designed to be practiced in standardized formats. While this had not hap-
pened to naginata practice yet, it did as it began to be featured in public
schools, since when taught en masse to groups of young people, even the
most conservative traditions must change. Pre–World War II photographs
show lines of children diligently swinging weapons in unison, while other
pictures show young children phlegmatically plodding their way through
kata.Form practice means something very different to warriors trying to
get an edge in upcoming battles and to teenagers attending gym class at the
local high school. So, to make the training relevant to young people, com-
petitive practice became more and more popular.
Competition led to modifications in equipment. The light wooden
naginata covered with leather was used first; later, for safety’s sake, bam-
Women in the Martial Arts: Japan 701A sparring match
between Murakami
Hideo and Kobayashi
Seiko of the Toda-ha
Buko ryû. (Courtesy
of Ellis Amdur)