A name for this type of yari.

[estcrh]

I have been looking for a name for this type of yari and have been unable to find pictures of another one. It has been suggested that it may be for hunting. If anyone has any information I would appreciate it.

 

 

 

[sanjuro]

Sasa marugata........ Bamboo leaf shape. Not for hunting but a legitimate style for war . For a famous example see 'Tombo giri' Honda Tadakatsu's yari. (incidentally, his is bigger than yours, but they tell me size doesn't matter).

 

If you are of a mind to sell this example, I know someone who would love to own it. :D

[estcrh]

Sasa marugata........ Bamboo leaf shape. Not for hunting but a legitimate style for war . For a famous example see 'Tombo giri' Honda Tadakatsu's yari. (incidentally, his is bigger than yours, but they tell me size doesn't matter).

 

If you are of a mind to sell this example, I know someone who would love to own it. :D

Keith, I could not find anything online under that name but when I searched for "leaf shaped yari" this term came up "sasaho yari", and searching with this term got some results, thanks.

 

http://www.ricecracker.com/japanese_swords/s17.htm

[Bugyotsuji]

The word Ho (or after a prefix -Po) means a head or an ear on a crop, as well as blade.

 

Another example of such naming that I would love to own is a 'Gin-nan-po', 'Gin-nan-ho' with a blade shaped like a Ginko nut.

 

Interesting that spears are envisioned with the 'head' up, whereas arrows are considered to point down.

[sanjuro]

Interesting that spears are envisioned with the 'head' up, whereas arrows are considered to point down.

 

Probably a natural progression from the way in which these weapons are stored racked or carried. A yari is stored and carried point up, whereas yanone/yajiri are stored in arrow cases, racks and quivers, point down.

 

Traditional usage also calls the tip of a yari, a 'blade'. whereas an arrow tip is termed a 'head'.

[Bugyotsuji]

The tip of an arrow, ya, is termed a shiri = butt/rear/bottom or ne = root.

[sanjuro]

Yes thats true ..... I was mixing my western and eastern terminologies a bit. But come to think of it we also term a spear blade a spearhead and an arrow tip an arrowhead......... OK, scratch my last observation since it was obviously flawed. Up to that point I was doing alright.

[Bugyotsuji]

Keith, I am glad it is not just me.

 

(Had to go back and rewrite an earlier post which just didn't make sense when I reread it. Nuts...)

[sanjuro]

Piers.

 

Brain fade is a terrible affliction I rather think of it as either a blonde moment or a grey moment (depending on hair colour and/or age). This philosophy apparently does not cater for bald guys, and I therefore assume they have no excuse whatsoever unless they have retained a memory of their hair coloration or are geriatric. Thank god for hair otherwise I'd be lost. :D

[Jacques D.]

Hi,

 

IMHO this kind of yari is called O sasaho hira sansaku tsukuri yari.

[sanjuro]

Jacques D.

 

The Tombo giri example I referred to is referred to as 'O' sasaho...... etc....etc, because of its extreme length (over 43 cm, if memory serves correctly). Eric's example I think would just be sasaho hira sansaku tsukuri yari. (Its still enough of a mouthful, even with the slight abbreviation). :D

[estcrh]

Hi,

 

IMHO this kind of yari is called O sasaho hira sansaku tsukuri yari.

I thought that "sansaku" refer to a diamond shaped blade?

[sanjuro]

I thought it was a three sided blade. The Japanese word 'san' means three. Ichi, ni, san, shi......... etc.

[Jacques D.]

Hi,

 

You're right Keith, O is only for the tombo giri.

[Jacques D.]

Hi

 

Eric,

 

I thought it was a three sided blade.

 

 

The yari we talk about is made like this even if its cutting edges are not straight.

[sanjuro]

As a postscript, Kanzan Sato In his book 'The Japanese Sword' gives this bamboo leaf style as 'sasaho tsukuri'. I dont know about you guys but I am more than prepared to accept professor Sato's word on anything nihonto.

The 'O' used in the description of the tombo giri is not only due to its length but also to the fact that it is one of the three great spears of Japan and it is considered the greatest work of Masazane. The 'O' meaning great or indicating a masterpiece.

[estcrh]

 

 

The yari we talk about is made like this even if its cutting edges are not straight.

Jacques, yes your right. I was not thinking about the cross section correctly. I meant triangular not diamond but it is a triangular shape.

