This guy knows that ninjas used shorter swords right?

You might have wanted to read that wiki yourself!

History

Because of the lack of any physical evidence or antique swords from the Sengoku period to the Edo period (16th to 19th century) matching the description of the ninjatō, the history of the weapon can only be reliably chronicled from the 20th century onwards.

1964

The Iga-ryū Ninja Museum in Japan, which houses replicas of the sword, is established. That same year, the swords appeared in Shinobi no Mono Kirigakure Saizō (忍びの者 霧隠才蔵) and Shinobi no Mono Zoku Kirigakure Saizō (忍びの者 続・霧隠才蔵), the 4th and 5th entries in the Japanese jidaigeki movie series Shinobi no Mono, released in theaters in Japan.

1973

Ads selling newly manufactured and imported ninja swords appear in the American magazine Black Belt.

1981

Books containing references to the sword written by Masaaki Hatsumi, the founder of the Bujinkan, and Stephen K. Hayes, an American who studied under Hatsumi in 1975, are published.

1983

The first Hollywood film to feature the ninjatō, Revenge of the Ninja, is released in theaters.

1984

The first American television production to feature these swords, The Master, is broadcast on NBC.

It definitely LOOKS cooler on the back but in terms of practicality I imagine it's way better at the side.

I mean how do you sheathe a sword with the scabbard on your back? Do you kinda just look over your shoulder for the hole or what?

For straight up transportation purposes carrying a big sword on your back is way easier and more practical. You don't carry a sword on your back into battle, but if you expect you're gonna need a sword where you're going you carry it on your back then detach the scabbard and unsheathe the sword once you're there.

Quick draw always from the hip.

Back is way cooler.

@fattony12000: True. But is also says: Historically, there is no physical evidence for the existence of this "katana like sword legendarily used by ninja",[6] though it is believed that they are based on the design of the wakizashi or chokutō type swords.[1] Dr. Stephen Turnbull, a historian specializing in the military history of Japan indicates of historical ninja: "The most important ninja weapon was his sword. This was the standard Japanese fighting sword or katana...for convenience the ninja would choose a blade that was shorter and straighter than usual".

So just by using logic and although there is no physical proof, ninjas had to use a shorter sword if they wanted to unsheat it.

Hip. So you can draw and slash in one clean, smooth movement like a samurai. Drawing from your back out of a scabbard and/or putting it back in looks awkward.

It depends entirely on the sword.

I prefer the hip though, since you can kill with a draw. Katanas are two handed but are set on the hip. Big dirty claymores however simply wouldn't work from the hip.

In that situation you'd have to unclip it from your back to use it though, since you can't draw a sword from the back if it's longer than your arm.

From my experience doing military drills, it goes on your hip. Like others said, you can't unsheathe a sword on your back.

my default sword is either a katana or cutlass, so hip.

Pacific Rim has taught us that sword coming out of your arm is the most effective.

This is pretty simple, two hand/enormous one hander goes on the back, normal length goes at the waist; with the notable exception of katanas which all go on the waist regardless of length.

@beforet: If you are carrying your sword with you it is cause you intend to use it. so you should not put it on your back with the idea of just taking it off. If you have to draw by the time you get your sword out it is too late.

And if you are traveling it will be on your horse or resting ontop of your shoulder, especially with such huge swords as shown here, None of those are carried around casualy.

I'm a hipster kind of guy.

Well, longswords were never really used in combat, and were mostly used in organized 1v1 fights (with "fight schools" teaching it as a specialized version of fencing), so they would most likely transport the swords/carry them in their hands instead of sheathing them on their body.

With saying that, I can't think of a historical example were swords were ever actually sheathed on the back for any reason, especially considering that swords mostly served the same role as modern-day pistols and would need to be quickly drawn in an emergency. Besides, a soldier would typically wear his equipment/shield on his back, carry his spear and, if he had one, wear a sword on his hip along with water/etc.

So the answer is obviously hip since carrying swords on your back is a very impractical and 20th century type thing.

For sure, boxers or briefs is all about height and length.... ;-)

Hip. Hip isn't just more practical, I personally think it looks cooler (because it's more practical, but that's besides the point).

Honorable mention to being able to summon your sword seemingly from thin air, and to just always walking around holding the scabbard.

Goddamn HIPsters.

GODDAMNITTTTTTTTT

hip

The sword training I had was about using it from hip but I guess there may be some styles of using sword from your back.

Iaijutsu

Depends on the sword but I think back LOOKS cooler, while hip WORKS better.

Can't do that with it on your back.

Watch the video above - it's basically what the guy says. You use it on your back for carrying when climbing - so it doesn't get in the way or make noise. For battle, you'd readjust to your hip.

I may be wrong but I think that it's generally accepted that longswords refer to blades longer than 40 inches attached to two-handed grips, which saw martial use in Britain/France during the mid-medieval period. Granted, they were likely only used by wealthy cowards on horseback to slice up peasants- I mean "used by cavalry to chase down routing footmen," but that's still use in combat (and explains their use in English tournament melees.) I believe that German and Italian long-sword fencing is a slightly later development?

So, likely the correct answer to where to sheathe your longsword is "on your horse, you coward."

Sideways on lower back.

I had to buy American Eagle boxers just to accomodate myself. Don't like their clothes and hate their prices, but if it's all that fits...

I don't get it? Sometimes you wear your underwear on your back? ;)

Sometimes long-johns are the only solution for maintaining genital modesty. I heard tell of such curses.

Does Dr Turnbull also have any fascinating insights into the weapons preferred by Santa Claus, or the Tooth Fairy?

Leprechauns are motherfuckers with nunchaku, I hear.

Son of Darkness style, baby.

Depends on the overall character look.

Back looks cooler for most swords but side is much more practical as has been stated.

One thing we are missing is sword of the lower back which is cool as well.

Why did I not know about this guy's videos before. Amazing! Cheers.

Jutting out of my own body, Solomon Grundy style, or ripped from the hands of my fallen foes then quickly discarded in someone elses chest.

Unrelated, but this is an awesome knife-fight.

Back looks cooler. Also, I don't think the point of carrying it on your back is to draw it at a moments notice.

Virgil-style... I just carry the scabbard... sling on my back when I have to get around

Take that, British YouTube man!

Forget on the back or on the hip, just hold it like a boss.

And the matter is settled.

LindyBeige actually did a video response to that specific video, I think. Among the highlights; If drawing your sword requires you to put both of your hands behind your back, you're probably dead - and why would you be rolling around on the floor? Try walking.

@rebgav: I suppose if a ninja and samurai were to walk up to each other and draw that would be the case, but that would be a pretty terrible ninja.

I don't know why a ninja would have to roll, maybe traps or to evade? I don't see why showing how it's possible to roll with a sword on your back is a negative though.

Hip is more practical (in most cases), but back looks cooler.

I don't know why a ninja would be carrying a sword in the first place, everyone knows that their most effective weapon was wicked wah-wah guitar riffs.

Put it on your backside and you've got the best of both worlds.

This post is so right it physically hurts me. Hip drawing looks way cooler than drawing from the back. I love the image of a swordsman drawing his sword from the hip in that stance with his knees belt. It's just so much sleeker and more efficient looking than the image of a guy with a sword on his back.

Vergil has a more practical way of drawing a sword.

I always found hip to be cooler and more functional. Vergil up top has it right.