it with a more sharply pointed kisaki, no bo-hi except on the last third of the blade, samemaki inlay on the scabbard, horn fittings, oval tsuba made of pattern welded bronze, maple or oak tsuka (the originals use soft woods generally, but my climate is different and I've had several tsuka wear out, I fixed the problem by mounting them in red oak), cotton itomaki (absorbs sweat, can be washed easily, better grip than silk), silk sageo, nami pattern hamon (structurally, this is among the strongest, in a similar fashion to dovetails being stronger than butt joints in carpentry).
wow, that was a lot more detailed than i expected that said i'm kind of surprised tjhat you didnt relate the method of tachi mounting to the obi as being similar to a sabre
Have you seen those Nords? They carry straight katanas. Straight. Katanas.
Have to admit, that made me chuckle.
Nirrael chokutō?
You mean Ninjato?
I prefer gay Katanas
LMAO
Love the video! So a Japanese sword that has a total length the same as the average longsword, which is three-four foot, would be called a nodachi. But when you say nodachi people usually picture the huge greatsword equivalent nodachi like the one you own (around five - six foot). I wish there were two terms to differentiate the difference in lengths of nodachi. Could we call longsword equivalent length japanese swords, nodachi, and greatsword equivalent length, Zanbato?
the lengths he was stating here were minimum range, a nodachi will be at absolute smallest around 3 and a half foot, with larger ones being much bigger
+Cornered Fox I agree with your statement. Although the lengths of historical Uchigatana and Tachi tended to be a bit short, there was quite a variety of blade lengths and degree of curvature among Japanese swords. Before the Tokugawa Shogunate imposed strict laws on swords in the 16th century, that is.
In fact, there isn't really a rule regarding the length of Japanese swords, aside from the fact that the blades of Daitos (long swords - Katanas and Tachis) should range from 2ft to 3ft. It really depends on what the swordsmanship school or the individual prefers to use. Certain sword manufacturing companies today like to call Katanas that are longer than 30' in blade length as O Katanas (large swords), which further adds to the confusion. (Although they aren't technically wrong, per say.)
I believe that certain HEMA sources struggle from the same problem, actually. One Portugese manual that was recently discovered discusses the use of "Longswords". However, many people would find that the manual was really about using the Montante, which a lot of people would call a greatsword. There is a very thin line (or none at all) which separates the typical Longsword and greatsword, as certain Longswords (hand-and-a-half swords) can get quite large, sporting around 39" blades.
Am I the only one who reads this comment with Shad's voice playing in head?
Nice keep up the great work
nope I do too
i want a movie made in which they cast Skallagrim, Metatron and Shadiversity and these three go on an adventure and fight people and monsters throughout their journey.
MetaTron would be a Samurai
Skallagrim would be a Viking
and of course Shadiversity would be a Knight.
Now that would be a movie i'd pay good money to watch.
this
what about shad
Hamza B
Metatron: "You can count on my nodachi."
Shad: "And my kite shield."
Skall: "And my pommel!"
Matteus Silvestre like LOTR you "have my nodachi" etc
I love this! Hamza B and Matteus Silvestre that's amazing!
nodachi? more like yesdachi
badumtss
That was bad, and I respect you for it.
Your pun power levels are over 9000!
i prefer gentle version , nopedachi
You spelled yes daddy wrong
ahh, nothings better than watching a metatron video at 3 am
Top Donut im guessing you are also us central time?
Here it's 10 am :c
Here it's midday :-/
Here it's 10:40...
Oh shit, I'm in class
Ah whatever, Metatrons lessons are more interesting
4:16 am got off gaming on the Xbox one to watch this lol
Why sleep when you can watch more Metatron?
RunItsTheCat why sleep at all?
RunItsTheCat. ☆Your username made me chuckle....
Watching this at One Fifteen at night, boiiii
I'm up at 1 right now
The Naginata is a personal favorite of mine. Its truly a beautiful and elegant weapon
Naginata is nic but the Yari is better :-)
I agree love the naginata
edit then again pretty much all japanese swords etc are like art.
Sai Hitaku WAS ABOUT MEIN ZWEIHANDER
But is it an elegant weapon for a more civilized age?
