Can a Samurai Sword be broke in half by another sword?

Question

Either by another katana or a sword from Europe?

Answer 1

the basic physics of steel are that a harder type of steel can cut a softer one.  if you were to take a katana starting from the softer back with a harder sword theoretically you could.

BUT

if you were to try you would need to produce more force than a living human would be able to deliver.

so yes and no

Answer 2

no if the sword was mad the proper way like in the old time it will not break i even saw on an episode i don't remember what show it was but they even shot a bullet at the sword and it cut the bullet in half

Answer 3

Certainly.  Myth Busters' science is....pretty good, but not all-inclusive.

The Japanese Sword Saint, Musashi Miyamoto broke an opponent's sword with a bokken, or wooden sword.  he did it by striking not the edge, which is made to take impacts, but the spine and sides of the blade.

Late in his life, Musashi said he preferred a bokken because it would not breaklike a steel sword would.

Answer 4

Break? Sure. The Mythbusters only proved that with a combat-quality sword, it could not be cut with another sword. They broke a few, but they all bent to the point that they snapped like spaghetti.

Any cutting style sword could break another sword, though the attacking sword in this scenario would have better odds by being heavier than the target, and depending on how much wear the target blade already had on it.

With that being said, though, it's much more likely for a combat-ready sword to bend visibly before it will break.

Answer 5

Myth Busters, the Television show, did an episode on the martial arts movies special effects. The only sword that could break a katana was a European Sword. I believe it was a Claymore (Just going on memory here). Check out the episode it went through a hole list of the common special effects in the martial arts movies.

Answer 6

No, not if it is of good quality. This was proven of Myth Busters

Answer 7

If the sword is poorly maintained, the original quality of it doesn't matter, and the answer is yes.

The answer is yes regardless. Just because you personally haven't seen or heard of it doesn't mean it isn't possible. Bear in mind that the sword a Samurai used was only a part of the equation that made out his strength. Internal, and as such, factors that were not visible, such as skill, style, dedication, strength (mental, physical, & spiritual), and resolve also played largely into their ability on the battlefield.

Answer 8

generally NO.

not in a moving combat situation. steel can break- if it is weak, poor quality, poorly heat treated or poorly maintained a sword can break.

however the likelyhood of it happening in a moving combat scenario is slim unless the quality of the blade degrades over use or is not properly maintained.

HOWEVER- a large enough object that is heavy enough could deliver this kind of force. a crowbar for example, or lets consider the Estoc- a sword-like object designed to combat plate armors that has no cutting edges and is basically a metal bar with a sharpened tip affixed to a sword hilt.

depending on your definition of a sword- this weapon would have a better chance at damaging and then breaking a sword.

while I did not see the "mythbusters" episodes, I'm d**n sure thier experiments were not conducted under COMBAT scenarios, involving them suiting up in protective gear and sparring.  

under optimal conditions of course you can break a sword.  problem is can you name me any time in combat where you are guaranteed optimal conditions?

Answer 9

Hi there

Many have said already that the TV show myth busters proved that its extremely difficult to do. They even used a robot to simulate the strikes because a human hand couldn't handle the resonance. Having said that if you're lucky enough to see any edo or sangoku jidai period swords that were actually used in battle they have many chips in their blades. I'm sure many swords did break on the battlefield after constant wear and tear but on a brand new one its very tough to do.

Best wishes

idai