The Wakizashi. Opinions? Thoughts?

by **Ashemaru** » Sat Apr 09, 2005 9:32 pm

To be quite honest, I am just looking for an excuse to include some form of Japanese weaponry into my zombie gear. The katana, like most long swords, is good for the "level 1" home defense scenario, but not to be used as a primary weapon for things that don't mind being cut. Because in the end, the katana is intended to cut flesh. It can cut armor, sinew, bone... but excels in doing what it was designed to do by Japanese bushi more then a century ago, kill humans.

Back on topic. The wakizashi is the Japanese short sword. Designed along the same lines as the katana but, due to it's one handed nature, it evolved into a staple tool of the samurai. It is fast, fairly compact, and would slide quite nicely into the soft upper neck or eye socket of an undead fiend. To me, it seems like an ideal back up weapon.

This is the exact model of wakizashi that I have. Same generation (Paul Chen has been around for a while and has released multible batches).

Please tell me that I can use what I know

.

by **ednemo** » Sun Apr 10, 2005 12:53 am

The wakizashi is a very good weapon. However...I would switch it out with something that you could use as a machete, for more versatility. I have a few waks and while I practivce with them, they do not have a space in my BOB. Instead I have a Junglee Short Sword, that also acts like a machete, and is lighter than most waks. In fact the ATS-34 steel is very nice on it. Explaining to a cop why I have a machete in the trunk of my car with my "Camping Supplies", is much easier than explaining why I have a short sword there.

Stick with the format you are comfortable with, but change out the tool, to make it more acceptable. To not have the equipment on you, due to risk of being caught, will mean you won't have it on yu, when you get stuck in a bad situation. Also, Paul Chen Waks...are ok. But would not last long in a tough situation.

by **tupac4rhymes** » Sun Apr 10, 2005 7:24 am

i am a avid (sp?) martial artist. ive used wakazashis ( its spelled that way ) a lot. but if you want a form of a japanese sword to use, i'd rather say a chisa katana. they are alittle longer then the wakazashi, but not as long as the katana. i would also mention a double edged katana.

and i am not trying to start an argument, but the samurai used longer swords, and the ninja used the shorter swords. since the ninja used short swords, it was more tactical. however, ninjas had ways to make the samurai believe that there blades were longer then they really were. PM me on that if ya need to know more.

by **Ashemaru** » Sun Apr 10, 2005 11:48 am

Thanks for the replies guys.

ednemo,

That is what I was thinking to. I want to stick to the traditional BOB, but everyone wants to add their own flare. You know, when things start heading back to the Stone Age due to the chaos of the zombie apocalypse it will be the ZS types who will save the day. It'd be cool to stand out

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tupac4rhymes,

I had considered a chisa katana before, but, as it is even more of an oddity to carry one around in the trunk of your Honda, I filed it back into the "long swords and flashy stuff" category.

The ninja were indeed crafty little piss ants. They preferred poisons and, whenever possible, killing from a distance. Sword play was avoided and used only as a last resort because, well, they didn't spend their every waking hour training in swordsmanship as the bushi did.

God bless

by **tupac4rhymes** » Sun Apr 10, 2005 12:21 pm

if your looking for smaller blades, what about a O tanto?

by **jamoni** » Sun Apr 10, 2005 2:35 pm

I'm with Ednemo on this. Cheap machetes are an everyday tool in many parts of the world, for a good reason. They are lighter than a sword, can be used for a huge variety of tasks, are cheaper, and would not be looked at oddly if attached to a rucksack. Listen to Ednemo, he is obviously a genius with excellent tast in comics.

by **tupac4rhymes** » Sun Apr 10, 2005 2:41 pm

but with cheap things come cheaply made objects. a sword wont break in someone skull. look how the samurai and ninja passed there swords from generation to generation and all the beatings they took. why would you care if people looked at you funny? your prepared, there not.

by **TDW586** » Sun Apr 10, 2005 8:30 pm

tupac4rhymes wrote:but with cheap things come cheaply made objects. a sword wont break in someone skull.

