The Fearsome Japanese Nagamaki 長巻 Sword-Polearm-Hybrid!

The Japanese 'nagamaki' (長巻) - halfway between a sword and a polearm. Replica by Shadow Dancer: www.swordcn.co...
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[@ShuajoX]

As I understand it, nagamaki (長巻, meaning "long wrapping", i.e. the hilt) were originally derived from nakamaki nodachi, nakamaki (中巻), meaning "middle wrap", a nodachi with the base of the blade wrapped with a cloth or material of some sort to use as an extension of the hilt. As for who used them, I think it was Uesugi Kenshin's retainers or bodyguards that were known for using them.

[@Hachizukatenzo]

You got it pretty well for the wrapping. You still see some ryuha wrapping the base of the blade with a cloth today.

[@zenhydra]

There is a very nebulous border separating odachi/nodachi and nagamaki. Most depiction of nagamaki have a tsuka that borders on polearm length, but there are historic examples that look to have much closer to nodachi proportions. It's likely another case of people getting classification-happy long after such weapons were in common use.

[@joshuaehl1481]

Strongly disagree as the major differences in these blades is not only obvious by sight but also historical. The Nagamaki was referred to as the horse slayer and was used to dismount riders. This massive sword was big because of the swords overall length and not the blade. In addition the nagamaki also has a straighter handle, often completely straight which was similar to the naginata. The nodachi was massive overall but held its size in the blade. Also the handle would match the arch of the blade, similar to that in the video. The real uniqueness that I see in the blade in the video was the Boshi, which was incredibly long. This is a very modern depiction of a nagamaki for sure.

[@gunsenhistory7919]

I am glad you are covering more Japanese weapons!! As you have said in the video, and many other have pointed out, this is not really a nagamaki. It really fits a sinilar example in the Odawara collection, which is more of a ōkatana/nodachi, known as kuri iro kawa hishimaki ōuchigatana 栗色革菱巻大打刀 (ref Odawara castle collection, 武者桶え pg 48-49). The nagamaki is born out of a nodachi during the 14th century. The long wrap was a practice which consisted to extended the hilt by wrapping the forte of a nodachi, naka no maki nōdachi (中巻野太刀), which became just long wrap (nagamaki, 長巻) . There is an interesting switch of two similar phonems, 中 (naka) and 長(naga), but you get the idea. They were famously used by bodyguards in the Uesugi clan. They can mount as sword handle or as polearm shaft, the former usually being curved. Hope this helps! The nagamaki is indeed an obscure weapon, many were also cut down as you mention to make shorter blades

[@atom8248]

A lot of them have more naginata-esque blades, although longer than usual, widening toward the tip and sometimes being quite curved, while some look like a tachi/katana with super long hilt. They seem to have overlap with naginata as some I've seen in art kinda blur the line.

[@Marcus1293]

Cool! A three handed sword!

[@tommeakin1732]

Ngl I do find it rather funny how, at a certain point, the Japanese, at least superficially, seem to have just been like "take that thing I like and just scale it up or down - and if you're feeling really bold, play around with the size of the handle"

[@beowulf_of_wall_st]

like mexican food, but with swords

[@RamadaArtist]

I mean, this is the history of melee weapons in general, it's by no means limited to the Japanese.

[@user-wb7nv9ht1g]

They'd either have thought or aaid that with a Japanese accent. "Owwwwww, ahhhhhh takeiii lhat ling hi rike... etc". I translate English to Japanese.

[@gwotkid]

True, though you hardly see as much overlap between polearms and swords than in Japan. European polearms practically never looked like just a sword on a stick (obviously there are niche examples like the partizan) while the naganata is so similar to the blades of the standard sword that they were converted into swords en masse. ​@@RamadaArtist

[@RamadaArtist]

@@gwotkid Europeans rarely ever put a regular sized sword on a polearm, because instead they usually just made swords so large that they had to be used as polearms. Same idea of just, "take the thing I like and scale it up or down," but applied to the whole weapon, rather than mostly just the handle. (And make enough of the blade blunt that it functionally is a handle anyway, but put the cross-guard behind that part. Seriously the zweihander is a bizarre series of choices. I honestly have no idea why Europeans *didn't* just regularly put sword blades on the ends of polearms... they were already doing that with all of their farming equipment.)

[@shinjofox]

It is beautiful but i always think and read of Nagamaki as having a handle equal to or almost equal to the length of the blade.

[@gjigaqaquj]

Mount and blade warband had a really awesome japanese warfare mod and there was a nagamaki in it and it was amazing, though that nagamaki had a much longer hilt. Not alot of people talk about this weapon so im glad to see you covering it. Something about this weapon is just awesome.

