Japanese Yari Tactics

Timeline

1. c. 1300–1450Kantō and Kinai · JapanFrom the Kamakura to early Muromachi period, naginata and long-handled weapons were popular among warrior monks and samurai, laying the technical foundation for yari standardization in the Sengoku era.
2. c. 1467–1491Kai and Echigo · ChūbuSengoku daimyō mobilized ashigaru on a large scale, equipping them with standardized yari and forming spear units staffed mainly by farmer-soldiers, altering the previously cavalry- and samurai-dominated battlefield structure.
3. 1491–1575Kai Province · Yamanashi PrefectureTakeda Shingen systematically developed yari-fusuma tactics, using multiple ranks of ashigaru thrusting with spears to repel cavalry charges; the Uesugi army likewise centered on yari, and Sengoku spear-formation tactics matured.
4. c. 1543–1600Nagashino and Sekigahara · ChūbuAfter the introduction of teppō, Oda Nobunaga developed combined spear-and-gun tactics such as san-dan-gi; the Battle of Nagashino marked the combination of dense spear formations with teppō trenches, fundamentally challenging traditional cavalry charge tactics.