Katana Vs Longsword: Told through Assassin's Creed
Written by Adam
Seasoned internet surfers will have no doubt come across the Katana vs Longsword meme. A popular meme that frequently makes the rounds, you'll see two camps of people. Those who support one camp or the other.
Well, I'm here to tell you that they are both wrong through the median of Assassin's Creed. The series is no stranger to these weapons, with the longsword and katana making several appearances in various games throughout the franchise.
The games depict these weapons somewhat erroneously, appearing in times and locations where they historically would have had no place in being. Moreover, they are wielded in ways that they were not built for.
Back in the day, at least in the West, there was no universal consensus historical terms (i.e. "broadsword", "arming sword", "longsword", etc.) were used to describe weapons of similar appearances but different periods and cultures regardless of combat use or fighting style. Modern history has since labelled different weapons into distinct and often arbitrary categories unrelated to their historical meaning.
The Longsword was first introduced in the 12th century but came into prominence during the 14th century, remaining popular until the 16th century. The image of a chivalrous knight on horseback with an ornate longsword at his hip is a common one and one that many of you would associate with the first Assassin's Creed. And you wouldn't be entirely wrong.
A Hand -and-a-half Sword, probably German - Metropolitan Museum of Art
AC1 takes place in 1191, sometime after the introduction of longswords but before they became widespread. So, in all likelihood, the Crusaders wielded what's known as a "Knightly Sword''.
Also known as a "Arming Sword'' in the Late Medieval period, these blades were developed from the Viking Sword, commonly known as a "Ulfberht." They share many similarities with the Longsword (the cruciform guard, double edge) but became a side-arm after Longswords became popular.
A Knightly or Arming Sword with a gold inlay; 1250 - 1330 - The British Museum
There isn't much difference between an Arming Sword and a Longsword just from a glance. One of the easier ways to tell between them is not the length of the blade but the hilt, as Longswords typically have a longer hilt when compared with their lighter, one-handed counterpart.
Longswords are typically around 80 to 110 cm and weigh approximately 1 to 1.5 kg, 2 to 3 lbs for our friends across the pond. Confusingly, the Great Swords found in Valhalla can also be retroactively classified as Longswords, even though they are from a period in which the term Longswords weren't a thing historically.
Excalibur, one of the Swords of Eden - Assassin’s Creed Valhalla - Ubisoft
Overall, the Longsword is famed for its versatility. Able to withstand heavy armour, it can be used to grapple and control your opponent's weapon and half-sword. This means the user grabs onto the blade with their hands and can manipulate the sword using a variety of techniques. This is particularly useful in very close quarters where the length of the blade would otherwise be a disadvantage.
This also allows the user to strike with the pommel of the guard, causing blunt damage. There is even a technique for unscrewing the pommel and throwing it at your opponent, therefore "ending him rightly".
In contrast, the Katana does not have a sizeable pommel. It has what is known as a "cap" or "butt" pommel. Typically, Japanese sword arts does not advocate using the pommel, but like anything, there are exceptions. Depending on the school and style, some techniques use the pommel to strike or disorient the opponent.
A ornately decorated pommel cap or “kashira” in Japanese
However, historically, there are instances of Shinobi concealing items of importance inside the hilt of a sword by having a removable pommel. I could imagine this appearing in Assassin's Creed Shadows in a delivery mission.
In my opinion, Japanese sword classification is less confusing than Western/European blades because they have more distinct features that separate them from their counterparts and not every similar sword can conceivably be labelled as a Katana.
The Katana is often thought to be the Japanese equivalent of the Longsword, and that's a bit reductive. Sure, some techniques are interchangeable between the two, but contrary to popular belief, you can half-sword with a Katana or any Japanese blade for that matter.
It's just that the method of half-swording is very distinct and different from western methods, as Japanese swords are much sharper than Western blades. Less emphasis is put on half-swording compared to European teaching. The materials used to build and forge them and how they are used in combat are just too different, and that is the core of the Katana vs Longsword meme.
In European countries, swordsmiths had access to higher-quality iron and created better steel. The meme proposes that an English Longsword could outperform a Katana by virtue of it being forged from better-quality steel.
While it’s true that Japanese swordsmiths generally only had access to poorer steel, they found ways to overcome it to create swords that are still revered for their beauty and prowess even today. If you’d like to learn a little more about the forging process of a sword, click here.
Blacksmith scene, print from a Edo period book, Museum of Ethnography of Neuchâtel, Switzerland
Ubisoft might reflect this in Assassin's Creed Red through a crafting system. Ninjas who weren't also Samurai, more often than not, had access to lesser quality iron than the richer Samurai.
Even so, European and Japanese society and culture should be considered. In Europe, swords were expensive, and Knights who could afford them were few and far between. Not to mention the cost of their retinue. In Japan, swords were a dime a dozen. You couldn't go five feet without bumping into someone with a sword resting on their hip.
Of course, I'm exaggerating, but the point still stands. Swords were far more common in Japan because they were mass-produced, and the Samurai class, the only people allowed to carry swords, favoured martial prowess. But that doesn't mean they were of lesser quality. As mentioned before, Japanese swordsmiths found ways around this, and crucially, they forged and built swords designed for different uses than the longsword.
Full plate armour for man and horse commissioned by Sigismund II Augustus, Livrustkammaren in Stockholm Sweden (1550s). - Royal Armouries
Europeans generally moved onto heavy armour which the longsword was built to withstand should it happen to make contact. The Japanese however, preferred somewhat lighter armour for mobility. Even when shifting to metal the Japanese still had more gaps in their armour to preserve mobility.
O-yoroi armour owned by Shimazu Nariakira. Edo period - Tokyo Fuji Art Museum
That said, the Katana (and most other Japanese weapons) were forged to cut flesh, not to come into contact with armour. They are built under a fundamentally different philosophy of quick and efficient kills, feeding into the martial prowess that the Samurai class revered. That’s not to say that knights were unskilled, far from it. They just had a different mindset when it came to combat.
This is why I expect a revamped combat system for Assassin’s Creed Shadows, one that favours efficiency, taking out most enemies before they are even aware of the player’s presence. When playing as the Samurai, I would expect the same mindset of quick and efficient takedowns to be present but take a page out of Ghost of Tsushima’s book and utilise Iaido, Battojutsu, Iaijutsu or whatever you want to call it for standoffs.
In short, the Katana versus Longsword meme holds no weight, simply because they are two weapons made with different cultures and fighting philosophies in mind, meaning they are built to cater to different uses and therefore cannot be compared. That's it and thank you for coming to my TED talk!
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