NAGINATA / NAGAMAKI
Sometimes NAGINATA and NAGAMAKI is a same meaning.
NAGINATA is a long handled single cutting edged blade.
Usually it has a unique shape that big curvature, broad
width and unokubi-zukuri or kanmuri-otoshi-zukuri.
Soometimes there are long naginata that has over 60cm blade. Such blade is especially called NAGAMAKI. To separate NAGINATA and NAGAMAKI is difficult. The original meaning of NAGAMAKI is "long wrapped handle". Roughly long naginata is called NAGAMAKI.
Most of naginata have unique grooves that is called "NAGINATA-HI".
Usually it is followed with narrow groove (soe-hi).
One more example of naginata-hi, on kikuchi-yari type
blade. (This naginata-hi is painted with red lacquer.)
Some examples of naginata handle, usually it has a small
tsuba.
Nagunata tsuba
It is a similar size to tanto tsuba, but round and no
kozuka hole.
NAGINATA was popular in 12th to 14th century. But today original length NAGAMAKI is very rare. Because they were shortened to reshape to katana or wakizashi in the history.
Mainly they have a shobu-zukuri shape. (an example => wakizashi (Shikkake))
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