Colin Velius ...not everybody has kyber crystals lying around unfortunately
Japanese sounds like a nightmare of a language to learn and this is coming from a german.
it really depends on your native language, for a chinese or a korean its not as hard.
Lass Dir von einem Mitbürger sagen, dass das Japanisch-Lernen in der Tat alptraumhafte Momente heraufbeschwören kann. ;)
dude they use three types of writhing system in japan their kanji,hiragana and katakana that why its a pain in the ass to learn.
It isn't THAT hard. The pronounciation system is actually rather simple, and Japanese grammar is easy to understand.
But then again I am from Taiwan, so I may have cheated a bit at the "learn kanji" part.
Ja und nein. Die Basics hat man ziemlich schnell verinnerlicht. Von der Grammaktik her geht es wirklich gut. Kanji sind aufwendig zu lernen, aber machbar.
Womit ich zum Beispiel sehr kämpfe ist, dass es sehr viele Worte gibt, die sehr ähnlich sind... Vokabeln bleiben wirklich schlecht hängen für mich und wenn es dann in die Feinheiten geht, schlackern einem irgendwann die Ohren xD.
Aber es gibt wenig wirklich gute Lehrbücher für Japanisch. Hatte jetzt schon viele in der Hand, aber es konnte mich noch keines wirklich überzeugen. Außer der Sprachkurs vom Bochumer Landesspracheninstitut. Aber der bringt einem nur was mit dem Unterricht.
very informative...but SHOWING us the weapons would have been nice...
yeah i was also hoping for images or clips for the comparison for reference material i thank him for explaining the difference in names and all that but i'm still wondering which is which visually now i gotta go find another video to help with that
You expected him to own every type of Japanese sword? He's a historian he doesn't own a museum
@@valandil7454 images exist so your answer makes no sense
@@babdobo9816 exactly like....
Don’t want to sound like “that guy” but a google search usually helps in this situation.
Metatron, I find you to be not only very polite and knowledgeable, but also very informative, or should I say very 'able to inform' a more uninvolved and scrolling through UA-cam audience. My favorite thing is that you seem to be able to make references to your own high level of vocation in a more humble tone than pompous, which is what draws me to most of your videos! Thank you man! I have learned so much! Keep it up and tag those pillows my guy, thats a great idea. except the youtube one because well I'm here already
You don't have to do these videos but you do. And I think most of your subscribers are greatful. thanks for all the information most of us are greatful.
I agree with the video, but I also really like classification like this:
Tanto - below 30 cm
Wakizashi - 30-50 cm
Katana - 50-70 cm
Tachi - 70-90 cm (Curved for cuts)
Uchigatana - 70-90 (Curved, but straighter for better thrusts)
Nodachi - 90-130 cm
Odachi - 130-180 cm
thanks dude
This is merely subjective. Odachis and Nodachis both the same minimum size to be classified as such. He said so himself in the video. There are no differences between the two.
10:18
Metatron - There are basically two ways to read shaku. "shows five fingers".
Amazing how historical videos such as this one(and his in general, as well as the other historical youtubers) always tend to give me such a nice feeling. They always manage to cheer me up when I'm near rock bottom. Brother, you and your fellows managed to take me out of the darkest days I've had in the past few years. Thank you.
P.S.
If at all possible, could you make a video about Dacians? Or about the falx? And if you already have, please direct me to it/them.
This was helpful.
I might do more side research on more Japanese weapons.
I might do sketches of these differences between the swords you were explaining. Just for personal reseach, that, and I find this very interesting.
Hey man ! Let me know if you find anything, I'm really interested by the subject but I also have to cover other types of armaments...
@@lacageasaad7973lol he never let you know
Among the swords I've seen in your videos I am mostly impressed by your Nodachi! This sword is beautiful.
6:30: He is so calm and cool while savagely wrecking the guy that called him an idiot :D
The most informative video on Japanese swords in a very long time, I am impressed
Someone needs to make a compilation of all the intros.
G'day,
The Intro's come in three basic "flavours", to wit...,
cringe...
Cringe-ier ; and,
CRINGE-IEST...!
