What kind of weapon is the Silence Glaive? It is no talisman but also very powerful. Its blade has two parts and it doesn't look very much like a sword, it looks more than a scythe although Saturn holds it like a halberd. The blade is sharp enough to cut a big crater in Neherenia's floor although the attack was not completed, the weak spot of this weapon seems to be the long handle which is broken by Galaxia.
In fact the blade is a kind of halberd, in Japan similar weapons are called Naginata. Fighting with these weapons is a well known material art (also called Naginata) for people of all ages. It was traditionally practiced by the wives of the Samurai. The weapon itself is a kind of spear with a long, curved blade (Saturn's Naginata is special for it has two blades instead of just one), it is sometimes compared to the European glaive maybe that's why it is called Silence Glaive and not Silence Naginata. The shaft of the Naginata can be about 180 cm long (Saturn's looks shorter) and it is a light weapon (only about 2 kg). The blades are traditionally made of steel but wooden blades are used for modern combative sport.
The Naginata is said to be a good weapon for keeping opponents at distance (and that is what Saturn does with Galaxia and Neherenia, she does not intend to slice their throats ...) but the movement is slow and easy to predict (Saturn loses both times, and the second time, the shaft is broken by Galaxia). The wives of the Samurai often used the Naginata to keep attacking swordsmen at a safe distance while cutting their hands or legs. It hits with deadly accuracy slicing and pearcing through most light and mid armors with ease, but it does not work against heavy armor. There are different other names for the Naginata, it is also called pole arm, sword spear and curved spear. Some people say that it comes from the Chinese halberd.
Another kind of Naginata is the Bisento, it has a thicker shaft and the blade is heavier. This weapon was used on the battle field against samurai in armor who were riding on horses. Like the Naginata, the Bisento was also meant for cutting rather than for thrusting, but the heavy blade of the Bisento could rarely cut through the armor, instead it was used for crushing the opponent with its weight.
HOME |
