{"id":52562,"date":"2026-04-22T12:35:40","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T10:35:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/samuraimuseum.de\/wissen\/naginata-the-polearm-of-the-samurai\/"},"modified":"2026-06-24T10:39:56","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T08:39:56","slug":"naginata-the-polearm-of-the-samurai","status":"publish","type":"wissen","link":"https:\/\/samuraimuseum.de\/en\/knowledge\/naginata-the-polearm-of-the-samurai\/","title":{"rendered":"Naginata: The Polearm of the Samurai"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In the spring of 1184, a woman warrior defends the mountain fortress at Tonami-yama. She wears armour and holds a naginata in her hand \u2014 the curved blade on a long shaft that killed more warriors on the battlefields of the Heian period than any sword. The scene comes from the Heike Monogatari<\/em>. Centuries later, the naginata still stands for a warrior culture in which leverage triumphed over muscle power.<\/p>\n\n

The naginata<\/em> (\u8599\u5200) is a Japanese polearm with a curved blade that was used on Japan’s battlefields between the 10th and 16th centuries. Alongside the bow, it was regarded as the preferred weapon in the Kamakura and Muromachi periods \u2014 even ahead of the sword. Its name derives from the verb nagu<\/em>, which means \u201eto mow down”.<\/p>\n\n

At the Samurai Museum Berlin<\/a>, visitors can study three original Edo-period naginata \u2014 testimonies to a weapon that evolved from an anti-cavalry instrument into an artful status symbol.<\/em><\/p>\n\n

<\/span>Construction and Variants of a Battlefield Weapon<\/span><\/h2>\n\n

A naginata consists of three main components. The blade (ha<\/em>) is single-edged and curved, with historical blade lengths between 30 and 60 cm. The shaft (ebu<\/em>) is made of hard wood \u2014 often red oak or white oak \u2014 with an oval cross-section, 120 to 180 cm long. Metal rings (semegane<\/em>) reinforce the shaft. At the lower end sits the end piece (ishizuki<\/em>), a metal cap serving as a counterweight and blunt striking weapon.<\/p>\n\n

The blades can be divided into two basic forms, both named after historical female figures of the 12th century: The tomoe gata<\/em> widens toward the tip, the curvature increasing \u2014 named after the legendary warrior Tomoe Gozen. The shizuka gata<\/em> shows a narrower, straighter blade profile \u2014 named after Shizuka Gozen, the lover of Minamoto no Yoshitsune.<\/p>\n\n

The \u014c-Naginata<\/em> with blades of 50 to 70 cm was the battlefield version for mounted fighters. The Ko-Naginata<\/em> with a shorter blade was more agile and suited to interior spaces. The Nagamaki<\/em> \u2014 a hybrid weapon \u2014 had a grip that was often longer than the blade itself.<\/p>\n\n

<\/span>Tactical Use: Reach Against Cavalry<\/span><\/h2>\n\n

Japanese battlefield tactics were based on reach: bow (over 200 m), arquebus (over 100 m), yari spear (4\u20136 m), naginata (2\u20133 m), katana (under 1 m). The naginata lay between spear and sword \u2014 useless against archers, at a disadvantage against spearmen, but fully effective against mounted opponents.<\/p>\n\n

Thomas Conlan’s statistical analysis of 1,302 wound reports from the 14th century shows: 72 percent of the documented wounds came from arrows, around 20 percent from swords, only a small fraction from polearms. The bow remained the dominant weapon.<\/p>\n\n

The naginata used the movement of the attacking horse against the rider. The fighter waited until the attacker was close enough, then swung the blade horizontally at the height of the horse’s legs. A cut through the tendon of the foreleg \u2014 and the animal fell. In the Heian and Kamakura periods, naginata fighters stood in the second rank, behind archers, as a barrier against charging cavalry.<\/p>\n\n

<\/span>Why the Naginata Was Regarded as a Woman’s Weapon<\/span><\/h2>\n\n

The answer is pragmatic, not romantic. The naginata used leverage instead of raw muscle power. The long reach of over two metres made it possible to keep opponents at a distance. The curved edge made drawing cuts possible \u2014 less effort than a direct blow with the sword. In enclosed spaces \u2014 castles, villas, corridors \u2014 it was especially effective: the hallways were too narrow for long spears, too low for large sword strokes.<\/p>\n\n

From the Edo period (1615\u20131868) onward, the naginata was increasingly regarded as the traditional weapon of women. The wives of the samurai trained preferentially with it \u2014 a tradition that is directly reflected in today’s martial art Naginata-d\u014d<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n

