- Referring to: Bô (Bôjutsu), Jô (Jôjutsu), Hanbô (Hanbôjutsu)
- Description: Any staff weapon over 5 feet can be considered a Bô; lesser lengths ranging between 5 to 4 feet are Jô. A stick of 3 feet, considered half the size of a Bô, would be called Hanbô.
Origin
Protohistoric times
It is believed that in protohistoric times, the Bô and the Jô were already being used. Ishi-Jô ("stone-sticks"), which measured about 40 inches in length, have been found in the past. It's unclear if they were being used as weapons or as farm implements. No longer lengths (Bô-like stone objects) are thought to have existed as they would have been too heavy and susceptible to breakage.
References
- Donn F. Draeger & Robert W. Smith, Asian Fighting Arts, Kodansha, edition 1980.
This article is a rough draft which is in need of cleanup (grammar, spelling, corrections, links, formatting, etc.). You can help SamuraiWiki by editing it. Click here for a list of articles that have been tagged as a draft copy.