Urumi (FLEXIBLE SWORD): The Urumi is the most dangerous weapon of kalari. It is six feet in length, flexible, and can be worn around the waist.
Its also known as Chuttuval
The sword uses agility and mental sharpness more than strength or aggression. Twirling and controlling urumi is an art by itself possible only for those who spend long hours in the kalari. One false movement can slash the eyes, calves and many other parts of the practitioner. This one calls for utmost concentration even from the expert trainees. Some times two blades are attached to the handle so that the urumi can be made more lethal. If used in a crowded situation when attacked by multiple opponents, the urumi can save the dedicated kalari student by inflicting heavy injuries to the aggressors. Urumi has another advantage – this weapon can be worn like a waist belt and can be drawn when demanded
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17th century India, The Masters of the Oceans...
Samurai swords, swords are well balanced, light weight, long, two handed, and most of all extremely sharp. I heard that it is so sharp that you can cut a human being into two. Oh here is article I found concerning the sword.
WINNIPEG - A man brandishing a samurai sword forced his way through the drive-thru window to rob a McDonald's restaurant in Winnipeg on Sunday.
The thief, who also wielded a pipe, climbed through the window at about 5:30 a.m. He held the sword to the throat of the restaurant's 17-year-old manager, forcing him to open a back door to an accomplice.
The robbers bound three employees with duct tape and forced the manager to give them cash.
They tied him up and fled the restaurant, which is located in the southern part of the city at Pembina Highway and Chancellor Drive.
The victims, who weren't injured, eventually freed themselves and called police.
Winnipeg police commended staff for how they handled the situation.
"A male coming to a drive-thru window armed with a sword and a pipe is going to be intimidating for anyone, let alone this 17-year-old manager," said Const. Shelly Glover.
"These employees did a fantastic job, given the trauma that they were obviously suffering."
Police said the suspects wore balaclavas, sunglasses and dark clothing. They didn't say how much money was taken.
The swords of first four caliphs : ( one of them is famous zulfiqar but I don't know which one is )
The sword and the bow of Prophet Mohammad
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Well these were for those who r interested in famous historical swords
And also I couldn't pass this : The famous rod of Moses
The rod of Moses. The prophet Moses performed miracles with this staff, which turned into a serpent against the Pharaoh's magicians and parted the waters of the Red Sea.
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All of these and more r in Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, Turkey . Feel free to come and visit Istanbul , our doors are wide open lol
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yaralanmış temiz alnından uzanmış yatıyor;
bir hilal uğruna ya rab, ne güneşler batıyor!
This message has been edited by rommel869 on Mar 24, 2005 11:00 PM This message has been edited by rommel869 on Mar 24, 2005 11:00 PM This message has been edited by rommel869 on Mar 24, 2005 10:59 PM
Ey Iran ey marze porgohar , ey khakat sar cheshmeye honar
Door az to andisheye badan, payande mani to javedan
EY ..doshman ar to sange khareh-i man ahanam, jane man fadaye khake pake mihanam
Mehre to chon shod pishe´am , door az to nist andishe´am
Dar rahe to key arzeshi darad in jane ma , PAYANDE BAD KHAKE IRANE MA!! ...
Oh Iran our jeweled country , Your land is the wellspring of art
Let the thoughts of the devils be far from you , May your lasting be eternal
Oh enemy if you a rocky stone I am the iron , may my life be sacrificed for my pure motherland
When your love became my calling ,My thoughts are not far from you
In your cause when do our lives have value , MAY THE LAND OF OUR IRAN BE ETERNAL!! ...
Iran-Iraq War. An Iranian Volunteer on His Way to the Front is Kissing His Mother.
IRANIAN soldiers on their way to the front
Has to be the Japanese Katana and its smaller cousin the Wakizashi.
Katanas were used outdoors while the Wakizashis was used indoors and other confined spaces which is why Japanese Samurais carried two main swords.
Both were very well balanced and they were the strongest swords of the ancient world because of the way they were made.
They consisted of both a softer core surrounded by a hardened shell of folded steel (folded many times to leech out impurities). The best swords had steel which was folded and hammered out by blacksmiths over 200 times!. The two steels allowed the sword to bend a bit, maintain the sharpest edge of the ancient world, and to last a very long time. There are thousands of swords in Japan hundreds of years old which have been sharpened and resharpened and still have their structural integrity.
Another interesting point is the "curved" nature of the Japanese sword.
As the Japanese style of swordfighting is of a slashing nature other than a piercing one the curved edge of the Japanese sword provides a larger surface area to allow deeper cuts or "slices". But it was not always this way. Originally, Japanese swords were straight edged like Chinese and Korean swords. It was in fact the native Japanese Ainu who first used curved swords in the Japanese archipelago with the Japanese adopting the curve for their own swords after noticing its effect against them on the battlefield.
