Arnis vs Naginatajutsu
Arnis and Naginatajutsu side by side, from the facts recorded for each art.
| Arnis | Naginatajutsu | |
|---|---|---|
| Country of origin | Philippines | Japan |
| Type | Filipino martial arts and combat sport | jutsu and martial arts |
| Notable practitioners here | 1 | 1 |
| Top countries of practitioners | United States | France |
| Equipment and weapons | — | naginata |
Arnis
Arnis, also known as eskrima/escrima or kali, is the national martial art of the Philippines. These three terms are, sometimes, interchangeable in referring to traditional martial arts of the Philippines ("Filipino Martial Arts", or FMA), which emphasize weapon-based fighting with sticks, knives, bladed weapons, and various improvised weapons, as well as "open hand" techniques without weapons.
From the Wikipedia article Arnis (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Naginatajutsu
Naginatajutsu (長刀術 or 薙刀術) is the Japanese martial art of wielding the naginata (長刀). The naginata is a weapon resembling the European glaive and the Chinese guan dao. Most naginatajutsu practiced today is in a modernized form, a gendai budō, in which competitions also are held.
From the Wikipedia article Naginatajutsu (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Facts from Wikidata (CC0): Q752190, Q1757215. Practitioner counts are the people with a profile on this site. Data retrieved 2026-10-22.
Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.