They confirmed it i think can IG just stop messing up the whole franchise? Naginata… Katana… Or lasersword? … Switch the developers, man. S1 was so great, S2 was still okay and then… Dead.
Wait what?
This is important. *History paper incoming.
In Japan, swords had a very ceremonial role while the yu bow (spellcheck needed?) and naginata saw much more combat use. They were especially fond of horse mounted combat, but Calvary and Impact Warfare are a topic for another day. If I remember right there’s an old samurai saying that said “The only skilled swordsman is a poor archer.” It’s primarily because of its cultural significance that the image of a samurai warrior wielding a katana became so popular.
But this isn’t totally unique. Nearly every culture in history ranging from Renaissance Europe to Ancient Greece has used the sword primarily as a backup weapon. Why get right up close and personal with a 3 foot sword when I could skewer someone with a 10 foot spear with much less risk? (Fun fact: Greatswords weren’t invented to just be swung around and look cool. They were designed as a way to try and counter pike formations.) Or even better, plonk someone on the next hill over with a broadhead to the chest?
That’s not to say they never used swords, obviously. In both the East and the West they have martial arts based on swordplay as well as grappling (think Karate in Japan, Viking Glima in Europe), and civilians who could afford it carried swords for self defence on both sides of the globe. But range advantage was much more important than CQC abilities. There’s a reason the militaries of the world switched to firearms, and why tactics like the Phalanx (designed to keep enemies at the tip of your spears) and Shield Wall (designed to defend against incoming fire while you marched forward) maintained such popularity in the ancient world.
On the flipside having that CQC shock trooper capability was still really valuable. Having a CQC option for after the enemy had muscled their way past your polearms and arrow fire was very important, so swords and shields were still a very regular part of war. Even though that battle couldn’t start until after they’d gotten past the front line, having such capability gave every soldier -even in the modern times- a reason to carry a weapon for close encounters of the War kind, whether it be a sword, mace, axe, hammer, or even a knife.
Wait what was this thread about? Oh RIGHT! 
TL;DR: Hisako’s dad probably used the Naginata a hell of a lot more in combat, and rightly so. But he probably kept a sword around for backup, and since the samurai of yore held social and spiritual attachment to their sword, it’s not surprising that one could be the vessel for his spookiness.
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As @Fwufikins said, historically they did tend to use and often favor other weapons. My point was simply that ALL Samurai including female ones like Hisako would have been proficient in a variety of weapons and martial arts and Hisako’s father would have by mandate of the law carried the two sword-set as a social status badge. Now that we know almost for certain we are getting a katana wielding Samurai character I cannot wait, lol.
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Do we even know if it’s a character? if it is, I can’t wait to see!
It was confirmed
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Hyped now!
Take it to a PM. Not needed on both sides.
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Please be constructive.
Please be Banjo
Raiden from MGS: Revengeance
Ori from Ori and the Blind Forest
Beavis and Butt-Head
Raiden
Ori and The Blind Forest
Shadowrun
Halo Brute
Master Chief
I’d love to see a character from Phantom Dust.