Karate vs Naginatajutsu
Karate and Naginatajutsu side by side, from the facts recorded for each art.
| Karate | Naginatajutsu | |
|---|---|---|
| Country of origin | Ryukyu Kingdom | Japan |
| Type | martial arts and Olympic sport | jutsu and martial arts |
| Competition at the Olympics | Yes – 10 Olympic events recorded | — |
| Notable practitioners here | 878 | 1 |
| Top countries of practitioners | Japan, United States and France | France |
| Equipment and weapons | — | naginata |
Karate
Karate (空手) (; Japanese pronunciation: [kaɾate] ; Okinawan pronunciation: [kaɾati]), also karate-do (空手道, Karate-dō), is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called te (手), "hand"; tī in Okinawan) under the influence of Chinese martial arts. While modern karate is primarily a striking art that uses punches and kicks, traditional karate training also employs throwing and joint locking techniques. A karate practitioner is called a karate-ka (空手家).
From the Wikipedia article Karate (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): Q11419, 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.