[@KamiSeiTo]

🫂

[@matthewct8167]

Gekikujo?

[@gjigaqaquj]

@@matthewct8167 yup

[@Krishnaeternal]

@8:00 As I understand it, Matt is correct here. The nagamaki were used by elite bodyguards, best known during Nobunaga's rule.

[@KamiSeiTo]

One of my favourite Japanese weapons, with the naginata! It deserves more love, so I'm really happy to see them under your spotlight! 😊 (I mostly like the ones with the loooong long handles.)

[@UnintentionalSubmarine]

'give them to the men that are bad with a spear' This can be understood to mean those who are wasted on the spear (consider a bit of flowery language and it fits, and hte Japanese were very into that sort of language), if the spear is considered the basic weapon, which it was. Admittedly the Japanese were very fond of the yari in that timeperiod, but it was still the main weapon of the ashigaru. So the sentence also sort of specifies that the guys with the nagamaki were ashigaru (since the samurai were more or less selfarmed).

[@tinyj4520]

Not during the warring states. Samurai received their weapons from their warlords. Steel was still not cheap.

[@samneis128]

"Good" or "bad" with a spear might also mean good or bad at teamwork and following orders and moving in formation. Maybe you keep most of your solid, normal guys in the safer and more reliable yari formations and you give nagimakis to a smaller group that gets thrown into castle breaches and or broken formations, and basically just the more chaotic and dangerous stuff. You might pick guys for this role because they're skilled enough to survive it. Or you might pick guys that you don't mind losing. Kind of the outliers on either end. Makes me think of the terms "dopplesoldner" and "forlorn hope" in Europe, which also has tenuous associations with really big swords. Sometimes you pay a guy twice as much because he's really good, and sometimes you pay him twice as much because it's unlikely you'll ever have to pay him again.

[@Watari_toppa]

The Taikoki, written in 1626, describes that Oda Nobunaga's army used 100 foot-samurai with nagamakis with blades just over 90 cm long and shafts just over 121 cm, but this may not be true. There are katanas with long handles, and in the late 16th century, Tamiya Shigetada recommended a katana with a 9 cm longer handle than usual, and the Nobunaga Koki mentions that Oda Nobunaga carried a katana with a long handle. In the Later Hojo clan, many had katanas with long handles.

[@PJDAltamirus0425]

@@samneis128 Basically, expert fencers but doesn't the temperament of good soldiers. The strength of a spear unit is cohension and teamwork, a spearwall or pike block full of glory hounds wouldn't work well. Basically, the nagimaki is highly skilled danger loving hotheads.

[@Priapos93]

I get your point about how easily a mistranslation of idiom could happen. People misunderstand that kind of ironic compliment all the time even when they speak the same language.

[@pixelfairy]

I think Jason Kingsley would call this "Choppy Boy"

[@hendrikvanleeuwen9110]

This would be a much better sword to compare with longsword than the ubiquitous katana comparisons.

[@Robert399]

This particular reproduction, yes. But I think a typical nagamaki would have an extremely long hilt compared to a typical longsword. I think a tachi is the better comparison (in both characteristics and function).

[@peterchristiansen9695]

Nice unokubi-zukuri blade profile! 🤓 Most "standard" nagamaki would probably begin service life with a significantly longer tang (nakago) in order to facilitate a very long tsuka. The famous Sengoku era warlord Uesugi Kenshin - by all accounts a military genius - supposedly had a special guard of warriors armed with nagamaki. These would most likely have been ‘elites’ (actual samurai); not the regular foot-soldiers (ashigaru) that would otherwise comprise the bulk of the Uesugi-army. That said; I think nagamaki might as well have been issued to some more experienced ashigaru, who were assigned to protect the flanks of the pike-formations (and gunners) from threats like cavalry attacks.

[@nuclearsimian3281]

Sandan ryukyu kobujutsuka here. You're spot on with how Okinawan sources show how to use polearms and bo! Likewise I have experience in kenjutsu, and you're spot on with most everything you've said, at least as far as I'm concerned. Great video! Very informative for everyone about a lesser known type of sword from Japan.

[@exander3636]

The ryuha I practice uses a long-hilted (13-15 inch) sword, which are sometimes described as "nagamaki". Despite this linguistics similarity, they are still considered katana, and used in similar fashion. Hilt length was variable (and interchangeable), so both short and long tsuka can be seen in art and photography. The terminology used for Japanese weapons is often quite muddy. When does a naginata become a nagamaki? When does a tanto become a wakizashi? Samurai didn't seem to mind what their weapons were called, so long as they did what they wanted them to do.

