Is Saya Too Long for this Blade (Yari)?

[MikeyJ]

I've been lurking on various dealer websites for the past 6 months looking for a nice yari in Koshirae. I see one on auction at AOI (link below) that made me curious about the proper length of saya compared to the blade. In this case, the blade plus Kerakubi is about 26 cm, and the saya (Koshirae) is 42 cm long. So the blade only runs up about half of the saya.  I haven't handled enough yari in Koshirae to know how common this is, but in the dozen or so I've seen the saya is only slightly longer than the blade.

 

https://www.aoijapan...ords-appraisal-club/

[Deiro]

as expected it is the same one, I have seen a tachi with an impractical koshirae definitely meant to be the clothing for "showing off prestige". Though obviously yari are not meant to be carried like that, but perhaps someone just really appreciated his yari and to be honest how else will you get a whole dragon on it without compromising the design. I can't afford this piece but I do like it for the mountings alone.

 

[MikeyJ]

  On 5/31/2024 at 4:28 PM, Deiro said:

as expected it is the same one, I have seen a tachi with an impractical koshirae definitely meant to be the clothing for "showing off prestige". Though obviously yari are not meant to be carried like that, but perhaps someone just really appreciated his yari and to be honest how else will you get a whole dragon on it without compromising the design. I can't afford this piece but I do like it for the mountings alone.

 

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AOI put this same blade (in Shirasaya) on auction earlier this year, it didn't sell. So I think AOI had the blade fitted to a pre-existing Koshirae made for a longer bladed yari.

 

I agree that the Koshirae is attractive, though I think it was made in modern times.

[Deiro]

  On 5/31/2024 at 4:44 PM, MikeyJ said:

So I think AOI had the blade fitted to a pre-existing Koshirae made for a longer bladed yari.

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hmm that might be the case considering the shape of a spear, but isn't such a thing considered taboo?

[MikeyJ]

  On 6/1/2024 at 12:07 PM, Deiro said:

hmm that might be the case considering the shape of a spear, but isn't such a thing considered taboo?

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I think it is OK for dealers to fit a yari/naginata into an existing Koshirae as long as work is performed by a skilled craftsman, which has been my experience with AOI. If there is some kind of cultural taboo then I don't know it.