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 sōjutsu or (somewhat incorrectly) yarijutsu. Yari measured anywhere from one meter to upwards of six meters (3.3 to 20 feet). The longer versions were called omi no yari while shorter ones were known as mochi- or tae yari. The longest versions were carried by foot troops (ashigaru), while the samurai usually carried the shorter versions.

Related Topics:
Japanese - Spear - Sōjutsu - Ashigaru - Samurai

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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 straight 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 or break off.

Related Topics:
Blade - Weapon - Tang

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The shaft came in many different lengths, widths and shapes; made of hardwood (nakae) and covered in lacquered 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, lacquer, or flakes of mother-of-pearl.

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

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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 catchall for spear it is usually distinguished between kama yari which have additional horizontal blades and simple su yari(choku-so). Also 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.

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