<\/span>The \u201eWarrior Monks”: Myth and Reality<\/span><\/h2>\n\n

The popular image of bald-headed Buddhist monks with naginata \u2014 the S\u014dhei<\/em> (\u50e7\u5175, \u201ewarrior monks”) \u2014 is painted radically differently by academic research. The historian of religion Mikael Adolphson demonstrated that the term S\u014dhei<\/em> does not appear in a single contemporary source of the Heian or Kamakura period. The term was not invented until the Edo period. The armed forces of the great monasteries consisted of secular servants, hired mercenaries, and lower clerics \u2014 no homogeneous army of fighting priests.<\/p>\n\n

<\/span>Three Naginata at the Samurai Museum Berlin<\/span><\/h2>\n\n

Naginata with blossom lozenges (signed Munenaga saku):<\/strong> A narrow, sword-like blade with a slight curvature. The black-lacquered shaft is decorated with gold-powder technique (maki-e<\/em>): hexagonal geometric blossom-lozenge patterns over the entire length of the shaft. As an Edo-period piece, this naginata illustrates the transition from a combat weapon to a status symbol.<\/p>\n\n

Naginata Fujiwara Korekazu<\/strong> (signed, identified as Unju Korekazu, 1820\u20131892): The blade, together with the tang, measures about 85 cm and shows the characteristic tomoe gata<\/em> \u2014 widening toward the tip, the curvature increasing. Floral decorations \u2014 chrysanthemum and mallow blossom (aoi<\/em>) \u2014 adorn the fittings.<\/p>\n\n

Naginata Kiky\u014d<\/strong> illustrates a revealing practice: since the blade structure of the naginata resembles that of the sword, some blades were removed from the shaft and mounted on a sword grip \u2014 naginata naoshi<\/em>. In Japan a proverb arose for this: Naginata naoshi ni dont\u014d nashi<\/em> \u2014 \u201eNo blade reworked from a naginata was ever dull.”<\/p>\n\n

<\/span>Five Myths About the Naginata<\/span><\/h2>\n\n

Myth 1: \u201eThe naginata was a purely female weapon.”<\/strong> In the Heian and Kamakura periods it was a standard infantry weapon for men. Only in the Edo period was it increasingly regarded as the preferred weapon of samurai women.<\/p>\n\n

Myth 2: \u201eThe S\u014dhei were ordained monks with naginata.”<\/strong> Largely an Edo-period invention. The armed temple forces consisted of secular servants and mercenaries.<\/p>\n\n

Myth 3: \u201eThe naginata was militarily superior to the sword.”<\/strong> It was a specialist weapon \u2014 effective against cavalry, at equal reach inferior to the yari spear.<\/p>\n\n

Myth 4: \u201eThe naginata could cut a horse in two.”<\/strong> No direct severing \u2014 but the tendons of the forelegs were the target. Conlan’s analysis confirms the practice.<\/p>\n\n

Myth 5: \u201eNaginata-d\u014d is the unchanged historical martial art.”<\/strong> Modern naginata-d\u014d was standardized in 1955. The historical kory\u016b tradition survives in schools such as Tend\u014d-ry\u016b and Toda-ha Buk\u014d-ry\u016b.<\/p>\n\n

<\/span>Frequently Asked Questions<\/span><\/h2>\n\n

What is a naginata?<\/h3>\n\n

The naginata<\/em> (\u8599\u5200) is a Japanese polearm with a curved, single-edged blade on a long wooden shaft. Blade length 30\u201360 cm, total length 180\u2013250 cm. It was used on Japanese battlefields between the 10th and 16th centuries.<\/p>\n\n

What is the difference between naginata and nagamaki?<\/h3>\n\n

The nagamaki is a hybrid form with a grip that is often just as long as or longer than the blade. It is wielded like a two-handed sword \u2014 more powerful, but less versatile than the classic naginata.<\/p>\n\n

Is there still naginata martial art today?<\/h3>\n\n

Yes. Naginatajutsu<\/em> (historical combat naginata) and Naginata-d\u014d<\/em> (modern way of the naginata) continue to be practised. The modern form was standardized in 1955. The historical form survives in schools such as Tend\u014d-ry\u016b, Toda-ha Buk\u014d-ry\u016b, and Sui\u014d-ry\u016b.<\/p>\n\n

<\/span>Visit the Samurai Museum Berlin<\/span><\/h2>\n\n

The Samurai Museum Berlin shows three historical naginata of the Edo period \u2014 among them a piece with artful blossom-lozenge decorations, a signed naginata by the smith Fujiwara Korekazu, and an example of the naginata naoshi<\/em> reworking. Open daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Auguststra\u00dfe 68, Berlin-Mitte.<\/p>\n\n

\u2192 Tickets & Opening Hours<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n

\u2192 All Exhibitions at a Glance<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n

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