[@Riceball01]

In terms of the naginata and nagimaki, the distinction is actually fairly clear, it's based on the grip/hilt style. A naginata is mounted on a pole while the nagimaki is mounted a swrdr like hilt. As far as different sword names go, the same applies to a lot of European swords as well, as Matt has touched on in any number of previous videos. When does a sidesword become a rapier, when does a rapier become a smallsword, or when does a backsword become a saber? all of the names we use to describe different kinds of swords is mostly a modern invention and historically they were generally just called a sword.

[@CtrlAltRetreat]

​@@Riceball01 The japanese iterations are quite a deal 'muddier' since they had more variety is custom sizes and styles that end up being standardised by small units similar to Europeans but generally referred to everything as just a 'sword', 'katana' just like most other asian countries 'jian', 'kum' etc.

[@Tryss86]

@@Riceball01 I guess it's like your car. Sure, there is several kind of "swords" (car): SUV, sedan, convertible, wagon, hatchback, etc. And sometime the line between them is blurry, but it doesn't really matter : at the end of the day, it's just a "sword" (car).

[@RichterBelmont2235]

Naginata is a curved blade mounted on a straight stick. Nagamaki is a katana with long curved hilt that could be as long as the blade itself. The distinction is quite clear.

[@exander3636]

@@RichterBelmont2235 no, it really isn't. Naginata change shape many times throughout Japanese history. And in a lot of cases, the official difference is actually the blade geometry. A naginata blade which is currently mounted as a wakizashi is still considered a naginata. Many experts consider "nagamaki" whose blades and hilts are the same length to simply be naginata, as many early naginata were actually tachi blades mounted on long hilts to be used as pole arms.

[@Lordstephen7813]

That is a very beautiful sword. I love the depth of the blade. Thank you for sharing this with us. 🙏

[@Leftyotism]

I looove how close you can hold a Nagamaki to your body, due to the long wrap! Also the leverage for sudden cuts is insane!

[@Maryland_Kulak]

One year in the Bujinkan, Hatsumi Soke made the nagamaki the weapon of the year. Learning to fight with it was a great way to master body mechanics.

[@jamesfrankiewicz5768]

I get the impression that the nagamaki was originally developed as a work-around for a daimyo who wanted to equip his troops with ōdachi/nodachi, but couldn't find a sword smith in his realm with the right skill and/or equipment to make a good blade that long. They then came up with a compromise to use a more normal length blade, but with a forge-welded tang extension.

[@Kurazarrh]

Interesting to see videos about the rarer kinds of weapons used in the past. I actually own one of these (not the same brand), but it has a more traditional-length tsuka at just under 24 inches, making the whole thing a little under 5 feet long. Despite this, it feels really good in the hand, whether choked up for close-quarters combat or farther down the tsuka. Your analysis of the blade construction was enlightening--mine has the same profile (though the end of the bo-hi on mine just kind of fades and doesn't have a fancy bevel) as the one you showed here. I figured the heavier point was good for momentum but never thought about how it added to durability. Thanks for the showcase and the insights!

[@vaillencourt]

I wonder if the comment about giving this weapon to men who were "bad with a spear" meant soldiers who were bad at the kind of disciplined fighting in formation that spearmen tend to do. You know, the kind of brash, overly aggressive warrior who wants to rush in and charge the enemy rather than staying in ordered ranks.

[@tinyj4520]

Or it meant "issue it when the spear is a worse option". Japanese is a weird language.

[@SoundsLikeaStory]

Hey Matt! Although admittedly this isn’t my favourite YT channel(Forgotten Weapons wins that battle) You are BY FAR my fave content creator over all platforms. You edge out the rest because there are no cuts. You turn on your camera, do ur thing in one take and done! The kind of person who can do that is obviously very astute and knowledgeable but more importantly, Super confident in themselves and what they’re doing and/or Saying!! For that, you have my Respect and admiration but more importantly, you have My 🗡️ Sword.

[@andrewsmallacombe9468]

I've seen references claiming that nagamaki were an "extension" of tachi, while extant martial arts that use nagamaki in their systems tend to treat them under the classification of spears or naginata.

[@daswordofgork9823]

Fun fact, this was Oda Nobunaga’s preferred primary weapon when he was on the battlefield.

