Updated 04-May-2020.
Mondo shtuff from around the internet, all about NAGINATA!
My botty best at summarizing from Wikipedia: the naginata (, ) is a pole weapon and one of several varieties of traditionally made blades (nihonto) they were originally used by the samurai class of feud the blade of the ko-naginata with its pole is heavier and much slower than the Japanese sword . it was smaller to compensate for the lesser height and upper body strength of a woman than an armoured male the shaft ranges from 120 cm to 240 cm in length and is oval shaped . the end of the shaft has a heavy metal end cap (ishizuki or hirumaki) when not in use the blade would the earliest clear references to naginata date from 1146 in the late Heian period . some 11th and 12th century mentions of hoko may actually have been referring to the weapon . the artwork from the late-13th and 14th centuries depicts the shei with naginata . the weapons appear as just one of a number of others carried by the monks . they are the naginata was accepted as a status symbol and self-defense weapon for women of nobility . in the peaceful Edo Period, weapons’ value as battlefield weapons became diminished . the yari (s historical recordings describing practice of martial arts by women are rare and uncertain . the naginata was commonly a dowry of women of the nobility . but historical recordings are rare . in the united states, there are an estimated 200 practitioners . the naginata used is between 210 cm and 225 cm in length . it is used for practice, forms competitions, and sparring . the naginata used by kory practitioners has an oak shaft and blade, carved from a single piece of wood . it may incorporate a disc-shaped guard (Tsuba) it is called imitations have shorter, rounded shafts, very short blades, and screw-together sections . they have several situational advantages over a sword . their reach is longer, allowing the wielder to keep out of naginatajutsu is a martial art of wielding a weapon . the weapon’s weight gives power to strikes and cuts . use of the weapon is also taught in some kory naginata practitioners wear an uwagi, obi, and hakama, similar to that worn by kendo practitioners . for sparring, armor known as bgu is worn .