no nagamakis in the East?

[mrcunningham]

Can anyone confirm this? I've been scouring the earl marshall's site (http://www.eastkingdom.org/combat/fighting/policies.html), and it looks like the 3-foot-out-of-6 blade is too long for a polearm, and the 3-foot haft is too long for the handle of a greatsword. Am i out of luck? Say it isn't so!

Help?

[Takeda Sanjuichiro]

mrcunningham said:

Can anyone confirm this? I've been scouring the earl marshall's site (http://www.eastkingdom.org/combat/fighting/policies.html), and it looks like the 3-foot-out-of-6 blade is too long for a polearm, and the 3-foot haft is too long for the handle of a greatsword. Am i out of luck? Say it isn't so!

I would talk to your local marshal, the East Kingdom's own website conflicts with itself. (it also does not help that they do not date their pages "last updated so&so")

The html page has tons of errors on it:

iii) Halberd-style polearms must have one third the length of their shafts padded by at least 1/2 inch of resilient foam. Mauls over inches long are forbidden./quote]Interesting missing text, effectively bans mauls without banning them per se...

A splicing junction (two pieces of rattan joined together by strapping tape and covered with duct tape) no closer to the end of the blade than 24 inches and no longer than 8 inches may be used to give a more defined blade.

Um...HELL NO! If I am not mistaken this would be considered a lamination by society rules, and well... the only take down melee weapon permitted is fiberglass spears! First sob pegs me with one of these is going to find a waraji in an interesting place.

-edit:
On thinking about this a little, they may be refering to using a piece of rattan side by side to increase thickness to duplicate a particular weapon... In this way it would be somewhat like a clacker... However if someone was trying to make their weapon look more like a historical weapon, use freaking foam like the rest of us

Anyhow, talk with a local marshal, they *should* be able to tell you what the current standards are.

-Takeda

[mrcunningham]

so it looks like i'm all set to use it as a polearm. the question now is: what can i do for a tsuba? i've got an ironmonger tsuba, but i get the sense that putting a steel disk in the middle of a pole weapon will be a "no no". any ideas what i can do to make _something_ tsuba-like?

current best idea includes putting some foam padding (like, say, an extra inch/half-inch) around the middle, with different-colored tape...

[Ryokai]

Cut one out from barrel plastic. Cut the middle out in an H shape and use the tabs to afix it to the rattan.

[Takeda Sanjuichiro]

mrcunningham said:

...current best idea includes putting some foam padding (like, say, an extra inch/half-inch) around the middle, with different-colored tape.

Tis what I do. I make a couple "tsuba" out of camp mat foam barge cement them together, slide 'em on and strapping tape in place. Since the rim of the tsuba only projects 3/4 inch beyond the shaft I do not have problems with them breaking loose. The main reason I put them on, aside from trying to make a foam covered stick (no unpadded polearms in Atlantia) look more appropriate to a naginata, is that with such a small ridge I can hook or manuver shields, without the projection being enough for others to hook it easily and take control of my weapon.

-Takeda

[Hiroda Ujio]

I do the same thing that Takeda-dono does. I just use two layers of blue camp mat and strap tap the heck out of it. I have never had any problems with doing it this way, although you can "smoosh" the tsuba if you wedge your weapons together during a long trip...say...for example, where i live to Pennsic.

-Hiroda Ujio

[mrcunningham]

Thanks much, Hiroda-, Takeda-, and Ryokai-dono.

[mrcunningham]

Here she is:



I used Otagiri's thrusting tip model, and made the tsuba from two layers of closed-cell pipe insulation foam, taped on with strapping tape, then covered with electrical tape. I hadn't meant for the tsuba to be so yellow - i wanted it brass/gold to match the accents on my armour-in-construction - but i'll take what i can get. Handle made with a bottom layer of white athletic tape, with blue duct tape wrap. Constructive criticism appreciated. It _is_ my first SCA weapon, after all...

Cheers.

[Ryokai]

Can you have butt spikes in the East? If so, they're very handy and you might want to consider adding one. Otherwise, very nice, a nagamaki was my first SCA weapon as well.

[mrcunningham]

thrusting tips are allowed in the east, and the "sports"-oriented folks at practice yesterday were trying to convince me to add one. I can't say i'm at all interested in adding one. I like that it's hard to use because of self-imposed limitations, but more accurate - that's just me. I mean, it's only got one cutting edge, too.

[Otagiri Tatsuzou]

I agree with you. I think it would be strange to add a 'butt spike' to a nagamaki. If, on the other hand, you find some documented technique that used the kashira ...

Of course, spears and naginatas did have a weighted butt to use for thrusts.

[Date Saburou Yukiie]

admin said:

I agree with you. I think it would be strange to add a 'butt spike' to a nagamaki. If, on the other hand, you find some documented technique that used the kashira ...

Of course, spears and naginatas did have a weighted butt to use for thrusts.

you could always add a but spike and swear to yourself you will only use it for face thrusts IF YOUR KINGDOM ALLOWS FOR IT! It seems to me that a weighted kashira would or could take a man out if you popped him in the face...but not nec. in the body.
Again, use only if your Kingdom allows, and remember that where face thrusts are allowed, it is generally a "Touch-Convention" - no need to really bash someone's face in...that is not a good way to make friends!

Date - who enjoys naginata and nagimaki.
Hells - I just enjoy fighting... Heh!
:-)