#naginata

[stivkun]

In the early morning, when fog is as white as snow, you may see this figure walking along the shore.

Small fish samurai sketch based on the amazing frontal crest from the collection of Ann and Gabriel Barbier-Mueller. Saw this tweet went "Oh my god, it was made for me" and ran with it.

[Not part of the Ashore Project]

[redsamuraiii]

Anna Sawai training with Naginata for Shogun (2024). 😎

Naginata is a weapon used by Onna Musha (Female Warrior) who are non combatants that defends the castle and household. They act as the last line of defense to protect the lord, elderly and children in the event the enemy made it pass through the front line.

[naginatagifs]

Naginata x Nito ryu

[nomilkinmyteaplease]

We must go back

[city-of-ladies]

"Sana studied Hokushin Ittō ryū at a young age along with her siblings. She had a great interest in bujutsu as she learned many things, such as kenjutsu. It is recorded that Sana was exceptionally skilled in using the kodachi (short sword), that she received menkyo kaiden (mastery level) in kodachijutsu at the age of fourteen. Her older sister taught her naginatajutsu, which was quite renowned due to Sadakichi’s efforts in developing it.

When Sana was 19, she went to Uwajima Domain as a kenjutsu instructor for the Date family to train their daughter named Masako (政子姫). During her time there, she had a sparring match with the soon-to-be 9th domain head, Date Mune’e (age 27), and was able to win against him. "

[triaelf9]

Oh yeah, here's a clip from my match against the 1st place winner, i went on to fight for 3rd and won (it was so fun omg). I'm the one with the white ribbon, and the other is in red. This was also me with a bad lung nasty going on, so not bad, all in all! Lol

[lanthart]

TVDINT STUFF  △🐶🐱💕

[blogfanreborn777]

Vive Lame de Maden by Skyzocat

[sketchytoasty]

design commission

[devileaterjaek]

[malaurymalfunctional]

after hinting in a conversation where polearms came up that i had a personnal ranking and obtaining no response, i've come to tumblr. tumblr has my back.

weapon side of tumblr; here we go

#5! : the Naginata

a very cool and classy weapon, however it looses point for being a 1-edged blade. not even 2 edges? not the best thrusting power either. slashing isn't great against armor, and though it can kill in a hit against bare skin, maybe even gambisons, it struggles against the most basic of chainmail. pierce and blunt superiority

contenders for 5th place were also the guan dao, the chinese version with sharp bits on the opposite edge, which should net it more offensive points but they make the weapon look less neat, and they barely add any functionnality

we also have the warscythe, inward-curving and lower-class cousin of these bad boys - a simple grass scythe with the blade turned for increased range, balance, slashing power and ease of use. while the wide availabilty and humble origins are great, i simply am not a fan of the design. notable though, for an improvised weapon, a farming tool, it works well, and is deadlier than it might look

#4! : the Partisan

a fairly straightforward polearm, barely upgraded from the base that is the spear/pike, with upward hooks on the sides to catch and deflect swords. perticularly good in defense, and just a neat shape

#3! : the Guisarme

often called Billhook because it's basically a billhook stuck on a spear, the guisarme is of this category of polearms i love called "more is better". to hit someone with that and not hurt them, you'd have to really try to. spikes everywhere isn't the cleverest design, but it's effective. the backwards-curving hook would have been used to dismount cavaliers off of horseback, although i like it best for the prospect of hooking on and pulling other weapons while clashing to try and disarm your opponent. notably though, said backwards hook makes for the perfect spot to be hooked and pulled on

#2! : the Halberd

yes, the classic, THE polearm, our beloved halberd. also a partisan of "more is better" (of which the Partisan is not) with its "axehead" and big spike, the halberd is more interesting than what its popularity might posit: as seen above, 'Halberd' describes a wider range of weapons than most terms. with or without a backspike, from a normal thrusting head spike to some of the longest ever seen on a weapon, from an almost Foulge aka a warcleaver, to basically a battleaxe on a stick, the halberd is an ol' reliable and has what you need, whatever it is. probably

#Honorable mentions!

i already mentionned the guan dao and warscythe, who didn't make it into the top 5, but how could i forget the most basic of polearms, forefather of our forefathers and original pokey stick;

apparently, whether it is named spear, lance or pike depends on its size and use. spear are for footsoldiers and can even be thrown like javelins in some circumstances, seeing how they're the lightest. lances are for horseback, while pikes, the longest, are used in tight formations to form a barrage of spikes, like against cavalry

finally, the closest thing to our top 1: the Lucerne hammer

used mainly for its hammerhead, the Lucerne is, for this reason and because of its less fancy, less french name, always in the shadow of my favorite polearm:

the Bec de Corbin

from the old french for "crow's beak", our beautiful corvid inspired weapon is used primarly with its sidespike, our namesake beak. an armor destroyer and danger from all sides, the bec de corbin can pierce and crush, with a thrust as deadly as its swipe. hack away at your foes in perfect serenity with the knowledge that a concussion and three broken bones is about the most unscathed you can get out of a confrontation with a bec de corbin. smash their helmet in with blunt force or pierce their chestplate with this XL warpick, the choice is yours. however, be mindfull of this heavy duty weapon, as its weight and force can be used against you, even moreso than with other polearms, with the thrusting spike the only part that remains deadly at close range

and that concludes this! please don't come for me. i am simply a weapons enthusiast and do not deserve to die for any mistakes, omissions or personnal opinions you don't agree with present in this post. please

[teal-eyedronin378]

Vs. The Yakuza

[redsamuraiii]

Moeka Hoshi training with Naginata for Shogun (2024)

First Anna Sawai (Mariko), now her (Fuji). 😎

[naginatagifs]

Precise throat strike

[nomilkinmyteaplease]

[inkbrushmood]

KOJO MIYAGINO: The Filial Using a Naginata (mid 1800s). Woodblock print, oban tate-e. 36.90cm x 25.40cm. British Museum.

What comes to mind when you hear the word samurai? Men wielding katanas? Ironclad Japanese warriors about to strike a blow? Or perhaps a robed samurai on the verge of self-sacrifice.

How about a kimono-wrapped lady on the verge of kicking ass?

While most women in feudal Japan were expected to adhere to traditional roles, samurai as a rising warrior class (actually called “bushi” before the Kamakura Period) included both men and women. However, "samurai" was a term reserved for men. Women "samurai" were deemed onna-musha (a female warrior on the offensive) or onna bugeisha, a warrior woman on the defensive.

Onna musha were rarer than their onna bugeisha counterparts, who were nevertheless formidable women. Onna bugeisha were trained in martial arts to defend their homes against the frequent ransacking that took place during the Warring States Period in feudal Japan. Their weapon of choice was the naginata, a curved sword mounted on a pole, first used by warrior monks in 750 A.D.