''Hoko yari'' is an ancient form of Japanese

spear A spear is a pole weapon 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 hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fasten ...

or ''

yari is the term for a traditionally-made Japanese blade (日本刀; nihontō) in the form of a spear, or more specifically, the straight-headed spear. The martial art of wielding the is called . History The forerunner of the is thought to be a ...

'' said to be based on a Chinese spear.''Japan and China: Japan, its history, arts, and literature'', Frank Brinkley, T. C. & E. C. Jack, 1903 p.156
/ref> The hoko yari came into use sometime between the

Yayoi period The started at the beginning of the Neolithic in Japan, continued through the Bronze Age, and towards its end crossed into the Iron Age. Since the 1980s, scholars have argued that a period previously classified as a transition from the Jōmon p ...

and the

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japanese. ...

, possibly during the

Nara period The of the history of Japan covers the years from CE 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 cap ...

in the 8th century AD.

Appearance and use

The ''hoko yari'' was thought to be a guard's spear used in the defense of palisades and gates. One source describes ''hoko yari'' as being mounted on a two meter pole and with an 20 cm blade, either in a leaf shape or with a wavy edge similar to the Malay ''

kris The kris, or ''keris'' in the Indonesian language, is an asymmetrical dagger with distinctive blade-patterning achieved through alternating laminations of iron and nickelous iron (''pamor''). Of Javanese origin, the kris is famous for its disti ...

''. Like the later-period ''fukuro yari'', the metal blade had a hollow socket for the pole to fit into, rather than a long tang.''Modern Japanese swords and swordsmiths: from 1868 to the present'', Leon Kapp, Hiroko Kapp, Yoshindo Yoshihara, Kodansha International, 2002 p.18
/ref> ''Hoko yari'' could also have a sickle-shaped horn projecting out and slightly forward on one or both sides of the blade, indicating that this weapon was primarily used to thrust back an enemy.

Appearance and use

References

See also