[@megahamartolos6638]

What I was taught agrees with your suspicion that the nagamaki was not issued to inferior warriors. They were wielded by physically larger and tireless warriors. Because the nagamaki was a specialist weapon, they were owned by the wielder, and that almost certainly meant hereditary bushi. A small detail of which you may not be aware is that during the Sengoku Jidai (Warring States Period) when naginata were relegated to castle defense, the kurumagaeshi (returning wheel) techniques were developed so naginata could be used in narrow castle corridors. To my knowledge, the nagamaki was utilized as a battlefield weapon.

[@codycarter7638]

Matt, a gentleman mentioned the Unokobi Zukuri…Mt second “live” sword was Mantis Swords ”Raptor” model Unokobi Zukuri. ( My others being largely Windlass pieces, aside from my antiques). I have to say, it’s one of my favorites, and is an AMAZING cutter…I’ve cut hard targets like dried bamboo easily with no edge damage. It’s an AMAZING sword, and has traditional mountings. I highly recommend them to any students of the Japanese sword…at least those ryuha that place focus on cutting.

[@system_philosophy]

Nagamaki(長巻) is great weapon. Already mention in this video, this looks differ from some other Nagamaki. It looks more like Nakamaki-Nodachi(中巻野太刀) or Nakamaki(中巻). Nakamaki was like a Nodachi with covered blade with thick thread or leather strap. Like a ricasso in western sword. But Nagamaki has wide variety as says in video so not a wrong definition. I also mention in sengoku era Uesugi clan (上杉氏) has Namaki unit in there army and these were elite samurai unit which use like a shock troop to break the enemy forces.

[@yakisobanoodle]

Got interested in the Nagamaki a few years ago. Background is kendo and a few other things over the years. Ended up owning three weapons that have a handle about as long as the blade. One was a wooden practice sword. Think of a boken but in nagamaki proportions. Used that to learn about how one could adapt strokes to the unique leverage and characteristics of this weird weapon. One was a solid hilt sword from Zombie Tools. Think it was called the reaper. It's awesome but the balance is off. The handle is solid metal, and thus throws off the balance too far back. One I commissioned made from one of the Forged in Fire contestants who made nagamakis for the show. It's awesome, and very sharp. The tang goes the length of the handle, meaning the butt can be a striking point as well. It's slower than a katana but with more reach, so you tend to use it kind of like a polearm in that the safe thing is to have the point towards the enemy all the time. THey have to come to you, so the normal exchange is block or slip what they do, then counter once. Once is all it takes with this thing. The leverage is very large. If you put them in historical context, it's weird. You could carry them in more confined spaces than a yari, so there's that. THey are heavy, so would have needed a strong person to use. I watched with great interest the year Hatsumi made them the theme weapon. Loads of good video came from that, cool ways to use nagamaki no one had probably done in 500 years or so. Highly encourage the Scholagladiatora to come up with a legit nagamaki and test it out. It's unlike anything else.

[@oxvendivil442]

The Japanese Pirates that attacked China were usually armed with Otachi/Nodachi and well fought usually in ships, towns and docks, so the Nagamaki might have had a similar role to these as intermediate weapons for tight spaces, it is also interesting how the Chinese devised methods, tactics and weapons to counter these Pirates like using shotgun type firearms, bamboo stems with twigs that have blades at the tips making for a cut resilient weapon that can pin the Japanese and the adoption of extra long Jian and Dao specifically designed to defeat these pirates with their extra large sabres.

[@joshuaehl1481]

Really appreciate the person's explanation of this sword being a non conventional variation of the classic or traditional nagamaki and how they explained the naginata to differentiate them. The reason the nagamaki was NOT meant for sliding, and that it had a longer handle was for torque. This weapon was used by foot soldiers to dismount horsemen. The length of them allowed them to take down powerful horses. It was NOT intended to replace the spear, you are spot on sir, but it was in the hands of skilled and fearless foot soldiers. . The MINUTE you put a standard katana up to that larger sword I could tell it was a nodachi. The nagamaki had a blade (nagasa) that was similar if not identical to the length of a katana.

[@Sifuben]

Ming general Qi Jiguang who wrote one of the most studied works on the Chinese 2 handed long sabre and is credited with it's adoption wrote that up to a third of his force should be equipped with long sabres.

[@64Rosso]

"...there was a lot of sliding on the shaft, so to speak... (smiles)..." You really made me smile! 🙂 P.S.: since you are really interested in all that concerns ancient weapons, the correct pronunciation of "tsuka" is "ts'ka" (the U is almost inaudible) and for "ryu" is "ri-u" (beware that the "ri" sounds like in "ricochet", and the "u" is the same sound as the vowel in "to", the stress is 40%-60% for the two vowels) Again, kudos for your videos and your genuine passion.

