Fencing vs Naginatajutsu
Fencing and Naginatajutsu side by side, from the facts recorded for each art.
| Fencing | Naginatajutsu | |
|---|---|---|
| Country of origin | — | Japan |
| Type | combat sport and Olympic sport | jutsu and martial arts |
| Competition at the Olympics | Yes – 108 Olympic events recorded | — |
| Notable practitioners here | 3202 | 1 |
| Top countries of practitioners | France, Italy and United States | France |
| Equipment and weapons | foil, épée and saber | naginata |
| Energy use (MET) | 6.0 MET (Fencing, general) | — |
Fencing
Fencing is a combat sport that features sword fighting. It consists of three primary disciplines: foil, épée, and sabre (also spelled saber), each with its own blade and set of rules. Most competitive fencers specialise in one of these disciplines. The modern sport gained prominence near the end of the 19th century, evolving from historical European swordsmanship. The Italian school altered the historical European martial art of classical fencing, and the French school later refined that system. Scoring points in a fencing competition is done by making contact with the opponent with one's sword.
From the Wikipedia article Fencing (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): Q12100, 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.