Japanese swords are gracefully simple and bring a sense of spirituality to an object of death. The most important thing is the sword's function, not its look. They are not burdened by clumsy precious stones or overly pretentious embroidery.
I also had the opportunity to look around the museum dedicated to Musashi Miaymoto (Japan's greatest swordsman) while visiting Kumamoto, Japan.
It was an incredible experience to see not only Miyamoto's swords but his artwork and caligraphy as well. Impressive man. I highly recommend his "Book of the Five Rings" which is his guide to swordsmanship.
Another thing, Mushashi Miyamoto was most famous for his "two-sword defence", also known as Nito-Ryo, where he utilized both the Katana and Wakizashi in different hands at the same time. This was revolutionary in Japan at the time where most Samurai fought with both hands on a sword.
He was said to have been inspired while watching two Portuguese sailors duelling it out at a Japanese port. The Portuguese used a type of sword fighting style called "Florentine" which was utilized both their rapier swords and daggers. Upon seeing this Miyamoto is said to have thought to himself "hmm...two swords, two hands...makes sense" and began designing a two-sword fighting technique which would complement the Japanese fighting style.
My favorite swords Viking sword it looks really nice and have much resemblance to swords that where used over most parts of Europe.
"Viking swords are both simple and functional. Their grips were of wood, their pommels and guards of iron which are very often inlaid with fine silver, copper and brass wires hammered into grooves cut in the surface of the iron to form geometric or animal patterns. The blades of the swords were of good steel, some times pattern-welded by welding together twisted rods of lighter and darker iron to make a veined pat tern."
An interesting note here Runekeeper: The light saber in George Lucas's Star Wars is an offspring of the Japanese Katana.
You see, Lucas was a huge fan of old Japanese samurai movies (Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, The Hidden Fortress, etc) and so decided to mold the Jedi fighting technique after Japanese Kendo. He also made the light saber simple (at least the sword hilt) which emulates the simplicity in Japanese sword design.
Overall, the Jedi's "cult of the sword" directly descends from Japan's late Samurai period and is the main reason why Obi Wan Kenobi described the light saber as "a simple, elegant weapon, for a more civilized age" in Star Wars - A New Hope.
Another Star Wars pick and another vote for Japanese martial arts. In this case for the Art of fighting with the Staff.
The two light sabers put together was a really cool sci-fi idea and one which allowed George Lucas to employ another Japanese fighting art he was in love with.
If anything it demonstrates how closely related the Jedi Order was to the old Samurai class. The Samurai were "guardians of the Japanese Empire" while the Jedi of course were "guardians of the Old Republic".
One wouldnt even have to be within the opponents striking range to attack, and the best way to defend against the Urumi is the have shields, swords cant defend against the urumi because of the blades flexibilty.
You'd only stand a chance if you have a good medium or large shield...
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17th century India, The Masters of the Oceans...
Well I dunno...the Urumi sounds useful in a limited amount of circumstances...large area, small number of enemies and they must not have shields...
Put the wielder in a small narrow space/room i think its all over for him.
Never seen an Urumi used in real life, the only time I THINK i've seen an Urumi in action was this movie with thar Shah Rukh Khan guy in some kind of indian historical epic.
Urumi is more of a deceptive weapon, and the small area isn't a very big problem (you need to have more training for this), I heard it personally from a Kalari expert. Afterall, practice is done in smaller rooms. Urumi is actually meant to fight multiple opponents, and even the shield isnt that big of a problem. I said that one would stand a better CHANCE if he had a shield; because even with shields, your feet or you hand or even head will be exposed. The agility of the blade and the sharpness of the steel can win you the fight in any situation. The best thing about this blade is that its light-weight (even the 4 bladed one) and would need only one hand to use with ease, and will allow you to carry another weapon or shield.
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17th century India, The Masters of the Oceans...
This message has been edited by Darkness1089 on Mar 30, 2005 5:39 PM This message has been edited by Darkness1089 on Mar 30, 2005 1:57 AM
I think the scene Runekeeper is talking about is when his friend comes and stands in front of the army to try stop him from the craziness of destroying Kalinga, and Ashoka busts out with the Urumi to get the guy out of the way. You know which guy I am talking about? The guy that beat Ashoka in arm-wrestling at the bar.
Personally tho...i think the Urumi is a nice 1 vs 1 weapon but I cant think how it can be used effectively in a larger formation.
Many reasons why it can be used against many opponents:
1) The blade is lightweight so you wont get tired or your arm wont get soar very quickly, and you can carry another weapon or a shield with the other hand.
