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Author Topic: I Don't Understand The Obsession With The Japanese  (Read 27626 times)

DJ

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Re: I Don't Understand The Obsession With The Japanese
« Reply #60 on: June 11, 2010, 11:40:19 am »

No, Toledo steel was great because Spain had iron ore of extraordinary quality. Swedish ore was also famous. Japanese mostly used crap ore extracted from iron-bearing sand.

Also, katanas are much thicker than European swords, so I don't understand how it can be lighter and more manoeuvrable. I guess you just have crappy replicas.

Anyway, both samurai and knights trained all day every day from early childhood, so I guess samurai were infinitely more skilled by the virtue of being born Japanese?
« Last Edit: June 11, 2010, 11:44:01 am by DJ »
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Huesoo

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Re: I Don't Understand The Obsession With The Japanese
« Reply #61 on: June 11, 2010, 11:42:48 am »

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

This is what Deathworks is talking about, one of my best friends I had when I was little (I've lived in 6 different houses yet lived a little past double that) who was awesome. I see her MSN and shes using kawaii and desu. I died a little inside.
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Nolor

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Re: I Don't Understand The Obsession With The Japanese
« Reply #62 on: June 11, 2010, 11:43:45 am »

While Christianity may not be dominant they do hold a large section of the population.
Not true. While in the past, there may have been a larger Christian following in Japan, nowadays only 1-2% of the population identify as Christian. Assuming Wikipedia is to be believed.
« Last Edit: June 11, 2010, 11:50:02 am by Nolor »
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Askot Bokbondeler

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Re: I Don't Understand The Obsession With The Japanese
« Reply #63 on: June 11, 2010, 11:44:30 am »

I disagree on the weapon point. Our knives were unable to pierce the armor of the heavily armored knight also. The katana has it's charmes due to it's extremely light weight and manouvrability while retaining a top strength. It is really remarkable how light they really are.
Before you ask, I have katana's and medievil onehanders. the katana's win by far. Certainly with the fighting skills the samurai had next to them. I honestly believe that a trained samurai would win from a trained knight.

this post is full of awesome! look at all the attention put into it, even the misspellings, they spell AWESOME
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Nikov

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Re: I Don't Understand The Obsession With The Japanese
« Reply #64 on: June 11, 2010, 11:50:07 am »

I have a broad dislike of curved swords with the sole exception of the cavalry saber. Against armored targets, they absolutely suck.
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Huesoo

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Re: I Don't Understand The Obsession With The Japanese
« Reply #65 on: June 11, 2010, 11:50:39 am »

I have a broad dislike of curved swords with the sole exception of the cavalry saber. Against armored targets, they absolutely suck.

I think most girls do aswell...
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fenrif

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Re: I Don't Understand The Obsession With The Japanese
« Reply #66 on: June 11, 2010, 11:51:59 am »

Anyway, both samurai and knights trained all day every day from early childhood, so I guess samurai were infinitely more skilled by the virtue of being born Japanese?

But samurais trained harder. They had too, what with all the demon godesses, giant robots and tentacle monsters that infest their land!

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Askot Bokbondeler

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Re: I Don't Understand The Obsession With The Japanese
« Reply #67 on: June 11, 2010, 11:53:25 am »

i enjoy scimitars and falcatas, i'm much more into ancient warfare than medieval. Also, a hoplite would take a knight and a samurai any day!

Deathworks

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Re: I Don't Understand The Obsession With The Japanese
« Reply #68 on: June 11, 2010, 11:53:41 am »

Hi!

