Japanese Spears: Polearms and Their Use in Old Japan

Of all the weapons of the Japanese samurai, the sword is best known and valued for its perfection of design and as a work of art; and yet, from the warrior’s perspective, the more humble halberd or straight spear were the dominant weapons of the battlefield until displaced by the widespread introduction of firearms in the late 16th century. This fully illustrated study of naginata and yari records the many variations of spear design from the ancient period when warrior chieftains settled in Japan from the Asian mainland, down to the fall of the Tokugawa in 1868 that marked the close of the feudal period. In addition, it offers the reader valuable insight into the historical attitude of the Japanese warrior to warfare and examples of how these often splendid weapons were used in the bujutsu - the arts of the battlefield.