[@OlNeb-k2b]

I love this sword.

[@SkinnyBlackout]

This is a thing of beauty, can't wait for the full review!

[@ukon2062]

So I find the comment about using nagamaki instead of polearms. But the sentence is very ambiguous(yeah, 100% a great thing to has in academic writing). It can also means a lot of things like if you spear broke, or if spears are not suitable for the situation (you got love the lack of clarity in Japanese). And other sources they referenced mentioned that nagamaki is used along side with spears or naginata in a supportive role. It's saying that in a spear formation some troops in second row or so on will be given nagamaki to support( maybe in closer combat? Idk). And the article also mentioned nagamaki is literally a "long wrapped ootachi (the ootachi part later just get dropped"). The point is to make the ootachi more handleable. There are also naKamaki (medium wrapped) and I think your sword maybe should be classified as that instead of nagamaki according to that..

[@frostblasts]

Never been a fan of katana, but I really love Japanese swords with long handle and blade.

[@Swordshapedbox]

Unokubi zukuri, as it turns out, means "cormorant's neck pattern", which is a pretty good descriptor if you ask me. Cormorants are long-necked waterfowl, so it's a good way to describe transition of the blade: the thick base (body), slender taper (neck), and thicker tip (head). True about what you mention about naginata blades being remounted as swords- in my experience I've seen wakizashi being made from naginata blades, rather than katana. It's called naginata naoshi.

[@codycarter7638]

I have Mantis Swords “Raptor” model Unokubi Zukuri…it was my second “live” blade (my first being a Windlass piece)-and remains one of my favorite cutting swords Lo these many, many years later.

[@Youmockmesir]

Dear Matt, the thing you have shown here is just a regular katana with a slightly elongated though pretty standard hilt. I guess it fits 4 to 5 hand width. A Nagamaki is generally believed to possess a hilt at the similar length as of the blade.

[@scholagladiatoria]

I think I do address this in the video :-) Yes I kind of agree. It is absolutely not a typical nagamaki as most people perceive it. BUT, it's demonstrably true that nagamaki blades were sometimes cut down/suriage at the nakago/tang and mounted like this. So I think it is historically valid and still kind of a nagamaki, but yes, not a typical example (if there even was such a thing - examples in art are rare, and sometimes arguably simply a form of naginata).

[@Youmockmesir]

@@scholagladiatoria Certainly, back in the days Japanese tried hard to leave no waste. If the tang of the spear or naginata broke down, they could sort remount it as a dagger or a short sword. In cases like that the new weapon was not the same thing and eventually changed its purpose and name. The repaired and refitted examples were identified as naginata-naoshi wakizashi or yari-naoshi tanto. The term of suriage refers to shortening swords and keeping them in the same sword category. In other words, the shortened by suriage regulations katana is still a katana, although a by some degree smaller, it never shifts to become a dagger or a glave.

[@barretharms655]

Yes, this is a reinforced point because the nagamoki was meant to go against fully armored men. This blade is designed to strike armor and do serious damage even though it is just a sword.

[@lady_draguliana784]

This category of weapon appears in several regions of the world and is probably my favorite type of melee weapon, overall! The grip SHOULD be about the same length as the blade though. the Darb Sri Gun Chai is an other of this type of weapon, and in the realm of Fantasy, the Elven War Blade was interpreted as such by Weta Workshop!

[@LancelotChan]

Nagamaki was special soldier's weapon. Elites as you said in other cultures. Some daimyo back then formed elites guard wielding this weapon.

[@RegisteredOffender-r1k]

Matt, have you looked at cutting competitions with these sorts of weapons? See, the achievements of Mstr. Bruce Baldwin, etc. Very lateral in application, no? Is it plausible that Nagamaki (sp. corrected), and similar weapons, were useful against mounted troops, specifically against the legs of horses? I agree with your idea of use as bodyguard weapons inside not-too-constricted interiors, wide corridors or entrances, but this is an expensive weapon, right? Moving, periodically, back to before the Shogunate, when these weapons were, AFAIK, more used, perhaps there was greater utility on the field?

[@RegisteredOffender-r1k]

Nagamaki, sorry (sp). Wiki says "Traditionally the nagamaki was used as an infantry weapon, frequently used against cavalry." But, with no citation . . . Whose got the source?

[@Harry-bc2dn]

Awesome video! I had been looking for more information about the nagamaki

[@Greensleeve11]

Big fan of the nagamaki. Looks like a gorgeous one there too. Looking forward to seeing more discussion of the weapon on the channel moving forward.

