Who is cooler: our Cossacks or Japanese ninjas?

The Japanese are very proud of their military traditions. Not the last place in the list of their achievements is the ancient art of espionage and sabotage ninjutsu. Hyped in movies, stories and comics elusive ninja are considered to be the unsurpassed masters of disguise, the possessors of almost supernatural physical abilities and unique virtuosos of the murder. But if you look, the don Cossacks, and was no worse than the Japanese spies, and in some ways and vastly superior to them.

About ninja weapons says a lot. Japanese warriors of the night prefer a compact, light, but at the same time as deadly weapons, capable of hitting the enemy with the first blow. Exactly such weapons were chosen for close combat Cossacks. Whip with sewn in her lead ingot — "volcada", used to hunt wolves, and in battle. Stick length "Velcade" did not exceed 40 cm, and its weight was about 400 grams.

Cossack with a whip to attack the enemy. Vintage engraving

Another native Cossack Mace is "quenched". It was arranged very simply — by 20-centimeter cord was fastened a heavy load. This weapon was effective against the enemy, not protected by armor, and another advantage of the "quenched" can be considered the fact that it was easy to use in close quarters, for example, indoors or in a stampede during the melee.

The ninja used a similar weapon called sageo. It was a long cord on which to secure cargo. Because of the length of cord to use sageo was much more difficult than the "quenched" and in close quarters it actually was more like a circus with elements of equilibrium.

Experts believe that the great disadvantage of the weapons of the ninja was their clear separation of weapons melee, ranged, and thus they were forced to wear extra weight. The Cossacks have always strived for universality, while avoiding to burden themselves with excessive non-functional ballast.

The main weapon of ninja was the straight sword nindzyato, and Cossack — Circassian sabre. Swords were made with a length of 90 cm, and the pieces were roughly comparable in size — 75-85 cm, But the sword of the Cossack, by judicious bending and calibrated balancing was more effective in combat than a straight ninja sword.

One only has to recall that the checkers are removed from service only in 1927, and nindzyato by this time knew only historians and specialists in ancient melee weapons.

Methods of warfare ninja was specific and therefore did not allow the Japanese soldiers to use heavy and uncomfortable armor. The maximum that could afford the saboteur is a light hemispherical helmet and a thin plate of metal that covers only part of the body most vulnerable to blades.

But the Cossacks at an early stage of existence, did not refuse from the steel armor. In the army of Bohdan Khmelnytsky in the 17th century there was a "armoured Cossacks" using chain mail, and armor of leather and steel plates. As well soundly to be protected and the Cossacks conquer Siberia with Yermak Timofeyevich in the 16th century.

But with the improvement of firearms, armour became less effective and by the 18th century they completely refused. The cuirass or chain mail is not saved from a bullet, but, on the contrary, increased damage from falling, contaminating the wound with shards of metal.

And ninja, and the Cossacks were the acknowledged masters of disguise. And those and others cleverly hiding in any terrain, able to sneak up to the sentry and make invisible ambush. Cossacks-scouts acting as spies performed prodigies of concealment, hosting behind enemy lines and causing sudden daring acts of sabotage.

As example is the documented case to the Caucasian campaigns. One don Cossack was lying in the dirt motionless for half a day, while almost on his back there are two Highlander watcher. The Cossacks were able to swim under water using a snorkel for breathing, hiding my head into the swamp for days on duty in the trees above an enemy's head.

It ended up that the highlanders refused to capture fortifications and, after suffering huge losses, retreated. When it was certain that among the scouts was not only killed, but wounded.

At the end of our story is to say that comparing the ninja and the Cossacks is not entirely correct. The Japanese soldiers were just skilled mercenaries from the peasant clans, and the Cossacks — a professional army and they performed completely different tasks. Concealed movement, secret murders and ambushes our guys used in exceptional cases and Cossacks covered themselves with glory not in covert operations and open combat with enemies.