Not true. While in the past, there may have been a larger Christian following in Japan,

Actually, the large Christian following would have been very unlikely at least before World War II: Christianity was understood as a threat to the independence of Japan in the 17th century and was punishable BY DEATH. This is also the reason why only the Dutch merchants were allowed later during that time - they were the only merchants who were really professionally and willing to do just trade without missionizing, as opposed to the Spanish or British. When the country was opened in the 19th century, while they did take over a lot of things from Europe and the US, at the core of it all was an extreme feeling of nationalism around a highly elevated conception of the emperor. Surrounding that nationalism, shintoism, which was basically a folk religion until then became much stronger codified (well, there had been official books on the history of the world in shintoist belief, but that was all) and rituals were made universal to it (for instance, the "traditional Japanese marriage ceremony" known today was basically invented in the 19th century). Shinto was basically made into an equivalent of Christianity (at least in the eyes of the Japanese) and became the state religion. And among the growing nationalism and militarism, Christianity was not really embraced.

However, there was indeed a small influx of Christianity because of foreign teachers used in Japan, who also happened to introduce the students to Christianity, but the regime made an effort to replace them with their own teachers and thus reduce that influence in due time.

Deathworks
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Cthulhu

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Re: I Don't Understand The Obsession With The Japanese
« Reply #69 on: June 11, 2010, 11:54:48 am »

Remember, medieval knights were fat mutton-eating slobs who had never seen a sword in their lives, and samurai were mystical warriors who trained for one hundred years atop the sacred Mount Hiburashamuramuramura.

Field plate weighs one-thousand pounds and required pneumatic muscles and ten peasants to use. 

Medieval swords weighed forty pounds and were basically hammers

Katanas were weightless and could cut through anything.  When two samurai fought in the rain they moved so fast they didn't get wet.

Medieval Japan > Western Japan
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DJ

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Re: I Don't Understand The Obsession With The Japanese
« Reply #70 on: June 11, 2010, 12:15:22 pm »

i enjoy scimitars and falcatas, i'm much more into ancient warfare than medieval. Also, a hoplite would take a knight and a samurai any day!
Spanish Tercio > Swiss pikemen > Greek phalanx.
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de5me7

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Re: I Don't Understand The Obsession With The Japanese
« Reply #71 on: June 11, 2010, 12:16:56 pm »

Re: I Don't Understand The Obsession With The Dwarf Fortress

I really don't "get it". Is it just because they're a pretty damn beards, or what?

A Fortress isn't really all that good. There're a few that stick out on artistic merit, but the rest seem pretty bland and uninspired. A Dorf is even worse, and I prefer World of Warcraft simply because the art style is better.

The culture itself is seriously messed up (from a Western perspective of course) with how it treats children etc etc.

You all get where I'm going with this. So, explain to me, what's the obsession with the Dwarf Fortress?
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fenrif

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Re: I Don't Understand The Obsession With The Japanese
« Reply #72 on: June 11, 2010, 12:19:50 pm »

Re: I Don't Understand The Obsession With The Dwarf Fortress

I really don't "get it". Is it just because they're a pretty damn beards, or what?

A Fortress isn't really all that good. There're a few that stick out on artistic merit, but the rest seem pretty bland and uninspired. A Dorf is even worse, and I prefer World of Warcraft simply because the art style is better.

The culture itself is seriously messed up (from a Western perspective of course) with how it treats children etc etc.

You all get where I'm going with this. So, explain to me, what's the obsession with the Dwarf Fortress?

Well played sir, well played.
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Askot Bokbondeler

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Re: I Don't Understand The Obsession With The Japanese
« Reply #73 on: June 11, 2010, 12:22:04 pm »

it's different, i actually had to look dwarf fortress up, never heard of it while manga and anime characters are bombarded into my eyes every other hour of my life, and they're rather unpleasant looking. i don't complain much, tough, it's like complaining that the world has too many ugly people.

Deathworks

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Re: I Don't Understand The Obsession With The Japanese
« Reply #74 on: June 11, 2010, 12:28:33 pm »

Hi!

it's different, i actually had to look dwarf fortress up, never heard of it while manga and anime characters are bombarded into my eyes every other hour of my life, and they're rather unpleasant looking. i don't complain much, tough, it's like complaining that the world has too many ugly people.

Well, when I was a child, we were bombarded with perverts in tights and talking animals, so every generation has its "flavor"... Does that help?

Deathworks
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