is the term for a traditionally-made Japanese blade (日本刀;

nihontō A is one of several types of traditionally made swords from Japan. Bronze swords were made as early as the Yayoi period (1,000 BC – 300 AD), though most people generally refer to the curved blades made from the Heian period (794–1185) to the ...

) in the form of a

spear A spear is a polearm consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with Fire hardening, fire hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable materia ...

, or more specifically, the straight-headed spear. The

martial art Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the pres ...

of wielding the is called .

History

The forerunner of the is thought to be a derived from a

Chinese spear ''Qiang'' (pronunciation: , English approximation: , ) is the Chinese term for spear. Due to its relative ease of manufacture, the spear in many variations was ubiquitous on the pre-modern Chinese battlefield. It is known as one of the four ma ...

. These are thought to be from the

Nara period The of the history of Japan covers the years from 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the capita ...

(710–794). The term appeared for the first time in written sources in 1334, but this type of spear did not become popular until the late 15th century. The original warfare of the was not a thing for commoners; it was a ritualized combat usually between two warriors who would challenge each other via horseback archery. In the late Heian period, battles on foot began to increase and , a bladed polearm, became a main weapon along with a ''yumi'' (longbow).Basic knowledge of naginata and nagamaki.
Nagoya Japanese Sword Museum, Touken World The attempted

Mongol invasions of Japan Major military efforts were taken by Kublai Khan of the Yuan dynasty in 1274 and 1281 to conquer the Japanese archipelago after the submission of the Korean kingdom of Goryeo to Vassal state, vassaldom. Ultimately a failure, the invasion attemp ...

in 1274 and 1281 was one of the factors that changed Japanese weaponry and warfare. The Mongols employed Chinese and Korean footmen wielding long pikes and fought in tight formations. They moved in large units to stave off cavalry. Polearms (including and ) were of much greater military use than swords, due to their significantly longer reach, lighter weight per unit length (though overall a polearm would be fairly hefty), and their great piercing ability. In the Nanbokuchō period, battles on foot by groups became the mainstream and the importance of further increased, but were not yet the main weapon. However, after the

Onin War Onin may refer to: * Ōnin, a Japanese era ** Ōnin War * Onin peninsula, on the Bomberai Peninsula of Indonesian Papua * Onin language, an Austronesian language spoken on the peninsula {{Disambiguation ...

in 15th century in the

Muromachi period The , also known as the , is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate ( or ), which was officially established in 1338 by the first Muromachi ...

, large-scale group battles started in which mobilized (foot peasant troops) fought on foot and in close quarters, and ''yari'', (longbow) and (Japanese matchlock) became the main weapons. This made and obsolete on the battlefield, and they were often replaced with and short, lightweight .Arms for battle – spears, swords, bows.
Nagoya Japanese Sword Museum, Touken WorldKazuhiko Inada (2020), ''Encyclopedia of the Japanese Swords''. p42. ''歴史人'' September 2020. pp.40–41. Around the latter half of the 16th century, holding pikes () with length of became the main forces in armies. They formed lines, combined with soldiers bearing firearms ''tanegashima'' and short spears. Pikemen formed a two- or three-row line, and were trained to move their pikes in unison under command. Not only but also

samurai The samurai () were members of the warrior class in Japan. They were originally provincial warriors who came from wealthy landowning families who could afford to train their men to be mounted archers. In the 8th century AD, the imperial court d ...

fought on the battlefield with ''yari'' as one of their main weapons. For example,

Honda Tadakatsu , also called Honda Heihachirō (本多平八郎) was a Japanese samurai, general, and daimyo of the late Sengoku through early Edo periods, who served Tokugawa Ieyasu. Honda Tadakatsu was one of the Tokugawa Four Heavenly Kings (Shitennō) a ...

was famous as a master of one of

The Three Great Spears of Japan ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

, the ''

Tonbokiri The is one of three legendary Japanese spears created by the famed swordsmith Sengo Masazane, said to be wielded by the ''daimyō'' Honda Tadakatsu, a leading general of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Name The spear derives its name from the myth that a d ...

