Yari

Yari (槍) is the Japanese term for spear, or more specifically, the straight-headed spear. The martial art of wielding the yari is called yari-jutsu or sō-jutsu. Yari measured anywhere from one meter to upwards of six meters (3.3 to 20 feet). The longer versions were called nagae-yari while shorter ones were known as mochi- or tae-yari. The longest versions were carried by foot troops, while the samurai carried the shorter versions.

Yari were characterized by a straight blade that could be anywhere from several centimeters long, to 0.9 meters (3 feet) or more. The blades were made of the same high-quality steel that the swords and arrow-heads of samurai weapons were forged with, and yari blades were very durable. Over history many variations of the striaght yari blade were produced, often with protrusion on a central blade. Yari blades (points) had extremely long tangs which were usually longer than the sharpened portion of the blade. The tang protruded into a hollow portion of the handle. This resulted in a very stiff shaft and made it nearly impossible for the blade to fall off.

The shaft came in many different lengths, widths and shapes; made of hardwood (nakae) and eventually covered in laquered bamboo strips, these came in oval, round, or polygonal cross section. These in turn were often wrapped in metal rings or wire, and affixed with a metal pommel(ishizuki) on the butt end. The yari could be considered a much higher quality weapon than the average spear due to these unique attributes. Yari handles were often decorated with inlays of metal or semiprecious materials such as brass pins, laquer, or flakes of mother-of-pearl.

A sheath for the blade called saya was also part of a complete yari.

Types of Yari

Various types of Yari points or blades existed. The most common blade was a straight, flat, design that resembles a straight-bladed double edged dagger. This type of blade could cut as well as stab and was sharpened like a razor edge. Though yari is a catch all term for spear it is usually distinguished between magari yari which have complex blades and simple yari(choku-so). The two main kinds of yari can be distinguished by the types of blade cross section: the triangular sections were called sankaku-yari and the diamond sections were called ryo-shinogi-yari.

• Yari

The sankaku (literally: triangle) yari had a point that resembled a narrow spike with a triangular cross-section. A sankaku yari therefore had no cutting edge, only a sharp point at the end. The sankaku yari was therefore best suited for penetrating armor, even armor made of metal, which a standard yari was not as suited to.

• Magari Yari (or Jmonji)

The "jumonji" and "katakama" Yari had included complicated cross or hooked blades. They were very effective weapons though their more complex blade shapes were extremely difficult to properly forge and sharpen; therefore these were far less common than the above types and were often used for ornamental purposes.

"Fukuro" Yari were secured to the handle by means of a metal socket that was forged as part of the point.

Yari were more commonly used by samurai than were swords, and foot troops (ashigaru) used them extensively as well. While it has not received the same recognition as has the katana, the spear was an invaluable weapon of war.