[estcrh]

As a postscript, Kanzan Sato In his book 'The Japanese Sword' gives this bamboo leaf style as 'sasaho tsukuri'. I dont know about you guys but I am more than prepared to accept professor Sato's word on anything nihonto.

Keith, do you know what "tsukuri" refers to?

[sanjuro]

I believe that the word tsukuri literally means 'make' or style. In this sense 'bamboo leaf make' or style. Sasa is bamboo, Ho I'm not sure about in this context. 'Leaf' or 'leaf shape' would be as close as I can get. Hence, 'bamboo leaf shape style'.

 

My Japanese and its usage which I find rather complex to say the least, leaves much to be desired.

[Bugyotsuji]

Eric, Tsukuri means 'made' but more particularly 'the way it is fashioned', and in this case 'fashioned into the style of' sasa-ho.

[estcrh]

Eric, Tsukuri means 'made' but more particularly 'the way it is fashioned', and in this case 'fashioned into the style of' sasa-ho.

Thanks everyone, I see now, tsukuri refers to the body shape as opposed to the cross section shape. Now I have one more question. This yari is diamond shaped, it is not flat, it has two cutting edges and two ridges so it is ryo-shinogi, but would this shape be considered as sasa-ho?

 

 

 

[Bugyotsuji]

This is a different yari, right? My guess is that with the bulge further forward, it would not be called a

Sasa-ho tsukuri, but a 'Ryo-shinogi Choku yarimi' 両鎬直槍身　

 

Using 日本の甲冑武具事典　p402

[sanjuro]

Eric.

 

This second example is simply the wrong shape to be called bamboo leaf shaped. I refer here to the outline only not the presence or absence of ridges. The first example in silhouette looks exactly like a bamboo leaf. This second example has a forward flare to the blade, most unlike a bamboo leaf, hence not sasaho tsukuri.

[Marius]

Just to give you an example of this yari (mounted as a tanto)...

[Mark Green]

First yari, looks to be a very nice, good size, standard, "sasaho yari". Very nice!

 

Nice fat bo-hi, without the lacquer you often see in these.

 

Love it!

 

Mark G

 

oops, that's a pretty one too mariuszk

[Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini]

It has been suggested that it may be for hunting. If anyone has any information I would appreciate it.

 

As suggested the topic's one is Sasaho Hira sankaku tsukuri Yari.

But this type is also made in Ryo shinogi form, which the hunting ones belong to.

As a not-so-strict rule, difference between hunting and fighting types of the Ryo Shinogi variation is in the carving.

Hunting ones used to kill inoshishi usually have carving(s) that completely pass thru the blade.

[Jacques D.]

Hi?

 

As suggested the topic's one is Sasaho Hira sankaku tsukuri Yari.

 

 

Oups sorry, haven't seen my mistake. sankaku 三角 (three angles)

[Carlo Giuseppe Tacchini]

Yes Jacques, a typo only. Meaning was clear.

[estcrh]

As a postscript, Kanzan Sato In his book 'The Japanese Sword' gives this bamboo leaf style as 'sasaho tsukuri'. I dont know about you guys but I am more than prepared to accept professor Sato's word on anything nihonto.

 

Quoting from "The Japanese sword" By Kanzan Satō p.63, he seems to imply that sasaho-zukuri is a blade cross section type along with ryoshinogi-zukuri and sankaku-zukiri. Am I just understanding the meaning of this this wrong?

 

Of the large yari which became fashionable at the end if the Muromachi, the ryoshinogi-zukuri ("two ridged form"), the sankaku-zukuri ("three corner form"), sasaho-zukuri (ridged in the center of one side only) all originated in the same period.

 

Is Kanzan Satō calling the three sided yari with unequal sides "sasaho-zukuri" and the yari with three equal sides sankaku-zukuri? Is sasaho used to describe cross section as well as body shape? It is confusing as some sources describe sankaku as being triangle shape with three equal sides and other sources use sankaku to describe all three sided yari even the yari with one wide flat side and two equal sides.

[sanjuro]

I see your dilemma........ It has always been my understanding that sansaku is a generic term for all three sided yari, most of which have parallel sides for the majority of their length. The sasaho tsukuri whilst being technically a sansaku (Three sided blade) is distinguished in having a taper at both ends of the blade thus giving it the bamboo leaf shape. If one were to be totally accurate then the sasaho is correctly described as a 'sasaho sankaku tsukuri' blade. The name simply describes the nature of the blade as a three sided blade with the shape of a bamboo leaf as opposed to a three sided blade of the more common parallel type.

 

However, I could be wrong here, and am quite willing to be corrected.