Neither will my machetes. Cold Steel 1055 medium carbon steel, toughest blade you'll ever use. And they cost well under 20 bucks with a sheath.

by **ednemo** » Mon Apr 11, 2005 1:40 am

jamoni wrote:I'm with Ednemo on this. Cheap machetes are an everyday tool in many parts of the world, for a good reason. They are lighter than a sword, can be used for a huge variety of tasks, are cheaper, and would not be looked at oddly if attached to a rucksack. Listen to Ednemo, he is obviously a genius with excellent tast in comics.

Transmet fans are all geniuses!

by **the_klenzer** » Mon Apr 11, 2005 2:12 am

If you want one, just go buy it and make yourself happy!

by **Maj.Exec** » Mon Apr 11, 2005 9:06 am

That's true, with the exception of a few people, this seems like a bad place to ask about a Sword that is anything other than a Machete... Not trying to shoot you down, it's just, they're sorta impractical...

by **Ashemaru** » Mon Apr 11, 2005 12:36 pm

Maj.Exec wrote:That's true, with the exception of a few people, this seems like a bad place to ask about a Sword that is anything other than a Machete... Not trying to shoot you down, it's just, they're sorta impractical...

Like I said, I know it is a little impractical... I just wanted to know if it would make a decent substitute. I still have a feeling that it would perform rather well but, I'll go ahead and get a military machete too.

by **tupac4rhymes** » Mon Apr 11, 2005 5:33 pm

ashemarui, im with you on this one, i to believe that a wakazashi would make a good zombie killing weapon. however i wouldnt recomend trying to take a horde on with one :roll:

by **TDW586** » Mon Apr 11, 2005 8:02 pm

Ashemaru wrote:Like I said, I know it is a little impractical... I just wanted to know if it would make a decent substitute. I still have a feeling that it would perform rather well but, I'll go ahead and get a military machete too.

Man, if you want it, buy it. It'll work fine.

by **SMERSH** » Mon Apr 11, 2005 8:08 pm

Ashemaru wrote:
Like I said, I know it is a little impractical... I just wanted to know if it would make a decent substitute. I still have a feeling that it would perform rather well but, I'll go ahead and get a military machete too.

if you can find a good quality one go for it, but it will be several times the price of a good quality machete

by **thrash242** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 8:04 am

I have no meaningful input (other than Japanese swords are neato), but you, Ashemaru, live pretty close. I live in Pearland, not far from Pasadena.

Any other Houston-area zombie nuts? We oughta start a Houston branch of the ZS, unless there is one I don't know about.

by **Ashemaru** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 11:55 am

thrash242 wrote:I have no meaningful input (other than Japanese swords are neato), but you, Ashemaru, live pretty close. I live in Pearland, not far from Pasadena.

Any other Houston-area zombie nuts? We oughta start a Houston branch of the ZS, unless there is one I don't know about.

That we should. I was asking in the meeting room if there were any other Houston area ZS. I was starting to loose hope (which is odd because south east Texas is chocked full of survivalist types).

You aren't by any chance good with fire arms? My co-worker, my brother and I all have our own talents to add to the group and we have all hunted and used firearms BUT we really could use an expert.

I'll message you later.

by **ProZombieHunter** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 2:33 pm

Wakizashis are cool, but I doubt they would be of much use in a zombat situation. Some samurai used their wakizashi as an off-hand (or live-hand) weapon, but it was mostly relegated to a backup weapon while a fighter was in an environment which otherwise precluded the use of a katana (tight hallways, etc.)

I recommend a machete, kukri, or other bladed implement. Machetes are flexible and more or less inconspicuous, and the kukri just seems more likely to split a skull. Also, either weapon, depending on maker, is probably less likely to break.

Katanas and wakizashis are cool, but more fragile than anyone wants to believe. Skilled jitte-wielders in feudal Japan could snap a katana easily; If I've got a katana or a wakizashi, and I miss a swing and hit a brick wall or something, I'd much rather have my blade ping off than risk breaking it.