'' (蜻蛉切). One of The Three Great Spears of Japan, the ''Nihongō'' ( :ja:日本号) was treasured as a gift, and its ownership changed to Emperor Ogimachi,

Shogun , officially , was the title of the military aristocracy, rulers of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor of Japan, Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, exc ...

Ashikaga Yoshiaki "Ashikaga Yoshiaki" in '' The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th edn., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 625. was the 15th and final ''shōgun'' of the Ashikaga shogunate in Japan who reigned from 1568 to 1573 when he ...

Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods. He was the and regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. He is sometimes referred as the "Demon Daimyō" and "Demo ...

Toyotomi Hideyoshi , otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods and regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: ...

Fukushima Masanori was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the late Sengoku period to early Edo period and served as the lord of the Hiroshima Domain. A retainer of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, he fought in the Battle of Shizugatake in 1583 and soon became known as one of the ...

, and so on, and has been handed down to the present day.''歴史人'' September 2020. pp.128–135. With the coming of the

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

the had fallen into disuse. Greater emphasis was placed on small-scale, close quarters combat, so the convenience of swords led to their dominance, and polearms and archery lost their practical value. During the peaceful Edo period, were still produced (sometimes even by renowned swordsmiths), although they existed mostly as either a ceremonial weapon or as a police weapon.

Description

were characterized by a straight

blade A blade is the Sharpness (cutting), sharp, cutting portion of a tool, weapon, or machine, specifically designed to puncture, chop, slice, or scrape surfaces or materials. Blades are typically made from materials that are harder than those they a ...

that could be anywhere from several centimeters to or more in length. The blades were made of the same steel () from which traditional

Japanese sword A is one of several types of traditionally made swords from Japan. Bronze swords were made as early as the Yayoi period (1,000 BC – 300 AD), though most people generally refer to the curved blades made from the Heian period (794–1185) to the ...

s and arrowheads were forged, and were very durable. Throughout history many variations of the straight blade were produced, often with protrusions on a central blade. blades often had an extremely long tang (; 中心); typically it would be longer than the sharpened portion of the blade. The tang protruded into a reinforced hollow portion of the handle ( or ) resulting in a very stiff shaft making it nearly impossible for the blade to fall or break off. The shaft ( or ) came in many different lengths, widths, and shapes; made of hardwood and covered in lacquered

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of mostly evergreen perennial plant, perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily (biology), subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in th ...

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 (; 石突) on the butt end. shafts were often decorated with inlays of metal or semiprecious materials such as brass pins, lacquer, or flakes of pearl. A sheath (; 鞘) was also part of a complete .

Variations of blades

Various types of points or blades existed. The most common blade was a straight, flat design that resembles a straight-bladed double edged

dagger A dagger is a fighting knife with a very sharp point and usually one or two sharp edges, typically designed or capable of being used as a cutting or stabbing, thrusting weapon.State v. Martin, 633 S.W.2d 80 (Mo. 1982): This is the dictionary or ...

. This type of blade could cut as well as stab and was sharpened like a razor edge. Though is a catchall term for 'spear', it is usually distinguished between , which have additional horizontal blades, and simple () or straight spears. can also be distinguished by the types of blade cross section: the triangular sections were called and the diamond sections were called . * have a point that resembles a narrow spike with a triangular cross-section. A therefore had no cutting edge, only a sharp point at the end. The 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 : , blades with a triangular, equilateral cross section, and , with a triangular, isosceles-shaped cross section. * , a blade with a diamond shaped cross section. * were mounted to a shaft by means of a metal socket instead of a tang. The socket and blade are forged from a single piece. * were one of the rarest types of , possessing only a single edge. This created a weapon that could be used for hacking and closely resembled a . are the only which use a . * had a very broad, "spade-shaped" head. often had a pair of holes centering the two ovoid halves. Yari-p1000609

* , also called , looked something similar to a

trident A trident (), () is a three- pronged spear. It is used for spear fishing and historically as a polearm. As compared to an ordinary spear, the three tines increase the chance that a fish will be struck and decrease the chance that a fish will b ...

partisan Partisan(s) or The Partisan(s) may refer to: Military * Partisan (military), paramilitary forces engaged behind the front line ** Francs-tireurs et partisans, communist-led French anti-fascist resistance against Nazi Germany during WWII ** Ital ...

