A weapon question

[Mercurius]

I call upon the collective knowledge of ENWorld gamers, literally millions of hours of gaming and obsessing with impractical things like pre-industrial weaponry. I invoke thy nerdlore!

At this very moment I am working on a novel in which one character wields a sword that is similar to a katana, but straight and maybe a bit longer, both in hilt and blade (I'm going back and forth on the straightness, so think with both straight and slightly curved in mind). I am hoping to have this character carry it in his back, but have heard that the whole back-scabbard thing is a false literary and cinema device that looks cool but doesn't really work. I saw a video on Youtube about some martial arts nerd proving that you can pull out a katana from a back-scabbard, so I know it is possible, although katana's have curved blades and are a bit shorter than what I'm envisioning (if the typical katana blade is 28", I'm thinking 32" or so).

So what I'm looking for is a mechanism whereby this character can wield a katana-esque weapon (probably straight and a bit longer) on his back and both pull it out of the scabbard quickly, and pull the scabbard off his back quickly and wield it sheathed (He prefers not to bloody it and likes to clobber people with the sheathed weapon; therefore I have to figure for a thick and sturdy scabbard). So there are three issues: 1) If unsheathing a slightly-longer-than-katana weapon is possible, and 2) a way in which the scabbard can be released from some kind of strap quickly, and 3) used sheathed without breaking the scabbard or sword within it (I imagine that this might be feasible hitting flesh but not armor or other weapons).

Thanks!

 

[Hand of Evil]

It would all be based on the baldric used. A simple swival attachment, that keeps the sword from dropping too far and allows the sheath to move as the sword is being drawn.

Also, think this could be addressed in class training / weapon training - it is not just about using a weapon but care and upkeep of the weapon, running with the weapon, sitting with the weapon, entering a room with the weapon, etc.

History does tell us swords were carried on the back, the question is just how many were drawn from that postions. Example: Highland Guard. Overall, it does not matter, build the character and use it, technology in a fantasy world, like a modern world would overcome the issue.

 

[Yora]

I'd do what the samurai did when not wearing armor and simply tuck the scabard into a sash around your waist without tying it to your belt. Also makes it a lot easier to adjust when you want to sit down or pass through a door.

 

[[OMENRPG]Ben]

If you want to go for the "cool fantasy idea bro" theme, you could develop some kind of magic or mechanical implement that would allow the sword to be popped out.

I had a group of paladins in my 4e homebrew world that wielded a double-headed mace sword thing, essentially it had blades in the middle and two maces on each end (impractical, I know, but it sounds cool.) They would wear it on their back in a circular metal scabbard which had a narrow slit running along the middle. They would simply slide the blade in sideways through the slit, like sliding a piece of paper under a door, and then twist the blade sideways, "locking" it in and preventing it from falling out. This allowed them to simply twist or unlock the blade, and push on one of the heads or handles, causing the whole weapon to sort of swing out (like swinging a catapult arm through a narrow chasm, weird analogy but only thing I can think of this early). They could re-angle the scabbard however they wanted with their harnesses, and some preferred to wear it almost completely horizontal or vertical.

Now, to discuss your actual blade, the reason why curved swords became more popular in sword smithing technology is due to the relative ease to draw and slice in one action. Straight-edged swords can definitely slice and chop just fine, but the leverage is a little bit different. The katana is designed to not get caught at the tip, humans with armor on have a lot of little nicks and crannies and bones and chunks of stuff that can cause a sword to snag or break. A curve minimizes this.

A sword that is somewhat similar to what you're referring is the ninja-to, although it wasn't longer. Straight-edged and agile, with a similar tip as a katana. Some of the more interesting swords are the ones from lower europe/the middle east, such as the shimishir and the scimitar, or even the khopesh and other inverted curved weapons.

The major advantage of the flat-edge is that it is very easy to use as a cross-brace. A curved sword can't block all that well, it is much better for deflecting. A straight-edged sword can be held quite comfortably in the hands and used as a lever to block and toss aside an enemy foe without weird bouncing/sliding physics from occurring. There is a contemporary guy, I think he works for The Armarmium, who is a master with flat-edged european style blades. You should check out his sword skills, he has videos online.

Anyway, good luck writing the novel, and try not to think too much about it. You always have the right as an author to simply say "he unsheathes the sword from his back", the reader can take that to mean whatever they want it to mean.

Have fun writing!

 

[El Mahdi]

As to using the weapon sheathed to "clobber" people, that would be quite tricky in real life.

Katanas do somewhat "lock" into the scabbard to provide a relatively airtight seal and partially sucure the weapon, but the weapon still won't stay in very well if the scabbard is tipped upside down...let alone swung about as a weapon (the force of a swing would likely throw the scabbard right off the blade). the scabbard would need an extra form of securing, like some kind of secure straps or a latching mechanism. It would also seem rather tricky to me to envision some sort of securing mechanism that also allows for quickly drawing the weapon.

Another factor is that the balance of the weapon would be significantly different with the scabbard still attached. It would make the weapon very blade heavy and cut down on the agility and speed of the weapon. Leaving the scabbard on would make it feel like a rather clumsy and cumbersome club.

When Samurais used the scabbard as a weapon, they would use the unsheathed Katana in their primary hand, and wield the scabbard in the other as a defensive implement (or occasionally as a club like weapon).

Anyone who's ever held or wielded a sword in their hands, would probably be quite puzzled by anyone effectively using a weapon with it's scabbard still on.

 

[Mercurius]

Thanks for the replies, folks. I'm probably just going to follow @[OMENRPG]Ben 's advice and use my authorial right. I'm sure someone will say, "Hey, that doesn't sound too realistic," but as long as I don't draw too much attention to it I should be fine.

I am also veering more towards a curved weapon. The reason I didn't want to use a curved weapon was because I wanted to avoid the "katana...kewl!" factor. Katana's, while lovely weapons, are so over-used at this point. But it fits the culture and, for reasons specific to the story, will only last the first book (it breaks at the end of the book in a dramatic moment that's a bit of an homage to a scene in Excalibur).

Anyhow, I'm a bit more concerned about wielding the weapon scabbarded. The reason I want this is that his order prefers not to kill if they don't have to. Unsheathing the weapon implies intent to kill. What they try to do is humble and disarm...maybe this can be done just fine with the sword out, though?

It may also work for him to fight scabbarded because the style is more of a dance or martial art; it involves a lot of whirling about, some acrobatics, etc, so I can imagine the wielder using the scabbarded weapon as more of a short quarterstaff or stick, bonking heads and disarming opponents.

 

[Gilladian]

Maybe instead of using the scabbarded sword, he can draw the weapon, then use the scabbard separately, as a club. As El Mahdi said, that's a technique the samurai actually used.

He could view the drawing of the blade as a demonstration of how serious his intent is, and then the use of the scabbard as a demonstration of his control and discipline in not hurting someone permanently.

 

[Roland55]

You're describing a tachi -- an ancestor of the katana. It is a Japanese nihonto and was used primarily from horseback. Admittedly, most had a certain curve ... they weren't straight. For a little more info:

Tachi - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tachi became uchigatana became katana. Not entirely true (nothing is ever so straightforward), but close enough.

My middle daughter is a high-level practitioner of iaido and other, related arts (kendo). She doesn't think much of the back mount idea.

 

[El Mahdi]

Maybe an idea that covers what you want...

Perhaps the character uses what looks like a Bokken or bokuto*, but actually has a thin, light (but strong) blade hidden inside it (like a cane sword or Shikomizue). Usually he uses it as a bokken, but when needed he draws the blade and...*commence slicing and dicing*


*like what's used in Kenjutsu.