The hoko yari was thought to be a guard's spear used in the defense of palisades and gates. One source describes hoko yari as being mounted on a six-foot pole and with an eight-inch blade, either in a leaf shape or with a wavy edge similar to the Malay kris. Like the later-period fukuro yari, the metal blade had a hollow socket for the pole to fit into, rather than a long tang. Hoko yari could also have a sickle-shaped horn projecting out and slightly forward on one or both sides of the blade, indicating that this weapon was primarily used to thrust back an enemy.