[Chris Evans]

tsubame1,

My original post read as;

"If a soldier thinks that the swords of his enemies are of a superior design, then he will covet them, even if the steel that they are made from is not all that outstanding. Wellington, Murat, San Martin and a quite a number of other famous cavalry generals preferred Eastern swords during the Napoleonic era, simply because they perceived that their hilts and curved blades were better suited for that kind of combat.

In this regard, it is worth remembering that on all accounts the Japanese sword made for a very poor mounted weapon (they never understood cavalry)"

You took exception to this, and I tried to justify my views as best as I could within the limitations of a setting as this. You went on to say that the tachi wasn't a two handed sword, rather the katana was - This I disproved, as clearly the hilt of both could accommodate two hands.

As I sense that English is not your first language. Perhaps what you really wanted to say was that the tachi could be used with one hand. If so, I do not disagree. Any native Japanese sword, katanas included, can be used with one hand, and what is more, with either hand. This however does not make the upward curving grip ideal for mounted use, for the reasons that I have already given. It is not the blade shape that is the problem, but the hilt which was designed for foot combat, as explained to me by a Japanese expert. After all the native Japanese blade is remarkably similar to that of later Euro sabres, but that hilt was not copied by any nation that used cavalry in an evolved form - And this surely tells us something about its unsuitability.

As my remark "... In this regard..." makes amply clear, I was assessing the Japanese and their cavalry in the wider context. You appear to base all your arguments on the fact that their weaponry and cavalry usage sufficed for their needs - This is unquestionably true, but does nothing to support an argument that it was good.

What can be said about their horses, cavalry and cavalry swords can also be said about their bows, and armour. For example, everybody, from the Chinese to the Eastern Europeans copied the central Asian horse bow, but nobody as far as I am aware copied the Japanese bow, and for good reason. Same with their armour and cavalry swords. Japanese warfare unfolded in isolation from foreign influneces and as such shows all the negative effects of being shielded from fresh ideas and corrective inputs.

Cheers
Chris