The power of the naginata, a weapon similar to the European glaive, is utilized in the martial art of naginatajutsu. A rare concept that many other martial arts do no hold is the prominence held on women. During the late Edo period, women were required to be skillful in the art of naginatajutsu before 18 years of age. As a result, many of the leaders and practitioners of this martial art tended to be women. Due to this, naginatajutsu was considered a female martial art and that males did not practice it. However, this art was created by the practices of warrior monks during the late medieval period and was exercised by many samurai.