[@joegillian314]

That particular nagamaki in the video is definitely on the smaller end of a the spectrum. In my experience a nagamaki should be about the height of a man with about 50/50 blade to handle proportions.I didn't know there was so much variation in nagamakis, and that they can appear in the form of what looks to be nothing different than what can be called and over sized daito. Still cool though..

[@UH1Phil]

Great for palace/temple guards/bodyguards if nothing else. Shorter than a naginata as you say to help with being indoors, with a lot of power to chop someone up or stop them, using few strikes, who attacks whoever you're guarding at the palace. Great deterrence to stand around with big swords too, as it looks more intimidating than regular katanas.

[@silasmoser301]

Thank you. Would love to see more nagamaki content please!

[@freestatefellow]

The proportions kind of remind me of the LK Chen Chang Dao, which I really like!

[@Sirsethtaggart3505]

I've used these and they make a lot of sense.

[@TheSaneHatter]

Thank you for taking on this subject: I've always been curious about the nagamaki, but information about it is often scarce (even while its "sister weapon" the naginata, is abundantly documented). Hell, my copy of Grammarly just tried to correct the word to "Nagasaki," because it's so obscure!

[@twanzai2218]

For the soldiers that can't restrain themselves, and brake formation lounging at the enemy, screaming. You give them a big sword and unleash

[@darque1860]

I love that blade profile.

[@TheSeeka]

Also highly effective against mounted enemy and cavalry. More powerful cuts and thrust could take down a horse.

[@tetsumcneil1545]

Any chance that you could do a video interview with 'ask Seki-sensei' and you could ask him, he would likely know and may be demonstrate it's technique.

[@shovelchop81bikeralex52]

Mine's similar but closer to half blade, half handle (great for getting those hard to reach branches!). The saya has always mystified me, I love how it looks with the flared end but it seems counter productive to any sort of retaining system i.e. how to wear it unless you have it hanging upside down? Or maybe it's meant to stop the saya from being pulled out while drawing the sword? Probably just stylistic, maybe an ode to fishermen or something? That famous duel with an oar etc..

[@bencoomer2000]

Wonder if "bad with a spear" is more "they aren't suited by temperament" or something for spear blocks.

[@ch-ee8ct]

勇敢すぎて敵陣に1人で突っ込んでいっちゃうような人は長巻の方がむいているかもしれません｡

[@SpiritWolf1966]

I enjoy all of scholagdiatoria videos

[@Alcanox]

Kind of makes me think of an illustration of a Chinese weapon I saw labelled as "horse-hacking sword" - but that was an old Palladium game supplement, so not a great source - although I am curious if dealing with mounted opponents might be one of its intended jobs. I do like your idea of it being a big weapon that could be more manageable than a proper polearm.

[@axelkeuchel5728]

Beautiful sword and very interesting explanation👍! Thanks a lot!!!

[@gjigaqaquj]

Also i agree with you that it probably wasnt given to soldiers who were bad with the spear. Though i do think its possible that some people were just better at using certain weapons over others, simply because different people think and act differently. Like maybe a spear is easier to use on average, but maybe the occasional warrior would just be better at using other weapons, so i can sort of see some probability in that. But again, i think you are on the right train of thought here.

[@EriktheRed2023]

Will you be doing any cutting in the review? I'd like to see how it performs. 😀

[@KieranSearleTheDracul]

I've gone through various spear types, trying to find a robust polearm and realised a long bladed one gives you a definite advantage. My current polearm is an LK Chen longsword on a 6foot steel pole. It's slower than a spear, but hard to grab and offers a load of effective cuts with far more authority (due to the added weight of the pole). Luckily the Chen blade is quite springy so I think it should survive quite well.

[@ricardodemarco3486]

About how to wield the nagamaki, in one budo seminar the sensei taught us to use the nagamaki with naginata techniques but without changing the hands grip over the blade, just wield it as it was a sword.

[@Lionbug]

LOOOOOOOOOVE Nagamaki, always have

[@LuxTheSlav]

Sword-polearm, also known as SWOLEARM.

