Edged weapons for women?

Timo Nieminen · 17th November 2015, 11:45 PM

There are some East Asian knives for women.

Korea: The ones in posts #6, #18, #19 (and some others) are women's knives: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=15166
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eunjangdo

The Japanese equivalent s the kaiken, 懐剣 = "breast/bosom sword", which could be translated as "hidden knife":
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaiken_(dagger)
Unlike the Korean version, which functioned as display as well as a weapon, the Japanese version is hidden and thus purely a weapon. Men would carry them too.

The Japanese naginata is often considered a traditional samurai women's weapon. The wikipedia page https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naginata claims that there were naginata specifically for women (smaller than men's naginata). Other than that, women warriors/soldiers usually used the same weapons as men.

Pukka Bundook · 18th November 2015, 02:32 AM

Well put Timo.

When we stop to consider it, most swords, for instance (apart from some of the terrible reproductions ) are not at all heavy, so a woman would not be disadvantaged by their weight, even if from a part of the world where they were not a "beast of burden" (!)
My daughter in her early 20's and a mere whisp of a thing, hardly ever lost when sparring against the lads with Viking -age type swords. Reason? she was not afraid of them, and had decided ahead of time that she would not lose!
As she put it, "losing isn't an option". Maybe this sentiment isn't new.

Timo Nieminen · 18th November 2015, 08:51 AM

I'm skeptical about the naginata claim. There is probably a difference in size in naginata used by men on the battlefield, and naginata known to be used by women; the latter will, on average, be smaller. But this is affected by age. Earlier naginata tended to be larger, with blades becoming shorter and lighter in later times, even when naginata were still a major battlefield weapon (they largely disappeared from the battlefield in the 16th century, as warfare went to pike (i.e., long yari) and musket). Edo Period naginata were, on average, even smaller - even the ones carried by men. It's these late naginata that we know were used by women.

Tomoe Gozen, a famous woman warrior of the 12th century, is often portrayed with a naginata. However, the written sources describe her as armed with a powerful bow and a large sword. I.e., equipped the same as a male samurai, but with a stronger bow and larger sword.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomoe_Gozen

Anyway, women don't seem to have difficulty wielding quite large naginata:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wem9KZeFKEA

Pukka Bundook · 18th November 2015, 03:05 PM

Very nice to watch Timo!

Thank you.

ariel · 25th November 2015, 07:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Timo Nieminen

Anyway, women don't seem to have difficulty wielding quite large naginata:
[url

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wem9KZeFKEA[/url]

Well, they learned early on that longer is better

17th November 2015, 11:45 PM	#1
Timo Nieminen Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Posts: 422	There are some East Asian knives for women. Korea: The ones in posts #6, #18, #19 (and some others) are women's knives: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=15166 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eunjangdo The Japanese equivalent s the kaiken, 懐剣 = "breast/bosom sword", which could be translated as "hidden knife": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaiken_(dagger) Unlike the Korean version, which functioned as display as well as a weapon, the Japanese version is hidden and thus purely a weapon. Men would carry them too. The Japanese naginata is often considered a traditional samurai women's weapon. The wikipedia page https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naginata claims that there were naginata specifically for women (smaller than men's naginata). Other than that, women warriors/soldiers usually used the same weapons as men.

18th November 2015, 02:32 AM	#2
Pukka Bundook Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 803	Well put Timo. When we stop to consider it, most swords, for instance (apart from some of the terrible reproductions ) are not at all heavy, so a woman would not be disadvantaged by their weight, even if from a part of the world where they were not a "beast of burden" (!) My daughter in her early 20's and a mere whisp of a thing, hardly ever lost when sparring against the lads with Viking -age type swords. Reason? she was not afraid of them, and had decided ahead of time that she would not lose! As she put it, "losing isn't an option". Maybe this sentiment isn't new.

18th November 2015, 08:51 AM	#3
Timo Nieminen Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Posts: 422	I'm skeptical about the naginata claim. There is probably a difference in size in naginata used by men on the battlefield, and naginata known to be used by women; the latter will, on average, be smaller. But this is affected by age. Earlier naginata tended to be larger, with blades becoming shorter and lighter in later times, even when naginata were still a major battlefield weapon (they largely disappeared from the battlefield in the 16th century, as warfare went to pike (i.e., long yari) and musket). Edo Period naginata were, on average, even smaller - even the ones carried by men. It's these late naginata that we know were used by women. Tomoe Gozen, a famous woman warrior of the 12th century, is often portrayed with a naginata. However, the written sources describe her as armed with a powerful bow and a large sword. I.e., equipped the same as a male samurai, but with a stronger bow and larger sword. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomoe_Gozen Anyway, women don't seem to have difficulty wielding quite large naginata: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wem9KZeFKEA

18th November 2015, 03:05 PM	#4
Pukka Bundook Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 803	Very nice to watch Timo! Thank you.