Yari Wakizashi?

[SalaMarcos]

Hello everyone,

 

I readed about yari tantô.

Some topics said that this was used for samurai for fight like a yoroi doshi. For me it's a little bit strange, I cant find the utility of this weapon. The nakago of the yari must be cutted a lot to fit in a tantô koshirae, and this became the edge so weak. Also the yari edge are not so sharped, so I really don't see the point. If anyone has some new opinions about that I will be greatefull to listen new opinions about this topic.

 

I'm finishing my PhD in tsuba and kodôgu in spanish colections, so I have acess to many private and public colections not in exposition. Recentlly, I founded this 2 pieces. It seems that is bigger than tantô koshirae, for me seems more a wakizashi. So maybe it is a new style? I never saw before a yari wakizashi like this.

 

Studying the poor kodôgu and tsuba, most of it close to shiiremono, I think that this yari tantô/wakizashi koshirae is for keeping safe the edge of the yari rather than using it in combat.

 

What do you think?

 

Thank you veru much.

 

First yari wakizashi.

 

 

 

Second Yari wakizashi

 

 

[Brian]

I think the only reason they were created is that in times of peace, or when spears were no longer part of daily life, it made sense to re-use the yari instead of tossing it. So may as well take it and turn it into a sword. The owner already had it, so economically it made sense to recycle old weapons. Probably more about finances than sentimentality over an old spear.

 

- B -

[Kai-Gunto]

The tsuba is turned the wrong way and maybe the seppa too.

[Geraint]

Dear Sala.

 

I am not sure that we will ever get to the bottom of this issue but I must admit I have always found them interesting.  I agree that the quality of the two examples is not high and it may be that they have been assembled during the Meiji period to produce saleable weapons for the Gaijin.  However very good quality examples exist such as this one, http://www.juwelier-strebel.de/asien-kunst/Japan/yari-naginata.htmland the one at the top of the page which is papered to quite a good smith.  Are either of the two you illustrate signed?

 

It may be a combination of some samurai choosing to have a favoured yari mounted this way and more latterly dealers having trouble selling polearms but finding a ready market for exotic wakizashi.

 

All the best.

 

 

[dig1982]

The only bad thing is the shortened tang.

[SalaMarcos]

Because museum rules I can't take the yari out the koshirae, so I didn't know if it's signed or not but I also think that because of the bad quality of the koshirae is very dificult that this 2 are good pieces. I did it in some katana and wakizashi and they feared so much watching me doing my job... but for this 2 they say absolutely no to separate from the koshirae.

Is it a shame that there is nobody who knows nothing about Japanese weapons in spanish museums, so in the most cases they never searate the edges from the koshirae, even for clean. Also, the 80% of the nihontô are in really bad quality, full of fingerprints and rust.

But thank you all for your opinions