[@lalli8152]

I love this blade design. I just wish they would offer also spring tempered version of it because i think for backyard cutting its just more care free than differencial heat treat basicly just more impact resistant. Its really nice to see different blade designs from japan other than typical katana

[@epone3488]

My favorite weapon of all. Note grips and stances with the Nagamarki are different to Katana (closer to this yet still differentiated) and Naganata (not alike). If you want to see this there are videos on you tube which illiterate this and show cutting and techniques. I have read texts that say replace a whole unit of Yari with Nagamaki (Implication that space needed for a Yari was the issue - but not due to poor use/skill). There is some hits at "Yojimbo" using Nagamaki but context is hard to discern. A number of text referring also to "horse cutting" yet no agreement on what that really means eg really for taking out a "horses" or cavalry or is it a reference to something else??? I Was going to mention there are accepted proportions for a Nagamaki and the handle on that one example is a tad too short - thanks for clearing that up. The blade tho is not characteristic of a Nagamaki in this example either. That is some Katana were repurposed into Nagamaki (extant examples in collections). Im yet to find definitive English language resources on Nagamaki and would be interested in any that do exist. The Japanese text are also quite limited and tend to be from the Edo jidai so not strictly speaking period usage texts. Please go into this further or contact me with any resources that come to your attention.

[@Jay-ql4gp]

I love this! Thank you so much!

[@Heyrock]

in the beginning of the Lord of the Rings: the Fellowship - elves use some elvish kind of nagamaki against charging orcs

[@FindecanorNotGmail]

Also called "high elven sword", or "Lhang".

[@TONEDEAFSOUND]

was just looking at this sword it looks like it would be a mean backyard cutter

[@Peter-wj2hz]

Hi Matt. Love your videos. I hold a 4th dan with the International Naginata Federation. If you are ever looking to make a video about naginata, I'd be happy to answer any questions you have when you are conducting your research.

[@michaeljaskolski837]

One of my favorites , mine has a longer hilt. Fought with one in SCA heavy combat. Works really well against more traditional pole arms.

[@stevephillips8719]

I have a Nagamaki Wakazashi (300 years old) that was cut down from a Naginata. 500mm with a short Tsuka It has a 32mm wide blade and is a real 'head cutter'.

[@blakebailey22]

Very interesting how the spine design changes three times! It's more intricate than I immediately assumed, and I wonder if it's the optimal shape for two handed slashing swords. Speaking of, I wonder if bladestaves or swordspears are more optimal than greatwords. The majority of the cutting potential is going to be near the end, but I supposed having an edge near the handle is one of things where it's better to have it and not need it than vice versa

[@acethesupervillain348]

Maybe "if your spearman isn't good with his spear" means something like a pike or naginata rather than a typical yari. Even typical yari can be pretty big and heavy. Or might refer to someone good at fighting on their own but not in unison with other spearmen.

[@mikoajpietrych6168]

Might be my favorite white weapon, for one single reason I absolutely love these kind of sword polearm hybrids with equal length blades and hilts and nagamaki is the only irl example of such design I know of. I'm not sure why I like this design so much, but since the first time I saw somethin like this in Dragon Age 2 treailer I fell in love.

[@Nick-hi9gx]

Oh cool I just posted on another video of Matt's the other day about nagamaki. They are one of my favorite weapons. I feel like the Japanese missed out on making the rear edge, maybe just the top quart of the blade, sharp. And using it like a nagamaki-falx.

[@CaseyBartley]

Simply put, the nagamaki developed from the odachi. Early odachi were wrapped above the tauba to allow for half sword techniques. By Muramachi they became popular for very much the same reason and application of the great sword. It would most likely have a hilt similar to its blade length. Uesugi Kenshin was a propoponent.

[@cuniving7831]

You know what's interesting to me, as a huge nerd. This is basically the way the elves primary swords (at least in the second age) were built in peter jacksons LotR. Like they are effectively the more sterotypical nagamaki where the wrapped hilt is a bit closer to the length of the sword and have a curved blade. Maybe the length of the blade was a little shorter and a little girthier.

[@jamespfp]

8:20 -- RE: Nagamaki for Most or Least Proficient with a Spear; Full disclosure, I'm no expert on the topic, and yet I can think of a reason or two why it might be better to give sword to a soldier who has less than average skill with a longer spear. First, spearmen work in close quarters with one another, and therefore anyone who is under par can and will be disruptive to the formation they're in, so it's better to give them a sword that gets tangled with friendly spears less, and which can attack more enemy spears at closer ranges. Second, while the cost in metal will be higher for the sword, there will be likely be less swords than spears. Additionally, the value of the metal and the man that is wielding it can be written off and replaced; he is not fighting to be counted as long-term "boots on the ground" in the same way that the spearmen are. The less-skilled swordman is a gamble which could pay off 10, 100 or even 1000 times what the sword's metal was worth. I acknowledge your point though about Elite or highly trained units requiring a larger sword; I think there's a similar "gamble" mentality implied there, except the "bet" is being hedged by armor and training. And, Elite units are going to be the Nobility, are they not? ie. They are "Boots on the Ground", which is why they have time and motivation for all the necessary hedgework.

