Basic Unit Statistics (can be modified by difficulty level, arts, skills, traits and retainers)
| Recruitment Cost | 500 | |
| Upkeep Cost | 225 | |
| Melee Attack | 12 | 34% |
| Charge Bonus | 12 | 24% |
| Bonus vs Cavalry | 7 | 23% |
| Melee Defence | 7 | 20% |
| Armour | 3 | 20% |
| Morale | 10 | 20% |
Strengths & Weaknesses
- Very good against cavalry.
- Very strong in melee.
- Small unit size.
- Vulnerable to naginata-armed infantry and massed archers.
Description
These fearsome cavalrymen are armed with deadly naginatas, making them formidable in close combat.
Naginata cavalry are extremely good in close combat against other horsemen, where the long reach of their weapons gives them a significant advantage. This also makes them quite handy against most infantry, as they can cut down to size - literally, in some cases - almost any opponents. Naginata-armed infantry counter their weapons' strengths quite effectively, as might be expected. Given the small numerical strength of the unit, they are best kept out of range of massed archers: naginatas are no defence against a storm of arrows. While the naginata was a fearsome weapon, Japanese weaponsmiths also produced a hybrid weapon halfway between a sword and a naginata, called the nagamaki. It came to be favoured by some in the period immediately after the Gempei War. This resembled nothing so much as a gently curved sword with a handle as long as the blade. Like the naginata it was used with wide sweeping motions, but could also be used as a spear to stab enemies. Despite being effective, it required a lot of effort to make: some claim more work was involved than for a sword or a naginata, and this inherent expense helped to limit its popularity.