Yari - Variations of Yari Blades

Variations of Yari Blades

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-sō) or straight spears. Yari can also be distinguished by the types of blade cross section: the triangular sections were called sankaku yari and the diamond sections were called ryō-shinogi yari.

• Sankaku yari (三角槍, triangle spear) have a point that resembles 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. There are two types of sankaku yari, sei sankaku yari are yari blades that have a triangular cross section with three equal sides as in an equilateral triangle, and hira sankaku yari which have a triangular cross section with two equal sides like an isosceles triangle.

• Ryō-shinogi yari, a blade with a diamond shaped cross section.

• Fukuro yari (袋槍, bag spear or socket spear) were mounted to a shaft (nagaye or ebu) by means of a metal socket instead of a nakago (tang). The fukuro yari was forged as a single piece of both socket and blade.

• Kikuchi yari (菊池槍, spear of Kikuchi) were one of the rarest designs, possessing only a single edge. This created a weapon that could be used for hacking and closely resembled a tantō. kikuchi yari are the only yari which use a habaki .

• Yajiri nari yari (鏃形槍, spade-shaped spear) had a very broad "spade-shaped" head. It often had a pair of holes centering the two ovoid halves.

• Jūmonji yari (十文字槍), cross-shaped spear, also called magari yari (曲槍, curved spear), looked something similar to a trident or partisan and brandished a pair of curved blades around its central lance. Occasionally called maga yari in modern weaponry texts.

• Kama yari (鎌槍, sickle spear) gets its name from a peasant weapon called kama (lit. sickle or scythe). However, a kama isn't a scythe as most Westerners think of it, a giant, curved blade connected at right angles to a two-meter-long wooden handle, but rather a much smaller version, with a less dramatically curved blade and a straight wooden handle approximately two feet long.

• Kata kama yari (片鎌槍, single-sided sickle spear) had a radical weapon design sporting a blade that was two-pronged. Instead of being constructed like a military fork, a straight blade (as in su yari) was intersected just below its midsection by a perpendicular blade. This blade was slightly shorter than the primary, had curved tips making a parallelogram, and was set off center so that only 1/6 of its length extended on the other side. This formed a kind of messy 'L' shape.

• Tsuki nari yari (月形槍, moon-shaped spear) barely looked like a 'spear' at all. A polearm that had a crescent blade for a head, this could be used for slashing and hooking.

• Kagi yari (鉤槍, hook spear) had a long blade with a side hook much like that found on a fauchard. This could be used to catch another weapon, or even dismount a rider on horseback.

• Bishamon yari possessed some of the most ornate designs for any spear. Running parallel to the long central blade were two 'crescent moon' shaped blades facing outwards. They were attached in two locations by short cross bars, making the head look somewhat like a fleur-de-lis.

• Hoko yari An old form of yari possibly from the Nara period (710-794), a guard's spear with six-foot pole and eight inch blade either leaf-shape or waved (like the Malay kris) ; a sickle-shaped horn projected on one or both sides at the joint of blade. The hoko yari had a hollow socket like the later period fukuro yari for the pole to fit into rather than a long tang.

• Sasaho yari A broad yari that is described as being "leaf shaped" or "bamboo leaf shaped".

• Su yari (sugu yari), a straight double edged blade.

• Omi no yari (omi yari), an extra long su yari blade.