Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
This fully illustrated study of naginata and yari, the only reference of its kind in English, 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 also 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 bujutsu-the arts of the battlefield.
Synopsis
This is the first book in English to provide a fully illustrated guide to the use of polearms - ranging from the earliest halberds and spears reaching Japan from the Asian mainland to the sophisticated naginata, nagamaki and various forms of yari used by the Japanese samurai through the medieval period. While the sword remains the best known of Japanese weapons, it was the halberd (naginata) and then the yari that dominated the battlefields up to the early seventeenth century, and thereafter the yari became an important status symbol to many warrior families. Additionally, the authors focus on the actual method of use of these weapons, hitherto an almost unknown aspect in the West.