nagamaki

It is possible that nagamaki were first produced during the Heian period (794 to 1185), but there are no known examples dating from before the mid Kamakura period (1192–1333). The nagamaki is believed to have been developed from the ōdachi (great sword). The ōdachi, with its long blade, was sometimes too long to be used with a standard length hilt. Therefore, a strong cord would sometimes be wrapped around the sword from the center of the blade to the tsuba (sword guard), and the user would hold the sword by that part of the cord. The sword used in this way was called nakamaki no tachi (中巻の太刀, sword with middle wrapping). It is believed that this usage evolved into the nagamaki, in which the hilt was lengthened during the manufacturing process. In the Sengoku period, as the battlefield changed to a tactic where foot soldiers called ashigaru (足軽) fought on a large scale in dense formations with tanegashima (gun) and yari (spear), naginata (pole weapon), which were difficult to use in dense formations, were replaced by nagamaki, and heavy and long tachi (long sword) were often replaced by katana. During the Sengoku period, the nagamaki reached its peak of usage. It was generally used as a weapon for low-ranking soldiers who fought on foot. The historical book Kenbun zatsuroku (見聞雑録) mentions that nagamaki were lent to low-ranking soldiers who could not handle the yari well. The famed warlord Uesugi Kenshin, daimyō (feudal lord) of Echigo Province, is said to have had a special guard of retainers armed with nagamaki. In the Edo period (1603–1867), the hilts of nagamaki were often cut off and made into katana or wakizashi (short sword). This practice of cutting off the hilt of a ōdachi or tachi or naginata or nagamaki and remaking it into a shorter katana or wakizashi due to changes in tactics is called suriage (磨上げ) and was common in Japan at the time. In Japan, there is a saying about swords: "No sword made by modifying a nagamaki or a naginata is dull in cutting" (長巻（薙刀）直しに鈍刀なし). The meaning of this saying is nagamaki and naginata are equipment for combat, not works of art or offerings to the kami, and that the sharpness and durability of swords made from their modifications have been proven on the battlefield.

Wielding is very specific; it is held with two hands in a fixed position in the same way a katana is held. Unlike the naginata, the hands do not change when handling the weapon and the right hand was always the closest to the blade. While handling nagamaki, fewer sliding actions on the handle are performed than the naginata, where the entire length of the shaft is used. The nagamaki is designed for large sweeping and slicing strokes. The nagamaki was typically used as an infantry weapon, often against cavalry.

Tatsugiri, signature nagamaki wields by Kuryuu Ango in 2000s Gamaran manga. Sir Alonne, a boss encountered in the Dark Souls II DLC campaign Crown of the Old Iron King, is a samurai-like character who wields a nagamaki. He will commit seppuku with the nagamaki if the player defeats him under 5 minutes without taking damage. Lyon, a supporting character in the fifth Suikoden game, wields a nagamaki to protect her charge, the Prince of Falena, who is the protagonist. In The Lord of the Rings films The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers, the Elves are shown using a curved, single-edged sword very similar to the nagamaki, except for a subtle S-shape. In the anime called Tensei Shitara Suraimu Datta Ken, the red-haired warrior Hiiro wields a nagamaki sword. Corrupted Monk, a boss encountered in the game Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, wields a huge nagamaki and performs elaborate swipe and swing attacks on the player. In Samurai Shodown, newcomer Yashamaru Kurama wields a nagamaki. He is the only character in the series to wield one.