That said, Paul Chen DOES make very nice blades. If I were to beat any sword against a brick wall, Chen's weapons are probably more likely to survive than any other maker I could name (at least of katanas).

If you don't mind using something with more heft to it, try a hatchet or tomahawk. They have at least as many uses as a machete, as much cultural flair as a wakizashi, but are a bit unwieldy (especially compared to a machete). Plus, depending on your choice of hatchet, some can be used as hammers or bludgeons. Biggest downfall: They're heavy, and some think more likely to get stuck or lodged in skulls. Never been much of a problem for me (as far as getting stuck in WOOD, not skulls), but its still a risk.

by **ghostface** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 3:08 pm

Another vote for machete/something equally utilitarian. But hey, it's your money and your life, so do what you want.

by **Ashemaru** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 3:11 pm

ghostface wrote:Another vote for machete/something equally utilitarian. But hey, it's your money and your life, so do what you want.

lol, I am going with the machete. I'm going to have to find a cool one though. My samurai pride will not allow me to use a cheap one

(j/j

).

by **tupac4rhymes** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 7:59 pm

im sticking with a wakazashi or katana. unless you have a cheap ass katana, its not just going to snap the blade in half by missing a swing. and thats another thing, why would u be "swinging" a katana? more tactical to slice or jab. "swinging" is blindsighted

by **Ashemaru** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 10:24 pm

tupac4rhymes wrote:im sticking with a wakazashi or katana. unless you have a cheap ass katana, its not just going to snap the blade in half by missing a swing. and thats another thing, why would u be "swinging" a katana? more tactical to slice or jab. "swinging" is blindsighted

I think that the point that the ZS expert types are trying to make is that when it comes to killing flesh munchers you are not looking for what a katana has to offer. Katanas offer excellent cutting capabilities and are made to combat human opponents. A katana is not designed to be used for numerous beheadings or skull chops. They can indeed perform these tasks but not with the ease and flexibility that a nice chopping tool, like said machete, can.

I have held numerous Japanese style blades in my experiences as a martial artist ranging from 200 year old nihonto to mass produced Paul Chens. Katanas are brilliant for their intended purpose, killing other samurai, but not as zombie slayers. I think wakizashi, on the other hand, may have a place... just not the machete's place :wink:

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Long live the most honorable machete!

by **thrash242** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 12:29 am

Ashemaru wrote:
thrash242 wrote:I have no meaningful input (other than Japanese swords are neato), but you, Ashemaru, live pretty close. I live in Pearland, not far from Pasadena.

Any other Houston-area zombie nuts? We oughta start a Houston branch of the ZS, unless there is one I don't know about.

That we should. I was asking in the meeting room if there were any other Houston area ZS. I was starting to loose hope (which is odd because south east Texas is chocked full of survivalist types).

You aren't by any chance good with fire arms? My co-worker, my brother and I all have our own talents to add to the group and we have all hunted and used firearms BUT we really could use an expert.

I'll message you later.

I wouldn't call myself an expert, but I know quite a bit about them, how to work most of them, different types, and can shoot them decently. I'm quite interested in them, and like to learn everything I can about them, particularly the military variety.

Unfortunately I only have one firearm (Glock17) at this point, but I've shot and tinkered with my dad's 10 or so handguns, rifles and shotguns.

So if you think I'm qualified, I'd be happy to be the firearm specialist in your zombie survival unit.

by **Ashemaru** » Wed Apr 13, 2005 12:43 am

thrash242 wrote:I wouldn't call myself an expert, but I know quite a bit about them, how to work most of them, different types, and can shoot them decently. I'm quite interested in them, and like to learn everything I can about them, particularly the military variety.

Unfortunately I only have one firearm (Glock17) at this point, but I've shot and tinkered with my dad's 10 or so handguns, rifles and shotguns.

So if you think I'm qualified, I'd be happy to be the firearm specialist in your zombie survival unit.

Excellent. I'll make it an official four. I'm sending you a message right now.

Looks like a ZS reserve unit is in the making

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The Wakizashi. Opinions? Thoughts?

The Wakizashi. Opinions? Thoughts?

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