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Originally posted by krazixs
You are correct a rapier in the hands of a skilled fencer could defeat someone in heavy armor, but no it is not the best weapon to use. Going up agains someone in heavy field armor or even maximillian plate the best weapon would be a warhammer, in my opinion at least because lord knows that's enough right there to start a debate amongst SCA enthusiasts.
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Okay, no disagreement on warhammer being better against armour than a rapier. I didn't say that the rapier was the best weapon, I said it was probably the best sword overall. It works well against both armoured and unarmoured opponents and the fighting style is such that it can effectively handle other styles well.
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Firearms and rapiers succeeded heavy armor combat not because they were a superior weapon choice but because it afforded a more mobile unit that could be outfitted quickly and with less expense.
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Um, no. Firearms, early firearms, were hideously expensive and extremely bulky/non-mobile. Arquebusiers were well known to be shoot or move troops, unlike archers. The were literally handcannons and were bulky and difficult to use. They also ate through armour like crazy, thus they were kept on the field. And rapiers were no less expensive to make than broadswords given that much more advanced metallurgy was needed to make good rapier blades, and balance was far more important.
Rapiers and firearms succeeded heavy armour because they were so effective against heavy armour that it was no longer cost-effective to field the armour. It had nothing to do with the expense of firearms and rapiers.
If you are saying that armour was expensive and thus they stopped using it due to expense, we will disagree. Any well-to-do person on the field (read Noble) was buying his own armour, or had armour that was gifted to him by someone wealthy. If you were putting your high-bred butt on the line, you were damned sure going to wear as much armour as you could. They stopped using it only because arquebusiers blew through it like it wasn't there. If it doesn't work, why buy it?
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And yes Musashi did come west and studied European fencing.
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I'm not intending this as calling you out, but do you have a reference for this? I'm not disbelieving you, I would just like to read the account myself as I am very interested in Musashi (who isn't that enjoys such topics as medieval fencing, Samurai swords, and military history and philosophy?)