The spear (yari) was used as a thrusting and slashing weapon, primarily by samurai fighting on foot. Despite its length, it was also used by cavalry as a lance. There were many variants in the shape and configuration of the blade: the straight, double-edged version ranged in length from 5 cm to over 60 cm, excluding the tang (nakago). In cross-section, the most common type of blade presented a shallow triangular profile with a broad flat side backed by a shallow ridged rear. This was called sankaku-zukuri, ‘three cornered form’. Many blades of the sankaku-zukuri type had a central groove (hi) running from the nakago almost to the point.

This and RCIN 62619 were originally made as functional weapons and may once have had plainer shafts. They were probably remodelled around 1800 for use in sankin kōtai processions, in which provincial daimyō travelled to Edo in alternate years to attend the shōgun’s court. This system required that daimyō maintain both their provincial estates and residences in Edo, where their families were effectively held hostage to ensure their co-operation. The size and splendour of the daimyō’s entourage when travelling to and from Edo was an outward indication of his status, and these processions were frequently grand and dazzling affairs.

Text adapted from Japan: Courts and Culture (2020)