Yari
槍 · yari
A Japanese spear with a straight thrusting head of tamahagane steel on a shaft one to six metres long, the main infantry weapon of the ashigaru from the late 15th century.
Quick Facts
JapanAbout the weapon
The yari is a Japanese spear with a straight head. Its predecessor was the hoko spear of the Nara period (710–794), derived from the Chinese qiang. The word yari first appears in written sources in 1334, but it only spread widely by the end of the 15th century. After the Mongol invasions of 1274 and 1281, it became clear that pole weapons, thanks to their much longer reach, had greater battlefield value than swords. The head was forged from tamahagane steel and measured 15 to 60 cm, the shaft (e) one to six metres. The narrowed section between the head (ho) and the shaft is called shiokubi or kerakubi, and the opposite end of the shaft is protected by a butt cap ishizuki. Besides the plain su yari, there were variants such as the sankaku yari with a triangular head, the cruciform jūmonji yari, and the kama-yari with crescent-shaped side blades. After the Ōnin War (1467–1477), the yari, together with bows and firearms, became the main battlefield weapon, as ashigaru foot units began to be deployed en masse, and long pikes became standard for their tight formations. In the peaceful Edo period, the yari served mainly as a ceremonial or police weapon. Among famous spears we may name Tonbokiri, wielded by Honda Tadakatsu, and Nihongō, which passed through the hands of emperors and warlords including Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
Parts of the weapon
- Head — ho
- Shaft — e
- Butt — ishizuki
Related weapons
- Variants: Kama-yari
- Variants: Jūmonji yari