They seem to go with the heirarchy72 (O)Pinions required in order to qualify (oneself) as "THE Metatron !" (?).
Lol,
;-p
Ciao !
I'm wondering if he does some of these intros live when he teaches
Can't believe I've only found this channel now. As a person who has very nominal understanding of Japanese and great interest in both the language and the history of Japan (especially military), this channel is like a match made in heaven.
Sign me up, subscribed.
Keep up the good work Metatron!
Thank you very much for subscribing :)
Sometimes I think that odachi and nodachi became two different words from a mistake. Because they both sound the same when using the connective "a" before it (a nodachi, an odachi), I wouldn't be surprised if it was one word used only, someone made a mistake in understanding it and then the translation became just a mere coincidence.
@haloorion405 But, a Nodachi is also, by definition. A "Greatsword" a Sword of War. The normal Katana is, like the long sword, a personal defense item. When you go to war its Bows, Polearms, and Greatswords like everywhere else in the world except Africa who throws their Swords. Because bad bow wood.
Finally someone who actually has enough knowledge to contribute with something not entirely intuitive.
Looking into historical *European* training and equipment nobody seems to actually know anything that not a group of 12 year olds could figure out just by looking at the stuff.
Keep up the quality.
very informative, great video! as I can read Chinese character, that helps a lot.
I was reading 大太刀 as da'tai'dao
It's hard to think about a subject for a video since you thought about almost everything a history/fantasy/gaming enthusiast would think of! Good job!
Forgot linguistics!
Wow, the wood being lacquered causes more moisture against the blade - increasing the chance of corrosion. I had no idea!
This is the most fascinating breakdown of one of my favorite sword types. Thank you for the thorough research and excellent delivery! YOU DA MAN!
Do you have any videos about chinese weapons or warfare? If you don't, are you planning on doing some if you have some knowledge? Did your studies include anything China related? And a good video, as always :)
I second that
I third that
I fifth that
Raul Espino Penis
seventh
this subject is surprisingly complex but when explained it seems beautifully intuitive. now i have to learn more about it.
Metatron, could you talk about the East Asian cultural sphere, please?
The cultures, history, languages, weapons, martial arts, ect... of China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam and the link between them, please?
I never tire of watching this video over and over again...
Please more videos with that format.
you should link your social accounts on these pillows
that'd be so cool
Very thorough and well explained video. Best exposition about japanese blades I've seen on the internet. Thank you for the effort.
Recent subscriber here reporting, how about a video about your music and cinema tastes? That would be awesome. ;)
I don't think I've ever learned so much about language and weapons in such a short period of time.... This was an amazingly helpful video. Thank you so very much for this. :)
Thanks a lot, Metatron. This cleared up quite a few things. Just one question: Could Uchigatana refer to a sword made for battle, in the sense that it would have been less decorated, not for "show" just for practical use?
from what i see on the internet, uchigatana where of a lower standard and decor wich made them cheaper and faster to make, they where also more disposable on the battlefield because of this.
its also why they where used by foot soldiers and people of lower rank/status, also because of thier disposability very little to no uchigatana's remain to this day.
Katana where more taken care of and took months to make so some very old blades still remain in beautiful condition.
@@olivierdols5556 The reason you might've read that it was lower quality is because the original uchigatana were developed as a cheap weapon for non-samurai. But by the time the samurai would also start using it it would start to be produced with my much greater quality. And when you consider both the samurai and the non-samurai using the uchigatana the word katana (meaning any sword) became tantamount to referring to the uchigatana. Thus, the value of mentioning the longer and more precise word uchigatana lost its value as you wouldn't need to make a distinction when everyone was using it.
But I believe it's better to use the word uchigatana today as swords have already become historical objects and precise terminology will reduce confusion. Also, Japanese people continue to refer to the sword as an uchigatana, and I'm noticing that newer videogames are becoming more sensitive to this precise usage. That said, even a Japanese person who hears katana will know/assume you were referring to an uchigatana and not something like a tachi.
