Weapon Types

Beyond the katana: wakizashi, tanto, naginata, nunchaku, sai, and other weapons of the Japanese martial tradition.

Weapon Types

The Naginata and How It Became Japan’s Women’s Weapon

The Japanese naginata — a curved blade mounted on a long wooden pole — is one of the most frequently misunderstood weapons in Japanese martial arts. Western audiences

Weapon Types

The Tanto – a Short Blade With a Long History

The tanto is the shortest blade category in the nihonto classification — under 30 cm in length — yet the craft and artistry concentrated into these small blades