Documented encounters between Asian and Western swordsmen?

**meng_mao** · Posted On: 3/04/2006 4:56pm

Originally Posted by Cdnronin

Blinking, the 2 men stared at each other

Awesome searchlight.

**HwangJangLee** · Posted On: 3/05/2006 9:51pm

yea, well my grandpa's grandpa had a gun fight against a samurai.
I think Huo Yuan Jia had some encounters with some euro swordsmen, but every time you read some thing about him, the next thing says something totally different.

**meng_mao** · Posted On: 3/05/2006 10:33pm

Originally Posted by HwangJangLee

yea, well my grandpa's grandpa had a gun fight against a samurai.
I think Huo Yuan Jia had some encounters with some euro swordsmen, but every time you read some thing about him, the next thing says something totally different.

Hence this thread about DOCUMENTED encounters.

**losttrak** · Posted On: 3/06/2006 2:01pm

See: Magellan Got pwned by some Filipino fighters back in the day. Documented in the sense that they recorded the number of deaths on Magellans side and what weapons were primarily used. However, I dont think it ever got past poisoned missle weapons.

**Rubberduck** · Posted On: 3/06/2006 2:18pm

Originally Posted by losttrak

See: Magellan Got pwned by some Filipino fighters back in the day. Documented in the sense that they recorded the number of deaths on Magellans side and what weapons were primarily used. However, I dont think it ever got past poisoned missle weapons.

John Clements wrote interesting article considering this. http://www.thearma.org/essays/influence.htm
If FMA were so great, how come they were conquered? Not meaning to start flamewar here, just an observation, as I have studied FMA myself.:eusa_ange

**DdlR** · Posted On: 3/06/2006 4:27pm

Originally Posted by losttrak

See: Magellan Got pwned by some Filipino fighters back in the day. Documented in the sense that they recorded the number of deaths on Magellans side and what weapons were primarily used. However, I dont think it ever got past poisoned missle weapons.

Magellan had about fifty men and Lapu-Lapu had over a thousand in that "battle" - the only surprising thing is that the Spanish lasted as long as they did.

**DdlR** · Posted On: 3/06/2006 4:34pm

Originally Posted by Rubberduck

John Clements wrote interesting article considering this. http://www.thearma.org/essays/influence.htm
If FMA were so great, how come they were conquered? Not meaning to start flamewar here, just an observation, as I have studied FMA myself.:eusa_ange

I reckon the practical Spanish influence on FMA was not Renaissance rapier and dagger fencing, but rather 1800s/1900s military saber fencing. The segno pattern (numbered angles of attack, etc.) is ubiquitous in European fencing and unique to the FMA in Asia, suggesting a direct transmission; also, thousands of Filipinos were exposed to Spanish saber fencing at military academies, etc. during this period. I'm not necessarily saying that much FMA *technique* comes from saber, but fencing training systems do seem to have had a big influence.

**Rubberduck** · Posted On: 3/07/2006 4:35am

Originally Posted by DdlR

I reckon the practical Spanish influence on FMA was not Renaissance rapier and dagger fencing, but rather 1800s/1900s military saber fencing. The segno pattern (numbered angles of attack, etc.) is ubiquitous in European fencing and unique to the FMA in Asia, suggesting a direct transmission; also, thousands of Filipinos were exposed to Spanish saber fencing at military academies, etc. during this period. I'm not necessarily saying that much FMA *technique* comes from saber, but fencing training systems do seem to have had a big influence.

True. Some think espada y daga might be related to rapier and dagger, but I doubt it.

**MSUTKD** · Posted On: 3/09/2006 11:52am

You mean Last Samurai was not a true story? How can that be?

**Planktime** · Posted On: 3/17/2006 5:59pm

Originally Posted by Rubberduck

If FMA were so great, how come they were conquered? Not meaning to start flamewar here, just an observation, as I have studied FMA myself.:eusa_ange

Lack of a unified government. The europeans were notorious for turning one indigenous group against another see also the conquest of the new world/africa/asia ect. While FMA is a viable combat system it is only as good as the economic and military force that back it in that order. So we come to the point were you see that FMA=good but is trumped by Europeans=bastards.

PT