@@lightningandodinify Any Japanese Sword is a Katana. As far as I can tell, or care to know. All the names after that are almost latterly "Katana but done this way, or with this in mind". Because, just to reiterate across my posts here... people really don't appreciate how garbage the metal was in general nor how rare good quality materials were to come by in through most periods.
You don't get weapons and sword innovation you get, "Geez, my sword is inappropriate. I must add more sword! But not too much, I'm broke and the Blacksmith might dip into the shit-iron or use termite wood to save money."
You are so much better then me at explaining this to people. I tried...I failed. I gave up. I suppose your complete understanding of the Japanese language helps. You're now my go to guy for everything Japanese.
my favorite Japanese sword is the dragonslayer, hehe.
What a well explained, pleasant and informative video. It is not often I walk away from a UA-cam video feeling like I've actually learned something, but you made it happen, and it is much appreciated. Thank you, subbed!
3:57 Eh, no. 刀 doesn't indicate curvature. Just that it is a single edged blade (of any length. A single edged knife is a 刀). There is nothing about 刀, that implies curvature
...and 刀 and 剣 are often used interchangeably (e.g. kenjutsu and kendo, which generally deal with single edged blades ...well, kendo doesn't actually deal with any blades, but...)
BTW: More blades that are 刀 (many of which are very much uncurved):
Razors (剃刀)
Tanto (短刀)
Scissors (剪刀. Scissors are, after all, two single edged blades)
Kitchen knife (牛刀)not to mention the term for knife carving: 小刀細工
...and that's just looking at the terms that are still used today.
To mention one historical example, the word for scalpel used to be 刀 (now the loanword "mesu", is used)
they used to call any kitchen knifes 刀 as well, then they changed it
+lam1991hahaha It's still technically correct. It's just that other words have become more common.
there is no button to follow a comment thread so im commenting
^
He's talking about in terms of swords used for war, which are almost always curved. in that case, 刀 becomes synonymous to having curvature, even though the word itself didn't actually indicate about the blade being curved.
I'm learning the way of Bushido No Kendo, but I never Knew that there are lots of Japanese Swords. I really like this, I'm really Learning a lot. Thank You!
Meno male che esiste Metatron u.u Tempo addietro, quando avevo uno spiccato interesse per il Giappone, trovavo delle difficoltà a capire bene come funzionassero certe cose e una delle peggiori era proprio questa tematica.
Grazie per il chiarimento☻
"Katana" is to Japan like "Gladius" is to Rome. Both words simply meant "sword" but have evolved in the modern day to specifically mean the sword of that culture.
Nagaaki looks like it was made for weak small people that need more power in their grip. I love it.
I think it was more so built to be more of a polearm than an actual sword. You are correct, though. The longer handle gives you more leverage, which makes the longer weapon easier to use.
I think that's also the principle behind giant european swords (giant being a relative term) having equally giant handles.
It kinda depends on the case, because they were no laws governing how nagamaki was made. the term itself quite simply means 'longer hilt', as in longer than should be. so you can have a small nagamaki that's actually just 3 feet long, half for blade & the other half for the hilt, or you can have a 7 feet long monster, again half for blade & the other half for the hilt. & to add to the confusion, the hilt can be shorter or longer than the blade, so long as it's not significantly shorter or longer.
The author of your book, the five rings called the Odachi the great laundry pole.
last time i was this early i saw the samurai butchering each other
I really appreciate your professionalism. I've always pondered this question, you really broke it down.
I'm still not clear on what exactly an uchigatana is? Why is a "sword for hitting people" any different than the catch-all term (g)katana?
Think it's more the fact that it's a battllefield weapon, rather than a ceremonial or religious sword
Or it could be like "Combat knife" or "krigsmesser" as opposed to any other kind of knife. My Japanese is basically nonexistent, but I've heard the kanji for "katana" is used for pretty much all single edged blades no matter their size or purpose. If that is the case, a "katana for hitting people" would be there to separate it from a "katana for slicing vegetables" and the like. A rather common etymology for single edged swords, like "Dao", "Dha" or "Messer" show us.
Or maybe people just thought it would sound better that way. Wouldn't be unheard of, the Germans used to call assault rifles "machine carbines" before someone decided "Sturmgewehr" sounded more aggressive.
iv been looking for the name for the "nagamaki" for a very long time thanks a lot for this it clarified a lot about these blades for me
Owwwwww............. i liked the other intro more.
