Yari

[estcrh]

Originally Posted by Timo Nieminen

Naginata hafts were oval-section, not round. That gives the edge alignment (also stronger with less weight in the direction needed when a cut hits something more solid than expected).

I don't know how common flat areas were/are on yari hafts. I've seen hafts without such, even for yari you might care about blade alignment with. (Equilateral triangular section and square section yari might as well have round hafts; you won't care about blade alignment. Also often cavalry lances, so the "usual" flat area near the butt won't be near the hand.)

The kikuchi yari I have seen were mounted on a round half, if any yari were to have been mounted on an oval haft you would expect it to have been kikuchi yari since that have a flat knife like blade.