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WABUKAN Arsenal · Spears and polearms · Japan

Naginata

A curved blade on a long shaft, used by warrior monks and samurai. In the Edo period it became the weapon taught to women of samurai families.

Naginata
Naginata WABUKAN illustration

Also known as

薙刀 · ko-naginata; ō-naginata; bisentō (related)

Origin and history

The naginata, a curved blade on a long shaft, was a major battlefield weapon of warrior monks (sōhei) and samurai from the Heian to the Kamakura period, before the spear (yari) replaced it. In the Edo period it became a weapon associated with women of samurai families, and today it is practised as atarashii naginata and in koryū schools.

Martial arts that use it

Naginatajutsu

Construction

A curved, single-edged blade of 30–60 cm fixed to an oval wooden shaft of about 1.5–2 m with a metal butt cap (ishizuki). Practice versions have a bamboo blade (habu) and a wooden shaft, about 2.1–2.25 m in total.

Basic techniques

Training

Polearm training begins with handling: sliding the hands along the shaft, turning the weapon end to end and keeping distance. Thrusts, sweeps and blocks are drilled solo, then in prearranged forms with a partner using wooden versions with padded or blunt tips.

Safety

Long weapons need room: check the ceiling and the space behind you, and warn partners before turning the weapon. Inspect wooden shafts for cracks and splinters and replace them rather than repair them.

Legality (general information)

Swords, knives and other edged weapons are regulated very differently from country to country (and sometimes from region to region): owning one at home is often allowed, while carrying it in public, buying it under a certain age or importing it may be restricted or banned. Practitioners usually transport them cased, out of reach and straight between home and dojo. This is general information, not legal advice: check the law where you live.

Did you know?

Modern naginata competition includes strikes to the shin (sune), a target that does not exist in kendo.

More weapons

Yari Qiang (spear) Guandao Monk’s spade Ge (dagger-axe) Halberd

Sources

Original WABUKAN text, written from these cross-checked sources (facts, not sentences).

  1. Wikipedia — Naginata
  2. Wikipedia — Atarashii naginata