2) The Urumi is a very terrifying weapon. Not many people would want to fight an Urumi expert.
3) If you decide to fight someone with an Urumi without a decent shield, you're dead. If you aren't EXTREMELY good with your shield, you're dead. The Urumi can also pierce maille and chain armors.
4) Urumi is very deceptive. One can conceal it as a belt, a perfect weapon for assasins.
5) The agility of the blade and repeated motions of the blade can keep multiple people at bay while you can attack a particular target using deceptive tactic or just a decent strike.
@ Bharat
Urumi requires a LOT of training, and a properly trained person will know how to fight with an Urumi in a shoulder to shoulder conflict, and fighting in small spaces. Training is actually done in small spaces. Its almost impossible for an untrained person to get a properly sharpened Urumi. You wont be allowed to use or wield an Urumi if you haven't recieved the training from a Kalari expert.
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17th century India, The Masters of the Oceans...
no darkness, i mean when it is to be used as in larger battles, not just the wielder against multiple opponents (which i think the Urumi is best at). I mean you'll end up slicing and dicing your own comrades, know what i mean?
I mean if you put 30 urumi wielders in tight proximation with each other its going to be real complicated...
30 is too litlle. Urumi is used by the most elite of the soldiers. Try the number in hundreads. Although its not common to find tight formations in tradtional Indian tactics (for the elite), it wouldn't be a problem, because control of the Urumi isn't as hard as most people think, you just need years of training and practice ...
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17th century India, The Masters of the Oceans...
This message has been edited by Darkness1089 on Mar 30, 2005 10:04 PM
Placed centrally , the khanda is a double edged sword with a broad blade. The picture below show a example of 17th Century khanda. Note the whole symbol takes its name from this sword.
This is an interesting weapon also known as the chakram - if you search the internet for chakram its interesting because you will get a lot of hits on ZENA the Warrior - tv series. Of course its the same weapon she uses plus a bit of magic. It has an effective range of 40 to 50 metres. >From about the 16th century onwards, it seems to be a weapon exclusively used by the Sikh military. Used in volley fire fashion by trained footmen in the centuries before Britain imposed its rule, it continued to be a viable part of the Sikh inventory at least in part as late as the 19th century. George Cameron Stone, writing in 1934 of a Sikh military exhibition he had witnessed many years prior, described the skilled use of the weapon from a distance of 50 metres, where trained warriors struck an archery-like target and usually hit their mark.
It is thrown or hurled, either by being released after being twirled around the smooth inside edge by the forefinger (a favourite Sikh method) or released frisbee-like or discus style.
Indian maces have a great variations in their shape. From simply curved steel bars to persian influenced maces with openings in the head wich gave a whistling sound when the blow was struck to plane massive heads.
They often have guardet hilts like the Khanda
The Indian sabre, class name. lt includes practically all of the curved swords used in India; but those of very marked curvature are frequently called by their Persian name, shamshir. The Talwar is the commonest sword in India and the blades vary enormously in Size, curvuature and quality. The hilts generally have short, heavy quilIons and disk pommels. They may or may not have finger guards; some have as many as three. Several other forms of hilts are also used. The Nihangs are as careful of their swords and take as much pains to keep them in order as the japanese samurai. It is a common saying thatan really objectionable act is "as disgraceful as haveing a blunt sword." "These are Sikh cavalry-who know not steel scabbards-but wear leather sheaths, wherein the swords do not become blunt and dull-keen bright and ready, as many a deep and ghastly cut on Sepoy corpses can testify."(Majendie)
Interseting the Gatka martial Arts of the Sikh, was once practiced by the Rajputs. It was lost long ago, but was discovered by the some of Guru Gobind Singh disiples.
Seems very flexible indeed, but if you ever seen samurai warrior swing his sword, he swing quick enough to decapitate his enermy before they can make a move. And also using Urami seem to required muscle endurance, plus you can't really block or dogde for example incoming spear or arrows. I suspected you would tired out fast, my oppinion Kanata still stand.
Quote:Seems very flexible indeed, but if you ever seen samurai warrior swing his sword, he swing quick enough to decapitate his enermy before they can make a move. And also using Urami seem to required muscle endurance, plus you can't really block or dogde for example incoming spear or arrows. I suspected you would tired out fast, my oppinion Kanata still stand.
Dude, the blade is 6 feet in length! You really dont have to be in the Katana's striking range to kill a Samurai...
And you really wouldn't get tired with Urumi very fast. A trained person can go longer on an Urumi than other swords. And yes, its true that its hard to block arrows and spear/javelins thrown at you with an Urumi, but its equally hard with other swords...
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17th century India, The Masters of the Oceans...
