-2 points

What does it teach you of some people, especially managers? So concentrated in working hard and excelling at what they do (often being rude to others) that they don’t see the technological advances that will make them fail in the end.

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33 points

The katana and related swords were the best they could manage given the technology and raw materials available at the time in Japan… but on the whole, they were pretty mid.

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3 points

If you care, shadiversity went full chud.

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1 point

Ugh. What did he say?

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3 points

A lot of things, apparently. He’s been leaning further and further into it, and as it’s caused his channel to fall off he’s making pity me videos about how the sjw algorithm is out to get him.

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1 point
*

I don’t really watch him (other than the anime boob armor videos), so I wouldn’t know. Do you want me to take your word for it, or do you intend to explain?

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1 point

I didn’t store a local copy of the specifics; it didn’t seem worth occupying space with, but there’s plenty of stuff around. I wasn’t sure if you’d want a video, so here’s text (apologies about the site but.)
https://www.reddit.com/r/Shadiversity/comments/rc4vj0/general_wtf_shad_vent_discussion/

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3 points

I didn’t watch it all the way through, but having seen the video it’s criticising I must link this here

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2 points

Damn… I wish I had that talent to speak for minutes on end without actually saying anything; awkward silences would be a thing of the past!

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22 points

Bro you gonna summon a army of otakus with your facts

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17 points

That’s okay. They’ll most likely commit sudoku when they learn that samurai weren’t the noble and honorable warriors they were made to believe.

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1 point
*

You’re telling me that 1000 times folded katana can’t split a boulder in half?

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4 points

commit sudoku

For those of us with ADHD, can we do with seppuku?

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2 points

Yep, sadly you’re right. Video games really brainwashed us

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18 points

Maybe but the fake as fuck katana my stepdad got from Japan looks cool as shit, you can’t beat that.

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3 points

Fair, valid, and based.

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2 points

Intimidation is a valid tactic as well.

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1 point

I think (having no actual direct knowledge of kendo or any sword martial art, so take with a grain of salt) that the reputation of the katana came more from the skill of the samurai using them than from the blade itself.

It’s a light, curved blade, so using it effectively would involve slicing with it, rather than chopping, which is more suitable for heavy blades combined with heavy force. A slice would involve both sliding the edge along the target cut and moving it forward at the same time. It would make sense to me that a slicing motion would generally lead to cleaner and more complete cuts than chopping. It would also hold its sharpness better, since the edge is being interacted with a parallel motion rather than a perpendicular one. The same is true for the full blade.

It’s difficult to do that kind of slicing motion combined with a full swing, but perhaps the mediocre iron they had access to is the reason why they went to the effort of developing that technique. Those who were better at cutting things wouldn’t break their swords as often, so they put effort into honing that technique and eventually got to the point where katanas would survive long enough to be antiques or family heirlooms.

But that’s just my guess, based on observing samurai characters in various media being impressed with the quality of cuts they observe. Like, “based on this cut, I know that it was done by a skilled swordsman”. That says there’s some kind of technique involved, rather than just swinging the sharp side at it.

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10 points

Katanas are not actually that sharp. I mean, it’ll kill you just fine, but it’s almost more like a big machete than a sword.

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3 points

Yeah there is so much disinformation about katanas from basement kids in the 90s/00s.

They are really impressive cause shit steel ended making a pretty good sword but most of the trick is the curve and the sawing action it makes you do if you swing correctly to cut through stuff like a chefs knife. But you do want it sharp, and free of burs so that it doesn’t get stuck part way in.

But you’d be up against a big stick with metal bolts in it that would win the fight mostly anyways.

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3 points

Nah, they are sharp, but flimsy.

They were designed to cut-off unprotected limbs. Since iron was very scarce in feudal Japan. So metal armours weren’t really a thing for the majority.

Put them up against an European sword, where they did have more pure iron ore and they will break.

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14 points

Only just a little ironic that the Israeli Flag anon writes a short fiction of an arrogant upper class getting their comeuppance.

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6 points
*

The user can manually set the flag to whatever they want… Most people use the jolly Roger pirate flag if they’re gonna bother setting the flag though.

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4 points

So you’re saying it’s even more ironic?

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3 points

I’m just saying it’s 4chan, nothing is ever as it seems.

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68 points

I thought that all that pride in their Katanas was invented and revisionistic after gunpowder came to Japan and they actually took way more pride in their skills with a bow.

If you bragged about your skills with a Katana in feudal Japan, you kind of admitted that your archery skills are shit.

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17 points

It’s rather that trained skills in general (with a bow, a sword, a musical instrument) were important.

Can’t help thinking that with my particular set of disorders growing up in such a society (not as a peasant, God forbid) could be advantageous.

And shooting an arrow from a composite bow is much more of a “moment of art” thing than waving a big knife around, so.

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7 points

And shooting an arrow from a composite bow is much more of a “moment of art” thing than waving a big knife around, so.

I think you’re underestimating martial arts with swords.

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3 points

I’ve been interested in those. Sending an arrow is one moment. Swords are like a game or a dance.

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8 points

Just to nit-pick, the Japanese never really figured out how to produce composite bows, the Yumi was just laminated bamboo. It was one of the reasons they couldn’t successfully invade Korea until they were given western tech.

It’s kinda ironic nowadays, but prior to the meiji restoration Japan was considered a cultural and technological backwater.

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1 point

A glitch in my memory.

I know.

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4 points

The mountainous island with no metal? The one that shut itself off for three centuries? Technologically limited? Perish the thought.

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5 points

It’s rather that trained skills in general (with a bow, a sword, a musical instrument) were important.

Finally, I can defeat the enemy with my elite Shamisen skillz.

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2 points

I meant as an art, as a hobby, as a sport, as a component of status.

That said, the brain stimulation from playing can help you with that too.

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28 points

Bows and spears get the work done, swords are mostly for show.

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9 points

Swords were mainly for the generals and other higher up officers, since they require way more metal and thus were way more expensive.

So yes, mostly for show because those higher ups rarely went into battle themselves.

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3 points

Pride in katana was during the Edo period when the samurai were relegated to being government officials and they used swords for duelling.

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2 points

What about their martial arts skills?

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2 points

Oof

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