There is no way the rings moving forward or back create any appreciable difference in the sword's power or handling, I seriously doubt the rings were anything other than ornamental.
I disagree...let's not forget they the rings themselves are made of metal, meaning that it has some weight, although light, it can still affect the center of gravity of the sword...balance a ruler for example, if you add a penny on one side, it shifts...same principle...
Just because it has weight does not mean it will have any significant impact on the cutting power. Sure it will alter the center of balance slightly, but we're talking on the scale of a few millimeters, perhaps centimeters, forward or back. Such a difference will do little more than making it slightly more top-heavy, and more difficult to wield while providing no noticeable increase to cutting capability.
If you have a sword with rings and don't see a difference you have the wrong weight rings. Chances are it is ornamental. The momentum of the rings from the hanging position to whipping around as you strike downwards, hitting the back of the blade when you make contact with your target is noticeable. But if you test on something extremely dense you won't notice that much. If you test on ballistic gel you'll never question if it makes a difference again.
According to forged in fire, the rings are there to ward off angry spirits with the sounds
Hmm. I had always considered the rings to through out the balance of the weapon, and ad a small amount of weight in a disadvantageous way, to assist with training. Strengthen the wrist, induce more focus on control and so on. Granted, I've not trained with the 9-ring broadsword as of yet (I start a class next month), so I am speaking from a place of ignorance, but in practice swings and attempting to use the 9-ring win place of my normal dao, it does throw me off a bit.
So, these city slickers think they know better than all the warriors of the last thousand years what works and what doesn't? Hah, must be retard day on hanbonforge! Ever had to wield a sword in battle? Ever had to pull a sword lodged in a head or into a torso? They don't come right back out. The rings will help you dislodge it. Also, there is a suction that takes place when you stick anything inside a human or animal body. That is why butcher knives and cleavers have holes in them. So the air can get in so you can pull them back out. The rings can serve a similar purpose. Obviously it's pretty gross so no one mentions it. When you are on a battlefield of 100s or thousands of enemies, you'll want that weapon back out in a twist and a pull a fraction of a second or you die. I always laugh at people who do no research but post erroneous bullshit on topics like this. There are so many of them these days. I call it the "Earl of Sandwich effect. When I was a kid I was told the Earl of Sandwich died from eating too many sandwiches when I asked how he died. Last bullshit I ever believed.
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