I still feel that its good in a limted encounter rather than a large battle. A group of Urumi wielders vs a formation of decently armoured soldiers with shields and spears is going to be a one sided battle...
Would be nice if you have historical quotations describing its use in actual battles, would love to read how an indian battle in the past would go about...
I do believed Urami can be very powerful if properly trained, very similar to Nuchakus which is another Japanese weapon. Also Kanata is long but not used on the ground usually on horse back. Samurai carried 2 swords the short version of Kanata, i don't remember what it's called, and the long Kanata. The short Kanata is about 4 ft in lenght and long kanata is around 5-6 ft cannot be use on the gorund because you don't swing to get enough power, lose balanced, and that's about how tall most smaurai warrior are, they often used on horsebacks. Just to make it clear.
The short Japanese sword is the Wakizashi. The longer one is the Katana.
There was an even longer one preferred by some samurai called the Nodachi which is the one used by Kojiro Sasaki against famed Japanese swordsman Mushashi Miyamoto in their battle on Ganryu island.
I myself wanted to go to Ganryu island when I was in KitaKyushu (called Kokura in the old days) but I heard from locals its just an industrial island in the middle of the harbour. Sure enough that's what it was on the map. No way of getting there without being good with harbour workers and police.
Yeah, in my opinion the Katana still stands as the best sword as Katanas were so strong that in some cases they could just cut through the blade of an opposing sword (if hit right and of poorer make) with the Katana only suffering a slight notch at best.
The damn things were made to slash armour multiple times and still keep an edge.
They used to test new Katana blades on live convicts sentenced to death and their dead corpses.
Then they would notch on the blade if it was a one, two, three... corpse sword pertaining to the amount of corpses a sword would go through with one slash. They even used 1/2 corpse measurements. Needless to say, they larger corpse count the more valuable the sword.
Also, Japanese swords went through many sword sheaths during their lifetime as the blade was so sharp that everytime you would take the sword out and put it back in the sword would slice into the sheath.
Japanese sword designs prove that composite swords are the strongest and most durable. If you want to get a REAL Japanese Katana don't get them through any cheap mail order or fantasy swordsmanship company. Get one from the Japan Sword Company in Tokyo. You'll pay a lot of money but you'll get the real thing.
I was thinking of getting Kanata online once, somehow never occurred to me by the price of $30-100. I looked every place though, online way to obtain real Kanata was to go to Japan and buy one over there.
Has to be the Katana. Good all round technicality and looks. Suitable for slashing, thrusting, chopping, close quarter, long reach (due to long handle), horse back, single/both hand. Excellent metallurgy. Tough luck, most armies use the Toledo's as their ceremonial swords.
My own favorite is a latter-day variation of the katana, the M1934 Shin-Guntou as used by the Imperial Japanese Army. Basically just katana blades - either hand forged or machine made - mated with (largely) standardized fittings like a regulation handle, tsuba, scabbard, and pommel end. There was still alot of variation in individual Shin-Guntou from 1934 to 1945 and thus they are infinitely collectable today.
@Darkness: Didn't they show Ashoka using an Urumi towards the begining when he was fighting that band of soldiers from Taxila? Bear in mind I saw it a couple years back and am pretty ignorant of traditional Indian weaponry.
Best,
Gunnar
This message has been edited by Ketoujin on Jan 3, 2006 9:23 AM This message has been edited by Ketoujin on Jan 3, 2006 9:20 AM
Katanas were a flawed design, very fragile early on and always useless against armour, theyre actually quite heavy on a weight-length ratio compared with some other designs, they were so prized partly just because of material shortages in japan used to make them. Middle eastern scimitars were better quality but it seems the Katana has been dressed up by movies to be really badass so fair enough... but all curved swords cant penetrate metal
European and early Arabian and even some chinese straight blade swords had to have superior design since they were meant to last longer, compete againsta wider use of axes warhammers etc and most of all had to have the ability to thrust into plate armour which virtually didint exist in the east. My favourite design is the oakeshott type xviiib
anyone interested in swords i highly recommend ordering some of ewart oakeshotts books
Your not going to find any real swords for 30-100 dollars those are probably made out of stainless steel for a real working sword made out of the correct carbon steel with a full tang it ranges from about 400-2500 $ maybe a little less for katanas
ive ordered a few swords from this place and theyre really good quality and historically accurate http://www.albion-swords.com/
Well my choice is the Khanda. I'm impressed by its sheer size and wieght. The Katar. An assasins best weapon. The small Japanese daggers. Forgot what there called. And for throwing anything from Japanese throwing stars to Chakras. Or even both. The Chakras could do more damage and hit longer ranges.
Notice I just named everything a warrior in the medevil ages would want to have.