Shit was badass
I prefer this one, something about a black samurai armor and huge Nodachi in wrath stance is strangely appealing
This video was very informative. I love the attention to detail. Thank you for sharing
wait so you're telling me that anime lied and katanas can't cut through buildings and weeaboo souls....I feel so betrayed
TY for clearing up the different types of japanese swords, a very interesting & informative video Metatron. Keep up the good work.
360p squad
TheSlaugh 1080p?
hi I am a blade smith who lives in Barbados and u have thought me a lot thanks a million and keep up the good work
Thank you for being a so good professor and always be objective and interesting
Oda Nobunaga is probably my favorite historical person ever; with Hannibal of Carthage not too far behind.
Most sense I've heard in quite some time. Most inspiring and well researched. Nice to see people come from an informed academic perspective. Superb video. I intend to prescribe this to my Eishin Ryu Iaido students. Greetings from the Katsujinken Kai South Africa! Well done and thank you!
I've studied several (European) languages, and listening to you explain Japanese was like listening to someone explain calculus.
You definetely proof a lot of knowledge, that goes far beyond: this is a tanto, wakizashi, katana. :)
Amazing video and it was super helpful, i'm currently writing a book about an Canadian vampire who took a interest at a young age in learning Japanese sword fighting techniques. I want to be as accurate as I can be with terms and how the fighting should be written and your channel has been a great help for my research. If anyone else has knowledge of good youtubers or just books and websites, I will greatly appreciate it.
master Metatron, I found more details on wikipedia:
Unlike the tachi, with which the acts of drawing and striking with the sword were two separate actions, unsheathing the uchigatana and cutting the enemy down with it became one smooth, lightning-fast action. This technique was developed in the arts of battojutsu, iaijutsu, and iaido.
The curvature of the uchigatana blade differs from the tachi in that the blade has curvature near the sword's point (sakizori), as opposed to curvature near the sword's hilt (koshizori) like the tachi. Because the sword is being drawn from below, the act of unsheathing became the act of striking. For a soldier on horseback, the sakizori curve of the uchigatana was essential in such a blade, since it allows the sword to come out of its sheath (saya) at the most convenient angle for executing an immediate cut.
The blade length of the uchigatana during the 16th century is said to have been from 60 cm to no more than 70 cm, with a stout sugata, a steep saki-zori, and it could be used as a one handed sword due to its thin kasane (thickness) and short tang (nakago) making it relatively light.
As opposed to the tachi, the uchigatana was worn edge-up in the belt, this and usually being slightly smaller than the tachi was the main difference between the tachi and the uchigatana. Since the uchigatana is worn differently than the tachi, the signature (mei) carved into the tang of the uchigatana is also opposite to the tachi mei, making the words still upright instead of upside down as when one wears the tachi in the manner of the uchigatana.
Uchigatana became popular for several reasons, the uchigatana was more convenient to wear and did not get in the way of using a polearm as much as a tachi, also the frequency of battles fought on foot and the need for speed on the battlefield, were major reasons for the uchigatana being rapidly accepted and indicated that battlefield combat had grown in intensity. Since the uchigatana was shorter than the tachi, it could be used in more confined quarters, such as inside a building. Further, tactics of the period dictating unseating mounted soldiers by cutting off the mounts legs, hence mounted combat was seen as inherently disadvantageous.
Great job explaining the difference of Japanese Swords!
This was very interesting and informative - thankyou!
素晴らしい説明してくれた！日本で二年間住んでいた私も今までに気付いてなかったニュアンスをわかるようになった。
As for critique of content:
1) The _tachi_ - _katana_ differences: it's not just koshirae. As you mentioned, _tachi_ will generally be longer and have a different curvature, including the apex of the curvature (more towards the handle in _tachi_ and more towards the tip in _katana_). But, there is also another imortant difference: _tachi_ will generally have more _niku_, i.e. a stronger, more convex edge bevel, as they were made for fighting armoured opponents in wartime, whereas the _katana_ was more often used as an every day carry option against unarmoured opponents. Also, when _tachi_ were mounted in a _koshirae_ for _katana_ it was usually shortened. Same goes for _naginata_ blades which sometimes were mounted as _wakizashi_ - their tang would've been too long for a _wakizashi_-handle.