[@jamespfp]

^^ I see this as being useful for more than combat purposes; it's probably heavy enough to cut bamboo and wood of suitable thicknesses.

[@barretharms655]

That is actually my favorite style of blade. It has a beautiful shape and when you are wielding. It just wants to go where you've pushed it..

[@Leftyotism]

Wouldn't you get sore palms from sliding on the shaft a lot?

[@datpolakmike]

Big fan of pole-swords / sword-staves. They're just plain gosh darn neat

[@rickthelearner5631]

If I'm not mistaken, the nagamaki is the basis of the Noldorin Elf sword seen in the Prologue of The Fellowship of The Ring (2001).

[@daemonharper3928]

A big boys toy! It looks very well made. Looking forward to the review.

[@PJDAltamirus0425]

The ship thing confuses be a bit, I remember your older videos showed pictures of the HMS Warrior with boarding Pikes around the mast. How much different is using a Naganita or a Yari to a boarding Pike?

[@frankharr9466]

Give it to someone who can't use their spear sounds like the speaker didn't think much of the weapon in question. Sounds interesting. I'm looking forward to the review.

[@andreweden9405]

It looks very nicely made! That type of blade can't be easy to forge. Do you happen to know if they make tachi as well?

[@scholagladiatoria]

Yes they do, and they seem to make some replicas of specific museum blades.

[@andreweden9405]

@@scholagladiatoria , That's what I've been looking for! Thanks Matt!

[@barretharms655]

The standard nagamoki has a 2/3 length handle and. A 3/3 length blade. That is, the blade is 1/3 longer than the handle. Yours is not quite in that proportion. However like you said not all nagamoki are built the same

[@thelegendaryklobb2879]

Fearsome-looking blade. Looks like a cutting contest champion

[@-RONNIE]

Thanks for the video 👍🏻

[@JustGrowingUp84]

Very beautiful sword! I think I like this version more than the one where the hilt is almost the same length as the blade, because it seems easier to use. A nagamaki with a ratio closer to 1/1 seems harder to use without specialized training.

[@bacicinvatteneaca]

If it's in reference to the subset of these that had a disproportionately long handle compared to a European great sword and a somewhat shorter blade, it could essentially just mean "give the wrapped variant to those that aren't good at managing the sliding action"

[@b.h.abbott-motley2427]

It's not necessarily true that only "elite" European soldiers used greatswords. One German army in French service in 1515 had 2,000 soldiers with greatswords out of a force of 17,000 infantry, & there were only 800 halberdiers. So in that case, in numerical terms, the halberd was the more "elite" weapon. But I'm not sure soldiers who used less common weapons were usually "elite" ones. & large numbers of Swiss pikers & halberdiers wore longswords similar proportions to this nagamaki, based on art. & as this video mentions, pirates famously used big Japanese & Japanese-style swords in 16th-century China, at least sometimes while wearing little or no armor.

[@kingkilburn]

Feels like the scale of this sword is a better match for six foot tall people than the traditional katana size.

[@Rose_Butterfly98]

Eyyy that's what I was trained to use. Longer handle though, the handle and the blade are about the same length. Around 80cm for both. Bloody thing is almost as tall as me lol. The handle gets in the way if you want to do cool tricks with it but it's otherwise what I would prefer since the balance point is closer to where my hands are. It's also really fun hooking your opponents leg with the hilt. Also good for non lethal strikes, knock your opponent's blade aside and swing the hilt into the side if their head. Knocks them out if you do it fast and hard enough. I have no idea what the historical things about it though, I was just given a choice and I took the one that was most evenly balanced. Not sure it can be effectively used if you don't have much space though. Ships are probably open enough though.

[@barretharms655]

This is one of my favorite japanese weapons

[@gargoylesblade]

From my research, the nagamaki had long tsuka at first, and then they cut them down shorter. There's actually no set standards for them, like the katana. It was used with big sweeping motion, so the hands don't move that much for leavger. Used against calivery horses, and foot soldiers.

[@doratheexploder286]

Skallagrim did a video on one of these, titled "This Thing Beats Me" and he found it very hard to cut with. He couldn`t hack the right way to hold/swing it. His had a longer grip tho.

[@Velacroix]

I lust over that leverage, such a beautiful weapon. Simply consider threading the tang part way and you could just convert to a side arm on the fly.