Japanese High School Girls Practice Naginata
The medieval Japanese martial art of Naginata is being kept alive in Japan today by high school girls. The naginata, a wooden staff with a curved blade attached, is a weapon from the Samurai period. In battle, it would be used to bring down a horse, but it was also favored by wives of the Samurai who kept a naginata at home for protection while their Samurai husband was away serving his master.
The naginata, a Japanese pole weapon, holds a significant role in Japanese culture, historically used by foot soldiers, warrior women (onnamusha), and warrior monks. Today there some Budo schools in Japan that continue to teach the naginata such as Tenshin Shōden Katori Shintō-ryū, Tendō-ryū, Toda-ha Bukō-ryū, and Yōshin-ryū who have incorporated naginatajutsu into their curriculum. Visit this older post to learn about the legacy of the female Samurai and naginata.