2) _Shirasaya_ were designed so that the blade could be stored away from the lacquered parts, not so much because lacquer absorbs moisture (which would be a good thing, actually), but because the lacquer needs to be stored at a higher humidity than the steel to prevent cracks in the jacquer. Fun fact: _koshirae_ were stored with a bamboo blade as a placeholder to prevent warping.
Even knowing Chinese and learning Japanese, I learnt a lot. Never quite knew the difference between 刀 and 剑 when I read
I like the fact that the odachi or nodachi is directly distinguished from other types in a similar manner to how we'd distinguish a zweihander/two-handed greatsword from a bastard sword. The name directly denotes "this is a heavy, battlefield-only sword". Nice. :-)
wonderful video, with just enough information to clear up the confusion without making everything complicated!
subscribed, keep it coming! :D
Thank you. Although I don't have your scholarly achievement, I've been studying Japanese culture, and its martial and historic aspects in particular, for quite a long time, which is not so easy when you can't read kanji, or even kana. I expected to see stuff I already knew... but you did manage to teach me more than I expected, and more importantly, to set what I did know in a better perspective.
I LEARNED A LOT ABOUT SWORD TYPES! THANKS METATRON!
Metatron very big thanks, i love swords and stuff, but now i realy understand what nodachi, tachi, katana and that things mean and what's the difrences, you're doing great job!
to be honest, i was only looking for an answer on how do you define a japanese sword base on its length but i learned so much. Thanks :)
Great clarification I appreciate the time and effort you took to make this understandable. Also these definitions make a lot of sense to me knowing a bit of Japanese culture & custom. Thanks
Very interesting video, well done Metatron!!
i think my interest in japan progressed like this.
swords -> anime -> language -> history -> culture
A really detailed and explanatory video, thank you very much!
Many thanks, very informative your video has cleared up many things hitherto unclear to me,you explain things in a very clear and decisive way.
my heart just jumped cuz i heard the word... shirosaya.... it looks so elegant...
Wow... stumbled upon this gem, and gosh I have so much wrong info before this. Thank you very much Metatron!
beautiful video as always! well done
This was a great video, very informative.
I'm late to the show, but this is a great video and I wanted to add some input. I especially appreciate your explanation of how "katana" かたな and its associated kanji 刀 really refer to any curved, single-edged weapon and only later does "katana" become strongly associated with the uchigatana of the Edo-period.
I think it might interest you and your audience to know the etymology of the term "katana." In your video you talk about the use of kanji like 刀, which give use hints as to the meaning of words, but often Japanese words have internal morphology that is not represented by the kanji, because instead of writing out the compounded roots with their own characters, the word is written with a single kanji, or ateji compound, that more succinctly represents its meaning.
This is the case with かたな, which actually comes from かた + な, or if written with kanji: 片 + 刃. 片 "kata" means "one-sided / single" and 刃, when read as "na," is a historical term meaning "blade / edge." (Note that the kanji 刃 is never really read this way in modern Japanese and that the combination of 片刃 is now read as かたば "kataba") Thus the we can see how the term "katana" originally meant simply "single-edged [blade]"
If you look up 刀 / かたな in any Japanese etymological dictionary, I'm sure you'll easy be able to confirm this, but here is one link at least that explains this (in Japanese): gogen-allguide.com/ka/katana.html
So with that being said, when you talk about "katana" really being a general term for a "curved blade," I think it would be slightly more accurate to say it is a general term for "single-edged blades," although obviously these two features often go hand in hand.
I would agree entirely except to make a note that the original smiths and swordsmen (i believe) made a distinction for straight blades because, due to limitations of material, the curve was essential to the function of the blade and its longevity. A straight blade katana made in the traditional sense is inferior and I doubt they would have allowed for the cross-distinction but, I am speculating somewhat.
