NaginatajutsuNaginatajutsu (長刀術 or 薙刀術) is the Japanese martial art of wielding the naginata (長刀). The naginata is a weapon resembling the European glaive and the Chinese guan dao. Most naginatajutsu practiced today is in a modernized form, a gendai budō, in which competitions also are held. HistoryOriginsThe naginata originates from development of the Japanese spear called hoko yari of the later 1st millennium AD.
YumiYumi () is the Japanese term for a bow. As used in English, yumi refers more specifically to traditional Japanese asymmetrical bows, and includes the longer daikyū () and the shorter hankyū () used in the practice of kyūdō and kyūjutsu, or Japanese archery. The yumi was an important weapon of the samurai warrior during the feudal period of Japan. It is typically shot with Japanese arrows known as ya.
Japanese swordA Japanese sword (Japanese: 日本刀, Hepburn: nihontō) is one of several types of traditionally made swords from Japan. Bronze swords were made as early as the Yayoi period (1,000 BC – 300 AD), though most people generally refer to the curved blades made from the Heian period (794–1185) to the present day when speaking of "Japanese swords". There are many types of Japanese swords that differ by size, shape, field of application, and method of manufacture.TachiA tachi (太刀) is a type of sabre-like traditionally made Japanese sword (nihonto) worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan. Tachi and uchigatana ("katana") generally differ in length, degree of curvature, and how they were worn when sheathed, the latter depending on the location of the mei (銘), or signature, on the tang. The tachi style of swords preceded the development of the katana, which was not mentioned by name until near the end of the twelfth century.
PolearmA polearm or pole weapon is a close combat weapon in which the main fighting part of the weapon is fitted to the end of a long shaft, typically of wood, extending the user's effective range and striking power. Polearms are predominantly melee weapons, with a subclass of spear-like designs fit for thrusting and/or throwing.Japanese sword mountingsJapanese sword mountings are the various housings and associated fittings (tosogu) that hold the blade of a Japanese sword when it is being worn or stored. Koshirae (拵え) refers to the ornate mountings of a Japanese sword (e.g. katana) used when the sword blade is being worn by its owner, whereas the shirasaya is a plain undecorated wooden mounting composed of a saya and tsuka that the sword blade is stored in when not being used.
GlaiveA glaive, sometimes spelled as glave, is a type of pole weapon, with a single-edged blade on the end, known for its distinctive design and versatile combat applications. There are many similar polearms such as the war scythe, the Japanese naginata, the Chinese guandao (yanyuedao), the Korean woldo, and the Russian sovnya. A glaive typically consists of a single-edged blade approximately 45 centimeters long affixed to a pole measuring about 2 meters.
SōheiSōhei (; "monk soldiers", "warrior monks") were Buddhistwarrior monks of both classical and feudal Japan. At certain points in history, they held considerable power, obliging the imperial and military governments to collaborate. The prominence of the sōhei rose in parallel with the ascendancy of the Tendai school's influence between the 10th and 17th centuries.
SamuraiProfessional warrior class in JapanThe mounted archer represented the quintessential samurai.The samurai (侍) were members of the professional warrior class in pre-industrialJapan, who served as retainers to the lords. These men came from warrior families and trained from a young age in military arts through private instruction.
Onna-mushaOnna-musha (女武者) is a term referring to female warriors in pre-modern Japan, who were members of the bushi (warrior) class. They were trained in the use of weapons to protect their household, family, and honour in times of war; some of them fought in battle alongside samurai men. Onna-musha also have an important presence in Japanese literature, with Tomoe Gozen and Hangaku Gozen being famous and influential examples.
AshigaruAshigaru (足軽; "light of foot") were peasant infantry employed by the warlords of Japan to supplement the samurai in their armies. The first known reference to ashigaru was in the 14th century, but it was during the Ashikaga shogunate (Muromachi period) that the use of ashigaru became prevalent by various warring factions.
GuandaoA guandao is a type of Chinese polearm that is used in some forms of Chinese martial arts. In Chinese, it is properly called a yanyuedao (偃月刀; lit. "reclining moon blade"), the name under which it appears in texts such as the Wujing Zongyao and Huangchao Liqi Tushi. It consists of a heavy blade with a spike at the back and sometimes also a notch at the spike's upper base that can catch an opponent's weapon.
なぎなたRelated word or term.薙刀Related word or term.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.