Yamato and the logic of big ships, big guns

Were the Yamato-class battleships designed mainly to conceal their strength and lure an enemy fleet into an unequal battle?

That is unlikely to be the main explanation: ships of Yamato's exceptional size could not plausibly appear ordinary, while Japan's big-ship, big-gun concept advertised deterrence through visibly overwhelming ships and weapons.

The later history of carrier warfare does not change the reasons Yamato was ordered. An exceptionally large hull is a poor way to hide combat power because foreign observers can infer that a 60,000-ton ship is not equivalent to a treaty battleship. Japan's big-ship, big-gun concept offers a more convincing deterrent rationale for the class. This separates the construction decision from Yamato's later operational use and from explanations imposed with hindsight.