I think we over look the metallurgical structure of a true Katana in that they were actually made of Iron, Pig Iron, and Incidental Steel. As a result of refining down extremely poor iron with fairly lackluster processes and sorting out the resulting metals into grades then recombining the metals into a steel jacked pig iron sleeved iron blade.
Its a very ingenious style, extremely nice blades from relative garbage but, at soon as you have steel it no long matters and the katana is just another, "But what advantage is a curve, really, if you only have one edge and little mass-energy".
Sort of like how you'd never see a Tanto Point on anything until steel? Even Tanto? Because a Tanto Point is a failure spot for trusting which would have caused blades to bend on impact.
You can do a straight edge Nagamaki, now. We have regular access to quality hard woods, and silks and leathers, and a steel katana blade at three to five feet isn't going to flop around in the wind like traditional Katana iron.
Back in the day they said no, you use a naginata. Its cheaper and you won't bend the crap out of our extremely tight supply of serviceable blades.
Have really good clear voice. Iv learned alot. Thanks.
Love your video. Thank you to provide useful informations to us
A great video. Very informative and accurate as always.
I love him Being serious and Professional while still roasting that Guy who called him an idiot haha
Per uno che sta giocando Nioh (se non lo conosci e' un videogioco fantsy/storico su ps4 appena uscito ambientato nel tardo periodo Sengoku) questo video aiuta moltissimo a capire tutte le differenziazioni delle spade nel gioco, praticamente hai dissolto tutti i miei dubbi, grazie.
Wow, great video!
Nice investigation
Thank you ❤️
metatron slowly turning into a British vlogger with those pillows hahaha nah I'm liking the quality of your videos keep it up. good work my man
Metatron that was brilliant, best explanation I have ever heard.
Not everyone seems to understand you, pity.
It's easer to have visuals when explaining exsotic weapons from a culture that is not English.
Great information though but it needs to be consumable has not everyone you will find will be able to grasp that Odachi ( big great sword) and Nodachi (Big feild sword) are the same weàpon.
(Example): You may need to show the sword first and then the two names the sword is called beneath the wepon.
The meaning should be next to or underneath that name.
I apologize for any of my words that may have caused offence.
You are a wealth of knowledge and I respect that. A foreign language is difficult to grasp and a viewer needs visual representation of the wepon or item with name under it.
Complicated stuff you might find needs to be taught parrot fashion if you are to reach everone.
But it still is great video.
I would love to see your knowledge spread to everyone.
Also could you make a video showing all the swords used by samurai with names underneath
and swords used by ninja.
I would like to show my friends your work.
Amazing explanation!! Thanks a lot!!
Okay, not going to lie, I started this video with a "Let's listen to a non-Japanese dude tell me about Japanese culture" kind of pessimism; and I am pleasantly surprised at the thoroughness of your presentation and discourse. Well done, sir.
Guess you're new here huh...
a very well informed and interesting video, thank you
I must say that your knowledge is quite impressive. I enjoy watching your videos. A few critiques On your actual Martial arts technique, but your knowledge is impeccable.
The most important detail about historical measurements of shaku: The length of a shaku varied slightly, from place to place ...much like other traditional forms of measurements, like feet and inches, for example.
Thanks for a great and very informative vid!
Well then. I was wondering about this particular subject and tried googling a bit. Much appreciate this video mate!
Thanks Meta' a great explanation of the Japanese use in sword description. I look forward to using my new knowledge on my unsuspecting family and friends!
The Fujaku (about 70 cm/25 inch) Wakizashi is my favorite. I like it with a more sharply pointed kisaki, no bo-hi except on the last third of the blade, samemaki inlay on the scabbard, horn fittings, oval tsuba made of pattern welded bronze, maple or oak tsuka (the originals use soft woods generally, but my climate is different and I've had several tsuka wear out, I fixed the problem by mounting them in red oak), cotton itomaki (absorbs sweat, can be washed easily, better grip than silk), silk sageo, nami pattern hamon (structurally, this is among the strongest, in a similar fashion to dovetails being stronger than butt joints in carpentry).
wow, that was a lot more detailed than i expected
that said i'm kind of surprised tjhat you didnt relate the method of tachi mounting to the obi as being similar to a sabre