Over the years I have become very very proficient with the katana (the sword you see in most martial arts movies) and I wouldn't hesitate to take a bear on with it, or any other animal for that matter. I know that I could come straight through the bears skull or take off a paw with one swing of the blade. How long do you think it would take a bear to bleed out with its throat slit? Probably not too long. I'm not saying that I would not get injured in the fight, but I'm willing to bet that my first strike would be a terminal one.

That being said, I would still rather have a .375H&H in my hands, with my 44mag on my hip, and then the sword on my back as a last resort. A heavy bullet at 50 yards is much better medicine than any blade at arms length.