European swords outclass katanas due to steel quality but how would a katana made with modern high quality steel hold up?
Probably still worse. European swordmaking is also very good. But since the european swords tend to be thicker and harder they will probably still beat katanas, all other things considered equal
I once saw a video talking about how the katana isn't the right sword to compare with a longsword. Longsword was a battlefield weapon; katana was more of a decorative sidearm. Kind of like an officer's sabre. Another weapon, called a "tachi" if I recall correctly, was more common in an earlier era when Samurai spent far more time on actual battlefields. It was a longer and heavier blade.
Well, how does a professional sport player fare when they are given high quality equipment versus the low grade stuff they became a pro with?
In a melee battle, it doesn't really matter all that much the quality of a weapon if both are highly trained on how to use the weapon. A single mistake on either side could just as easily decide the battle one way or the other. I guess you could say whichever side won was just lucky the other side had an equipment malfunction, hesitated, or chose a bad tactic, etc.
They bend backwards fast and are made for a completely different environment.
Katana is cool, European swords are cool, all swords are cool.
And the best old weapon is a spear. (or advanced poking stick if you will)
