is the Japanese martial art of wielding the
naginataNaginata is a pole weapon that was traditionally used in Japan by members of the samurai class. It has become associated with women and in modern Japan it is studied by women more than men; whereas in Europe and Australia Naginata is practiced predominantly by men - this is however only simply a...
.
This is a weapon resembling the medieval European
glaiveA glaive is a polearm consisting of a single-edged blade on the end of a pole. It is similar to the Japanese naginata and the Chinese Guan Dao. However, instead of having a tang like a sword or naginata, the blade is affixed in a socket-shaft configuration similar to an axe head. Typically, the...
. Most naginatajutsu practiced today is in a modernized form, a
gendai budō, meaning "modern martial way", are modern Japanese martial arts which were established after the Meiji Restoration . Koryū are the opposite: ancient martial arts established before the Meiji Restoration.-Scope and tradition:...
, , in which competitions also are held.
Multiple theories concerning the weapon's exact origins are in debate. It has been suggested that it developed along the same lines as
kobudo, a Japanese term meaning "old martial way", may refer to:* Okinawan kobudō, the martial arts weaponry systems originating on the island of Okinawa* Koryū, a general term for "old" or "traditional" Japanese martial arts...
weapons as a modified farming tool.
is the Japanese martial art of wielding the
naginataNaginata is a pole weapon that was traditionally used in Japan by members of the samurai class. It has become associated with women and in modern Japan it is studied by women more than men; whereas in Europe and Australia Naginata is practiced predominantly by men - this is however only simply a...
.
This is a weapon resembling the medieval European
glaiveA glaive is a polearm consisting of a single-edged blade on the end of a pole. It is similar to the Japanese naginata and the Chinese Guan Dao. However, instead of having a tang like a sword or naginata, the blade is affixed in a socket-shaft configuration similar to an axe head. Typically, the...
. Most naginatajutsu practiced today is in a modernized form, a
gendai budō, meaning "modern martial way", are modern Japanese martial arts which were established after the Meiji Restoration . Koryū are the opposite: ancient martial arts established before the Meiji Restoration.-Scope and tradition:...
, , in which competitions also are held.
Debated origins
Multiple theories concerning the weapon's exact origins are in debate. It has been suggested that it developed along the same lines as
kobudo, a Japanese term meaning "old martial way", may refer to:* Okinawan kobudō, the martial arts weaponry systems originating on the island of Okinawa* Koryū, a general term for "old" or "traditional" Japanese martial arts...
weapons as a modified farming tool. Another theory states that it is the result of the Japanese modifying a Chinese Guan Dao that bears a similar appearance. Others say that a creative
samuraiis the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
in need of a longer weapon attached a sword to a pole.
Perhaps the simplest explanation is the natural development of polearms. The polearms are intended as mass weapons, to be used not just by individual warriors, but by formations of soldiers together on field battles and not for duelling. When fighting in close order, two-handed cut-and-thrust weapons, such as
halberdA halberd is a two-handed pole weapon that came to prominent use during the 14th and 15th centuries. Possibly the word halberd comes from the German words Halm , and Barte . The halberd consists of an axe blade topped with a spike mounted on a long shaft...
s and
glaiveA glaive is a polearm consisting of a single-edged blade on the end of a pole. It is similar to the Japanese naginata and the Chinese Guan Dao. However, instead of having a tang like a sword or naginata, the blade is affixed in a socket-shaft configuration similar to an axe head. Typically, the...
s, are much more efficient than mere spears or swords because of their versatility compared to spears and longer reach compared to swords. Fighting in massed formation does not require similar individual weapon-handling skills as required by a skilled swordsman. Naginata is almost identical in appearance to both glaive and guan dao, and it is most likely result of parallel evolution.
History
In the early history of its use, the naginata was primarily used against cavalry, as its length kept the wielder a safe distance from horses and their riders. During the Tokugawa period (1603-1868), the naginata was transformed into a symbol of status for female samurai, as well as being the primary means for a woman to defend her home while her husband was away at war. This period also saw the propagation of the naginata as a feminine art and the weapon serving as more of a symbol of devotion to a woman's family.
Many
koryūis a Japanese word that is used in association with the ancient Japanese martial arts. This word literally translates as "old school" or "traditional school." Koryū is a general term for Japanese schools of martial arts that predate the Meiji Restoration is a Japanese word that is used in...
ryūhaA Ryū , or ryūha , is a Japanese word referring to a school of thought in any discipline...
, such as the
Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto-ryuis one of the oldest extant Japanese martial arts, and an exemplar of koryū bujutsu. The Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū was founded by Iizasa Ienao, born 1387 in Iizasa village , who was living near Katori Shrine at the time...
, include naginatajutsu in their curriculum.
Modern sport
Today, naginatajutsu is most often practiced in the form of a sport called , which in Japan is governed by the All Japan Naginata Federation (AJN). It is most common in
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
for this sport to be practiced by women at the collegiate level. Outside Japan
NaginataNaginata is a pole weapon that was traditionally used in Japan by members of the samurai class. It has become associated with women and in modern Japan it is studied by women more than men; whereas in Europe and Australia Naginata is practiced predominantly by men - this is however only simply a...
is practiced in Europe, Australia, North and South America. Not all countries belong to the International Naginata Federation (INF).
External links