Ancient Japanese Spears

Jutte sasumata and other weapons meant to subdue opponents proved necessity is the mother of invention.

Ancient japanese spears. Medieval japan employed spears again for infantrymen to use but it was not until the 11th century in that samurai began to prefer spears over bows. Use of the spear was considered one of the seven primary abilities necessary during the formative years of samurai tradition during this era. These hoko yari are thought to be from the nara period 710 794. This was one of the earliest weapons used by japanese warriors.

Japan s ancient fighting weapons ranged from working class tools like the kuwa and kama to those created with deadly intent like the kanabo and katana. However spears that were created in the early yayoi period were referred to as hoko. Naginata were originally used by the samurai class of feudal japan as well as by ashigaru foot soldiers and sōhei warrior monks. In ancient mythology japan was known as the country of one thousand fine halberds and very seldom did an illustration of the ancient bushi outfitted for war fail to show him holding his spear a weapon second in traditional significance only to the bow and arrow.

Soldiers were the first to be given the orders to use hoko. These weapons have double sided blades that could measure from 12 29 inches 30 74 cm long. The hoko 鉾 also written with the character 矛 is an old type of spear used in japan from antiquity until the 14th century when the most known yari 槍 was introduced. In japan spears are called yari.

I wanted to dedicated a short and brief article to this early spear due to its importance since almost every polearms developed in japan owes its origins to this weapon. The naginata is the iconic weapon of the onna bugeisha a type of female warrior belonging to the japanese nobility. Oscar ratti and adele westbrook secrets of the samurai p. This has a wooden pole inserted into a socket at the base of a forged iron blade.

While they were present in early japan s history the term yari appeared for the first time in written sources in 1334 and this type of spear did not become popular until the late 15th century.