A naginata is one of several varieties of Japanese blades in the form of a pole weapon. The samurai class of feudal Japan, as well as foot soldiers and monks used this weapon in their combats. Also, the naginata is the iconic weapon of the onna–bugeisha, a type of female warrior belonging to the Japanese nobility. Many anime characters use it and that is why I decided to make this naginata for cosplay tutorial.
There are several varieties of naginatas. Maybe the most common is the one with a very long pole resembling a hallberd. There exists another option with a much shorter pole which is easier to handle but still great in size. Naginata for fighting men and warrior monks were called ō-naginata. The kind used by women was called ko-naginata and was less heavy.
Starting with a draft
Naginatas are big. Mine was about 1.3 meters long. This is a comparison side by side with a katana. For my project I needed something very sturdy so I opted to make my naginata from a single piece. Looking back, I maybe could have tried to make it into two pieces as it is actually difficult to transport. Use paper to get an idea of how big you want your weapon. Make sure you get all the proportions right before you cut your foam.
Using foam as the core
Similar to my katana tutorial, I used 5mm plastazote foam to make the core of my weapon. The handle was cut in two parts and glued to the blade with contact cement. Remember to leave a long enough tail to get some grip for your glue. Foam is a very easy material to use and you can sand it with ease. After I sanded the edge and the handle, I added extra details with 2mm foam and glued them with contact cement as well.
Worbla to make it sturdy
On itself, foam is a very flimsy material. That is why you need some kind of coverage to make it sturdy. I chose to use Black Worbla, which is a thermoplastic. If you don’t know this material check my worbla guide. It is easy to heat with a heatgun. Cover your naginata with the heated material. Press the sides together and cut the excess. You can fix the joints with some more heat and a flat tool. Be careful as this materials gets hot very quickly and you could burn yourself. Adding a wooden pole to the core is also a good idea but you will need to cut a space on your foam to make it fit without bulking up.
Add details
When you are satisfied with the base of your naginata you can add fancy details. As I said, Worbla is very maleable, if you heat it you can create ridges with a flat surface and all kind of carvings. Also, you can press it together to create a kind of clay that will get hard once it cools down. That is how I created the embellishments of my tsuba or guard of my naginata.
Final weapon
Finally, after you seal your worbla, you can use acrylic paints to paint your weapon and add any other detail like beads, tassels, a piece of fabric or jingle bells. Don’t forget to add highlights and shadows for a more realistic finish and don’t skip the varnish either as it will protect your weapon later on.
Hana. Photo by Miriam Eme
If you want a larger pole for your naginata you can use a PVC pipe as a handle instead. You may not need to cover your blade with worbla if your blade is shorter but remember that it will make your blade flimsier an wobbly. You still need to prime it and paint it tho. Using pipe joints is also a good idea if you want your weapon to be collapsible.
Ririchiyo Shirakiin. Photo by Chris Magnall
I hope you found this tutorial for a naginata for cosplay useful. If you feel like it, remember you can support me on Ko-fi, there are no subscriptions and you will help me create more cosplays and more tutorials to share with you! Also, if you are looking for patterns and cosplay related downloadables make sure to check my collection!
