The nagamaki (Japanese: 長巻, literally "long wrapping") is a Japanese weapon popular between the 12th and 14th centuries. Image File history File links Richard-Stein-Nagamaki. ...

History

The nagamaki was developed in the middle of the Muromachi period. Today it is a rare collector’s item, and few martial arts teach its technique. It may be influenced by the pudao in design. The Muromachi period (Japanese: 室町時代, Muromachi-jidai, also known as the Muromachi era, the Muromachi bakufu, the Ashikaga era, the Ashikaga period, or the Ashikaga bakufu) is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. ... The Chinese pudao (撲刀) was originally an infantry weapon which is now used in martial arts. ...

Manufacture

There are no solid rules governing the aspects of the make of the nagamaki. Unlike wakizashi, tantō, and katana, which have had history of strict measurements regarding the nagasa, and even the tsuka in some cases; the nagamaki varied in nagasa, nakago length (tang), kissaki style, et cetera. Bare nagamaki blades are of katana-length blades with typical katana-size tang (7–10 inches).^{[citation needed]} This kind presumably could have koshirae in a tachi or katana style, as well as a nagamaki style. However there are examples of nagamaki with rather long nakago (tang), which could be fitted with a longer staff for a haft and effectively function as a naginata. All traditional Japanese swords are fitted preferably very snug and held in place with a mekugi (bamboo peg) which is fit through a mekugi-ana (hole in the tang and hilt). This is actually quite a strong mount when done correctly, and allowed for easy dismount of the bare blade. Katana most commonly had one single mekugi, and nagamaki commonly have been found with two or more mekugi. There are always variances in the mekugi. Having mekugi at all makes it legally a type of bladed samurai weapon in Japan. There are fishing tools used in Japan which would otherwise be like samurai weapons had it not been for the absence of a mekugi-type mount. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Two Tantō tantō blade hidden in a fan-shaped mounting A Tantō (短刀) is a Japanese knife or dagger with a blade length of about 15 - 30 cm (6 - 12). There is a disputed saying about the tantō, wakizashi, and katana stating they are The Tantō differs from the others as... For other uses, see Katana (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Bamboo (disambiguation). ...

The length of blade varies on a nagamaki. However, the nagasa most commonly fits the profile of a tachi or katana blade, which would be a blade of more than 2 shaku (60.6 cm, roughly 2 feet) in length. The tsuka (hilt) seems to average at about 2.5 feet. Generally speaking, the tsuka of this weapon is a bit longer than the blade.^{[citation needed]} Perhaps equal to the saya (scabbard) in length. While nagamaki means "long wrap" they have been found with no ito (cord) at all, which is very much like a long tachi handle. The tsukamaki (hilt wrap) is of even more importance when applied to the tsuka of a nagamaki. The cord helps to strengthen tsuka quite a bit. Nagamaki found without hilt wrap usually had at least metal collars around the hilt where the tang is. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Japanese unit. ... A scabbard is a sheath for holding a sword or other large blade. ...

Trivia

The Elvish swords appearing in The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, known as Lhang, are thought to be loosely based on nagamaki or Pudao. This article is about the Peter Jackson films. ... The Lhang is a weapon from the movie representation of J. R. R. Tolkiens fantasy universe of Middle-earth not found in the original text, the Lhang is an Elvish sword. ... The Chinese pudao (撲刀) was originally an infantry weapon which is now used in martial arts. ...

Nagamaki is also a steak dish served in asian cuisine: A strip of steak is flattened, wrapped, and tied around onions, then cooked.

The title character of Myth 2: Soulblighter wields a nagamaki as his trademark weapon. An in-game screenshot of Myth: The Fallen Lords taken from the Myth II engine. ...

Hiro Nakamura, one of the main characters on NBC's sci-fi drama TV show Heroes, chooses to use the nagamaki that his friend Ando purchased, instead of his katana, to confront the villain Sylar, claiming that what matters isn't the sword, but the man who wields it. Hiro Nakamura ) is a fictional character on the NBC drama Heroes who possesses the ability to teleport, stop time, and travel through time by manipulating the space-time continuum. ... Sci-fi is an abbreviation for science fiction. ... For other uses, see Drama (disambiguation). ... A television program is the content of television broadcasting. ... Heroes is an American drama television series, created by Tim Kring, which premiered on NBC on September 25, 2006. ... Ando Masahashi is a character on the NBC drama Heroes, played by James Kyson Lee. ... For other uses, see Katana (disambiguation). ... Gabriel Gray, commonly known by his assumed name of Sylar, is a fictional character and main antagonist on the NBC drama Heroes. ...

A Nagamaki is also what Lyon from the video game Suikoden V uses as her weapon. This article is about the French city. ... Suikoden V is the fifth installment of the Suikoden series by Konami. ...

References

• Richard Stein Article on the Nagamaki
• Swordforum Article on the Nagamaki
• Swordforum Discussion of the Nagamaki