...^_^...

I don't think a fight with those settings/weapons would use much defense. I think both warriors

would go for the first strike. I know from the history channel katanas were made extremely

harder. If the swords met I THINK the broadsword

would shatter and the Samurai would win, otherwise both warriors would DIE.

really? Katanas are harder? I really thought the broadsword was...

The broadsword is ALOT hevier, but the Japanese knew how to fold the metal around and around to make a stronger blade.

So does that mean that the Katanas are harder or more durable in a sense?

harder.

for durability, if you want to consider it the same as flexibility, I think that falls into the catagory of fencing coils, tai chi swords, or any other swords that are flexible. Some katanas are made flexible (mine is too cheap for that).

Do you think i'm right when I say both hardness and durability keep a blade from shattering?

think so....for fencig blades, i can say they are quite flexibe...

Whoa, just read this thread I started a while back...now that I own a katana, I can confirm some of the facts...I've learned a lot from the posts above. It gave me perspective for future researches. Thanks. If any of you still have something to say, I'm all ears (eyes)...

It is going to depend on the skill level of the fighters involved. I don't believe that one culture's 'style' is superior to the other.

when dealing with european weaponry, the thought was that strength was the key ability needed to take down your opponent

the Japanese philosophy was more on elegance and skill, being graceful and precise.

my guess is that the knight would come in strong, attempting to take out the samurai in one massive sweep of his sword....relying on his strength to crush any defense the samurai might have.

I think the samurai, would wait for the approaching knight, sidestep at the last second out of the way, as the knights momentum takes him forward the samurai continues his spin from the sidestep, bringing his katana in a graceful, quick arc coming down at an angle from the back side of the knights neck ...thus ending the fight.

just my generic, stereotypical view of the history and situation...

This is a misconception about European fighting styles. They trained very hard, and very well, and also knew how to fight hand to hand. I think saying that a samurai would win on the first blow is quite unrealistic. Do you really think that a European knight would try to not kill on the first stroke?