, and brandishing two curved side blades pointing upward. It is occasionally referred to as in modern weaponry texts. ** , a with one side blade pointing downward and one side blade pointing upward. ** , a with the two side blades pointing downward. ** , a with the two side blades resembling a pair of buffalo horns. * gets its name from a peasant weapon or tool called (lit. "sickle" or "scythe"). * had a weapon design sporting a blade that was two-pronged. Instead of being constructed like a

military fork A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily Weapon, armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable ...

, a straight blade (as in ) 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 rough 'L' shape. * barely looked like a spear at all. A polearm that had a crescent blade for a spearhead, which could be used for slashing and hooking. * was a key-shaped spear with a long blade with a side hook much like that found on a

fauchard A fauchard is a type of polearm which was used in Europe from the 11th through the 17th centuries. In later use fauchards became ornamental and ceremonial (''fauchard de parade''), growing in size until some examples were almost too heavy to ...

. This could be used to catch another weapon, or even dismount a rider mounted on horseback. * 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 The ''fleur-de-lis'', also spelled ''fleur-de-lys'' (plural ''fleurs-de-lis'' or ''fleurs-de-lys''), is a common heraldic charge in the (stylized) shape of a lily (in French, and mean and respectively). Most notably, the ''fleur-de-lis'' ...

. * , an old form of possibly from the Nara period (710–794), a guard's spear with pole and blade either leaf-shaped or waved (like

keris The kris or is a Javanese asymmetrical dagger with a distinctive blade-patterning achieved through alternating laminations of iron and nickelous iron (''pamor''). The kris is famous for its distinctive wavy blade, although many have straight ...

); a sickle-shaped horn projected on one or both sides at the joint of blade. The had a hollow socket like the later period for the pole to fit into rather than a long tang. * , a broad described as being "leaf shaped" or "bamboo leaf shaped". * (also known as ), a straight double edged blade.''The connoisseur's book of Japanese swords''
Kōkan Nagayama, Kodansha International, 1998, P.49 * (), an extra long blade. * *

Variations of shafts

A shaft can range in length from , with some in excess of 6 metres. * : long, a type of pike used by . It was especially used by

Oda clan The is a Japanese samurai family who were daimyo and an important political force in the unification of Japan in the mid-16th century. Though they reached the peak of their power under Oda Nobunaga and fell soon after, several branches of the ...

beginning from the reign of

; samurai tradition of the time held that the soldiers of the rural province of Owari were among the weakest in Japan. Kantō was a chaotic place;

Kansai The or the lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo and Shiga, often also Mie, sometimes Fukui, Tokushima and Tottori. The metropoli ...

was home to the

Shogunate , officially , was the title of the military rulers of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, except during parts of the Kamak ...

, and the

Uesugi Uesugi (jap. 上杉, sometimes written ''Uyesugi'') is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: People *Uesugi clan, a Japanese samurai clan **Uesugi Akisada, (1454–1510), a samurai of the Uesugi clan ** Uesugi Harunori (1751� ...

Takeda is a Japanese name, Japanese family name.1990 Census Name Files ''Taiho-jutsu: law and order in the age of the samurai''"> ''Taiho-jutsu: law and order in the age of the samurai''
Author, Don Cunningham, Publisher Tuttle Publishing, 2004, , P.44

Gallery

File:Kikuchi yari 99.jpg, File:Sasaho tsukuri hira sankaku yari.jpg, File:Sansaku yari 9.jpg, File:Ryo shinogi fukuro yari.jpg, File:Yari tachiuchi or tachiuke.JPG, or , the reinforced upper part of the shaft File:Estampe-p1000685.jpg,

Ukiyo-e is a genre of Japanese art that flourished from the 17th through 19th centuries. Its artists produced woodblock printing, woodblock prints and Nikuhitsu-ga, paintings of such subjects as female beauties; kabuki actors and sumo wrestlers; scenes ...

print of a samurai general holding a in his right hand

References

External links

Nihonto message board forum

{{Pole weapons Spears of Japan Edged and bladed weapons Samurai polearms